Life and Death in Banana City

In the chapter, Life and Death in Banana City, Elias Cebekhulu and Evan Mantzaris describe the conditions of shack dwellers. They report on the housing conditions, social life, organisations, employment, activities for children, illnesses and struggles of the residents of Banana City, an area near the UKZN-Westville campus. It is occupied by 4000 or so shack dwellers. They live on university-owned property, and some Vice Chancellors have tried unsuccessfully to evict the ‘squatters’. The paper addresses the struggle of shack dwellers against the university and its attempt to evict three new squatters from its land. This struggle, notably, has received much support from students and staff at the Westville campus, some of whom are helping the children of Banana City with their school fees.

Reference:
Cebekhulu, Elias, and Mantzaris, Evan. 'Life and Death in Banana City', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 166-172.