AFSUN Policy Brief: Cape Town

The Urban Food Security Baseline Survey in Cape Town
sampled 1060 households in three areas of the city: Ocean
View, Ward 34 (Philippi) and Ward 95 (Khayelitsha). Fortyfour
percent of households fell below the 2001 Census’s
poverty line of R1600 per month. A further 26% fell below
the R2600 per month indigent line set by the City of Cape
Town (70% in total). Forty-two percent of households were
female-centred. There was considerable range in terms of
housing type, with 8% living in shacks in Ocean View,
compared with 64% in Ward 95. However, the proportion of
households accessing pensions, child-support or other grants
was similar across all sites (mean – 42%). Finally, almost half
of the surveyed population (46%) identified themselves as
not working, but looking.