Shacks are types of small houses that people live in. Disadvantaged people will mainly stay in shacks because they cannot afford to build or buy a bigger house. Shacks will mainly be made. Millions of people stay in shacks and raise their families there. In South Africa, the majority of people who live in shacks are black and usually do not have easy access to basic needs like water and electricity. Crime is also high around squatter camps (where people stay in shacks), and mass fires are a great risk.
A while back I was talking with a friend and we were discussing the cost of owning a home, especially when you have a lot of responsibilities and don’t earn a lot. We got to ask each other why we have not bought houses when we have “good jobs”, some savings, and investments. This got me thinking about the difference between rich and poor. Does someone in a mansion consider a duplex as poor, and does someone living in a shack consider a flat as rich? Are the professionals or influencers living in Sandton, driving Mercedes, and eating out every night richer and in a better position that the person making ends meet in a shack or mud house?
Hear me out, here are 2 scenarios:
Scenario 1: A woman stays in a shack with her two children. She works as a domestic worker and earns enough to buy food, pay for taxi fare, contribute to her stokvel, and send her last to her mother in the rural areas.
Scenario 2: A woman stays in a flat with a roommate in town and has no children. She works as a secretary and earns just enough to pay for rent, taxi fare, food, water, and electricity, contributes to a funeral cover, and sends her last to her mother back home.
Looking at the two women, who would you consider poor? I think that the second woman is living in a high-rise shack because she is no better than the first. The only difference is the second woman may live in a cleaner environment and wear better clothes to work. To me, high-rise shacks are tall buildings of flats in town/suburban areas. The majority of the tenants are young professionals who are far from home and trying to make a living. They cannot really afford the rent, but it is better than living in a “shack” because it's closer to stores, there is better security, and easy access to basic needs. At the end of the month, they do not have money left to save at least 5% of their income. They look rich but are actually poor. Here is the kicker, family, and friends think they are rich and have made it in life.
I want you to consider yourself as you read this post. Do you also live in a high-rise shack?
