Mdantsane Cribs - Cool Modern Retro Properties

Townships in South Africa are generally associated with poverty, low cost housing or make-do housing, meaning shacks. The expression "Shanty Town" is used for informal settlements and impoverished living areas.

A shanty town also called a squatter settlement is a slum settlement, sometimes illegal or unauthorized, where the houses are made of plywood, corrugated iron, sheets of plastic, and cardboard boxes. Shanty towns, which are usually built on the periphery of cities, often do not have proper sanitation, water supply or aqueduct, electricity or telephone services.

And nobody who owns a little bit, has a little bit and still yearns for a little bit more in life, than he or she has right now, wants to live next to a "Shanty Town" in South Africa.

When buying a property in South Africa buyers are strongly influenced by the future development potential of the area surrounding the property like everywhere else, but here in South Africa special attention is paid to the possibility, that existing townships and informal settlements in the area might spread out and shanty towns might develop in the vicinity of the property on sale.

If this possibility exists the property in question is much more difficult to sell and looses market value.

The preconceived idea of a shanty town is not a good one!

A cool modern retro crib in Mdantsane

Shanty towns are mostly found in developing nations, or partially developed nations with  unequal distribution of wealth. In extreme cases, shanty towns have populations approaching millions. According to the Wikipedia as of 2005, one billion people, one-seventh of the world's population, live in shanty towns. 

This might be true but as always there is the other side of the medallion. And until you turn the medallion around you don't see it.

In Mdantsane you can find amazing modern upmarket houses, that the outside spectator would never associate with the classical, traditional definition of a township house.  

NO more Shanty Town - An upmarket property in Mdanstane

The suburbs NU 9 and NU 17 in Mdantsane are the home of stylish modern luxury cribs like the mansion in the pictures, that is build in a modern retro style. The architecture of this double storey building incorporates a lot of glass and steel elements.

A double storey upmarket property in Mdantsane

We have been working on a couple of articles, which we would like to develop into an ongoing series "Mdantsane Cribs". We feel honored, that we have been invited by many families into their home and that they have shared their intimate living space and a meal with us for a couple of hours. This has given us an idea how beautiful, creative and diverse the Mdantsane homes are on the inside. 

How much HOME they are!

No matter if the home we visited, was a shack, a middle class house or a small palace like the one in the images - we have seen amazing interiors, that have left us speechless.  Fascination lies in the creativity used to create beauty and how much you make out of something.  

Mdantsane Property With A Malibu Setting

The following facts might also surprise you. Houses in NU 17 fully fenced with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one lounge and kitchen fetch up to 550.000 Rand at present. These are normal houses, that are not the embodiment of luxury and extravagance. Just simple normal houses - like this one.

Property on Sale by Xoliswa Tini Properties in NU 17 in Mdantsane for 550.000 Rand

Xoliswa Tini Properties is another South African success story. Xoliswa Tini was one of the first black ladies to enter the property market in East London and to turn her business into a financial success. She was one of the first property agents to market the Mdantsane properties. Xoliswa Tini Properties just celebrated 10 years in business in June 2013.

Xoliswa said that it has not all been plain sailing during the past 10 years but she describes her business with the following metaphor : "We are like that little duck on the water. In sight is a calm duck swimming but unseen under the water the duck is paddling away." 

Palm Trees Holding The Sun A Captive

Back to the modern retro crib of our today's article. The inside is as stylish as the outside.
A predominantly white interior with some furniture pieces in the accents colors mint green and burned orange is soothing and calming to the eye. No furniture overload here.

Contemporary interior design in an upmarket house in Mdantsane

Clean simple lines and open plan living dominate.

The bar area like the whole house has a retro feel.

Palm tree integrated into the foyer

The Dining Room Area tucked away between pillars

The TV lounge, black leather and white again

A Guest Room

And of course houses like this need maintenance and one employee will simply not do if do not want to clean and swipe the whole day!

Mdantsane, You're My Home

Mdantsane, it seems to me you have a woman's name

so soft and fine,

and I talk to you sometimes like you are my beloved one

because you're beautiful

and you are mine!

Mdantsane you're my home

After four days of darkest, deep rain

I see you rise and shine all over and over again 

and I know you are truly mine, all mine!

Mdantsane you're my home!

It is hard, real hard to part with you

you're beautiful

and you're mine

and I will leave you only with great pain in my heart

But, Mdantsane you know me so well

I will always, always come back to you

I really can not cheat on you.

And when I do come back to you

I feel again

that you are mine, all mine

Mdantsane, you're my home!

We hope that you enjoy the little poem the editor ( the editor sometimes can get dramatic) has made to express the deep feelings the residents of Mdantsane have for their suburb, their loved one. We feel that the people of Mdantsane have a stronger identification with their suburb than the residents of other suburbs in East London. Maybe this is due to the special history this suburb has. But we do not want to research why this is the case and at the same time it might be a daring, provocative statement to make, that will have others protest and say I love my suburb as much as they do - but we just feel a strong, unconditional  love of the residents everywhere in Mdantsane.

This Is Also Mdantsane

Property prices in Mdantsane have sky rocketed over the last five years. Mdantsane is given itself a definite face lift. Property agents like Xoliswa Tini and ASAP have become complete success stories in Town.
" I absolutely love it here", somebody said, " I would always prefer to buy here than in town or in the other suburbs.'

Beautiul Detail in N.U.7

House have become more individual, they have become an expression of their owners taste.

When foreign visitors from other countries are taken to the township for the first time they are often stunned by the uniformity of the houses and the streets. And this is true! Unfortunately in 1994 the government continued to use a very similar cluster lay out for their housing programmes as the Apartheid system did when they built the townships in the first place in the 1960's. For the new government the goal was to construct as many houses as possible in the shortest time for millions of people with no adequate housing.

To implement more elaborate, sustainable and modern housing schemes with integrated parks, play grounds for kids and green areas asks for more thinking and for more reflection, a more thorough thought through planning and demands skilled architects and developers. 

 

Four or five years ago you could buy a standard two or three bedroom house for 30.000 to 50.000 Rand. And apparently ten years ago you could get property in Mdantsane for 10.000 to 20.000 Rand. Today you have to dig deeper in your pocket to buy a house like the one in the picture. It will cost you not less than 180.000 Rand but prices can go up ad high as 300.000 Rand, depending on the area.

But things are changing. There is turn to individualism that can be seen everywhere.

Natural Mosaic Stone Wall in N.U 7

The Color Of Hope Is Green - N.U 6

The Color of Hope Is Green. Green like new growth, green like fresh, like rejuvenation, like new life.

Here are some "green scenes" from N.U 6

Mdantsane No.77

Mdantsane Is A Lovely Place - Isn't It ?

Tembisa Dema

" Mdantsane is a lovely place - isn't it ? ", Tembisa Dema said to me.

Tembisa is a friend of my friend Pelisa and we met on Nelson Mandela Day.

Mdantsane Is A Lovely Place Isn't It?

Tembisa took me on a ride through the neighborhood in her car. I had not asked. She just offered and I was more than happy to go with her. Sometimes I speak to a person for three hours and fill a small note book with useful and interesting information. I can truly say that there has never been a conversation that has not been interesting and stimulating for me. But sometimes it is just a single sentence that makes my day.

Mdantsane is a lovely place isn't it ?

Yes it is !

Mdantsane can be called idyllic.

It has a warm and positive spirit.

There is a lot going on.

It's friendly.

We started writing this blog to introduce our book and to allow the people whom we have met and who have given us so much of their time to see their pictures and to read their stories. 

But we are also writing it for the ones who have never been here. And very often they are close and could in fact visit the township. 

I met a very nice lady a couple of weeks ago who has been living in East London for 30 years but has never been to Mdantsane. She said, she always wanted to visit Mdantsane and was curious but the reason she had not was that she was scared.  What she told me can be probably called collateral damage inflicted through the Apartheid regime. Not only was the politic of suppression successful for a long time but the system did also estrange people. Today there is a different spirit.

I can only say Mdantsane is a lovely place and there is no need to be scared. Just come closer.

The people are as lovely as the whole township.

It is green. House owners have started everywhere planting little gardens or growing their own vegetables.

People like to be outside and a lot of socializing happens on the streets directly in front of your door and not inside your house which I think is so nice. 

Tembisa lives in NU 2 and is the proud mother of a daughter who has just been admitted to Hudson High School a well reputed school in East London. She has been working many years in the sector of HIV/Aids prevention but since June she is looking for a new job. 

" It is extremely difficult to find work ", she says. A statement that few people would want to object today. But still her spirit is strong.

NU 5 - The Best View In Town

Now, is this not a beautiful view? 

Looking down from NU 5 over the large Bridle Drift Dam you will see this. The River who feeds this dam amongst others is the Buffalo River. It is the only navigable river in South Africa and the town of East London was built around it. The Buffalo River has its source in the seeps and sponges of the Amatola Mountains Range at an altitude of 1200 m. 

The river is 126 kilometres long and drains a catchment of 1287 square kilometers. From its source, the river descends through indigenous forest in a deeply-incised channel, flanked by rock cliffs up to 120 meters high. 
The Bridle Drift Dam is the largest dam on the river, with a full supply volume of 101 million cubic meters. Small streams on the northern bank bring runoff directly into Bridle Drift Dam from Mdantsane

From Bridle Drift Dam, the Buffalo River flows through low altitude coastal forest for twenty kilometres, before entering the Indian Ocean through the estuary harbour of East London.

This is for me probably one of the nicest views in the Mdantsane. Having said this, I am already preparing myself for lots of protest from residents from other NU's when they will read this. One thing we have understood clearly is that each NU  has a distinct character and it's own pride.

We have been told very often "I will live and die in NU 5, NU 6 , NU 7" , and so on, depending of what unit the person is coming from.

But no matter if it is the nicest or if there are other views in Mdantsane that are more beautiful it must be definitely a great pleasure to enjoy this view everyday. 

There is sufficient land available in and around Mdantsane to cater for housing developments particularly when informal settlements are upgraded. The Department of Local Government and Housing is funding currently several housing projects in Mdantsane.

A wide variety of already existing residencies can be found in NU 5 ranging from neat small stone houses built on the green slopes to some more already more luxurious and elaborate properties facing the Buffalo River and the mighty dam.

In many places you can see on-going construction

Residents making their houses bigger, larger and longer......

The provision of adequate, safe and decent housing is still the greatest challenge in the township.

 And of course still there is the familiar sight of many shacks. 

The official name of this reservoir is Bridle Drift Dam but I was introduced to it as the "Grinaker"dam which is the name of the construction company that has build the dam. Grinaker was adopted as a name by the residents and generally the dam is called that way.

The vibes are good in the neighborhood.

People are friendly and welcoming

Houses are kept neat and clean

As far as we can see residents are enjoying living in NU5

like the two girls taking a stroll down the road to the river

It is only a question of time, and not too long anymore, when private developers will come in and start building prime properties. Mansions and villas will flank the slopes and the sides of the river. And the key word here will be location, location, location and again location.

Concerning the heated discussion of the development of Africa, and in fact everything else as well, one has always the choice to look close or to search for a larger picture. 

The larger picture is not always evident but it is there. It is a question of focus. Choose to see the obstacle in your way that is blocking your view or see what waits behind.