Wallacedene, Cape Town

Coordinates: 18.7220, -33.8580
Updated: 20 Jul 2026

https://www.groundup.org.za/media/_versions/images/photographers/Vincent%20Lali/Wallacedene_extra_large.jpg — The Informal Settlement of Wallacedene

Wallacedene is an Informal Housing Settlement in the Eastern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. The Settlement was established during the 1980s when the relaxation of pass laws allowed rural Populations, to be able to migrate to Urban Centers with far less restrictions! By 2004, Wallacedene had an estimated Population of 21,000 people. The Predominant Race, making up 76% of the Population is: Black African Peoples. The Housing Rights Activist Irene Grootboom lived in Wallacedene. Grootboom and other inhabitants won a Constitutional Court ruling in 2000 which stated that they could not be evicted, without being offered alternative accommodation!

Location Map

Wallacedene, Cape Town

How we know this

01"Sub Place Wallacedene". Census 2011. Muzondo, I.F., Barry, M., Dewar, D. & Whittal, J. 2004, 'Land conflicts in informal settlements: Wallacedene in Cape Town, South Africa', paper presented at International Federation of Surveyors Working Week, Athens, 22–27 May. Retrieved on 14 August 2008. Joubert, Pearlie (8 August 2008). "Grootboom dies homeless and penniless". Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.

Last updated · 20 Jul 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2020, April 2). Wallacedene, Cape Town. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/P-0150135

South African History Online (2020) 'Wallacedene, Cape Town', South African History Online, 2 April. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/P-0150135 (Accessed: 23 July 2026).

South African History Online, Wallacedene, Cape Town [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/P-0150135, (accessed 23 July 2026).

"Wallacedene, Cape Town." South African History Online, 2 Apr. 2020, https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/P-0150135. Accessed 23 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Wallacedene, Cape Town." South African History Online. April 2, 2020. https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/P-0150135.