Assignment 2 Semester 1 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: April 2026
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
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, QUESTION 1
Living conditions in Cape Town during the early nineteenth century were harsh,
unequal and shaped by class and race. The town was not properly planned, with
narrow and mostly unpaved streets, and poor drainage systems that allowed waste
to collect in public spaces (Giliomee & Mbenga, 2007). In central areas of Cape
Town, many poor people lived in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions where
rubbish was often thrown into the streets or nearby canals, leading to the spread of
diseases such as typhoid and tuberculosis (Nattrass, 2010). Wealthier residents
lived in more comfortable areas such as Wynberg, Sea Point and Green Point,
where housing conditions were better and less crowded. However, these areas
represented only a small part of the population, as most people struggled with
poverty and limited access to basic services (Wilson & Thompson, 1969).
Conditions were even more difficult for slaves, free blacks and labourers who lived
close to one another in densely populated parts of the town.
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