Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The escalation in the growing upsurge of informal settlements seems to create a few problems for local municipalities in the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA). At the beginning of 1998 the capacity of the City Of Cape Town Municipality (CCT) was fully tested with the coming into being of a new informal settlement in the Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain area. During the Easter weekend of that year homeless people started to invade a piece of vacant land, which belongs to this municipality, illegally. With the establishing of Freedom Park many of the homeless felt that the time was ripe for this municipality to address their problems and grievances. However up till now this has not materialised, as this municipality is refusing to make any service delivery and infrastructure available to them. Despite this, the people are still reluctant to submit to the demand of the municipality to evacuate the piece of land. Hitherto many had asked questions about the settlement and its people. With the asking of these questions, people had shown their ignorance about the Freedom Park issue. This ignorance led people to make certain assumptions, which are clearly far from the truth. The aim of this study is thus to present more clear-cut answers to the most common questions people had asked and still are asking. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die groeiende toename in informele nedersettings in die Kaapse Metropolitaanse Gebied blyk toenemend om 'n probleem vir plaaslike owerhede te wees. Aan die begin van 1998 was die kapasiteit van die Kaapse Munisipaliteit om sulke situasies te hanteer ten volle getoets. In hierdie tydperk het haweloses van die Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain, area die reg in eie hande geneem deur 'n stuk grond wat aan hierdie munisipaliteit behoort onwettig te beset. Met die vestiging van Freedom Park het baie van hierdie mense gedink dat hulle frustrasies en probleme deur hierdie munisipaliteit aangehoor sou word. Dit het egter tot op hede nog nie 'n werklikheid geword, deurdat dié munisipaliteit huiwer om tydelike en korttermyn infrastrukture aan hierdie mense beskikbaar te stel. Ten spyte hiervan is die inwoners van hierdie nedersetting egter vasbeslote om nie in te gee aan die versoek van die munisipaliteit om die grond te ontruim nie. Tot op hede was daar baie vra gevra rondom hierdie nedersetting en sy inwoners. Met hierdie vrae het sulkes hulonkunde om die Freedom Park kwessie suksesvol te hanteer en te verstaan bewys. Dit is dus in hierdie lig dat hierdie studie onderneem was. Die sentrale doelwit van dié studie is dus om meer duidelikheid te werp op vrae soos: Wie is hierdie mense? Waarvandaan kom hulle? Hoekom het hulle tot so 'n drastiese stap oorgegaan?