M.A. / Urbanization is a common feature worldwide and is even more prevalent in modern societies. This has brought tremendous changes to all known social structures. Third world countries, including South Africa, usually lack the capacity to effectively accommodate the influx from rural areas. A shortage of houses is the main reason for informal settlements being erected on the outskirts of these cities. Informal settlements are expanding almost daily. This can either be contributed to the insufficient infrastructures provided by third world cities or the influx of people from surrounding areas. There is a definite difference between the problems experienced by people living within the formal and informal parts of a city. The different type of problems experience by people living in different type of settlements has a direct influence on the survival of households in different settlements. Although previous studies have been conducted to determine the household structures in informal settlements, none have helped to give an understanding of the survival methods used by these settlements. Knowledge of their survival methods is needed to help support and develop these settlements. This study is therefore aimed at determining how these mostly unemployed and homeless people survive, considering their limited resources. A qualitative study was conducted, in the form of unstructured interviews, with the heads of twenty one households in Mandela informal settlement near Daveyton. Only twenty of the interviews were used for the purpose of this study. The main areas of investigation were: the biographical information of the households to determine whether different survival skills are used by certain household types, means to earn an income, the problems experienced with domestic services, and how different households solve these problems. In this study no indication could be found that there are links between the household structure, survival methods and problem solving skills of different households in the Mandela area. The normal household structures, such as nuclear family, single- and extended households, were found in Mandela. In this sample, most nuclear families consist of between two and six family members. Amount the respondents most working members of these households are employed in the informal sector. The respondents income range from 8500.00 to 81000.00 monthly. In this study is was found that households with no income rely heavily on family and friends for support. Most households in this study have running water, electricity, removal of refuse and sewerage systems in place. Most of the respondents in this study believe that these services are commodities. Except for their complaint about the costs involved, the respondents have no problems with the services. Households in study seem to have adapted to their circumstances and cope without amenities though people living in formal settlements would not. This, however, does not mean that they do not have the need for these services. After the study was conducted to find out whether the household that were interviewed in this study, use different type of strategies to survive in Mandela the findings indicated that there are perhaps no clear-cut survival strategies between different household types. Therefore the researcher argued that, perhaps living in an informal settlement is in itself a strategy of survival. This, however, needs to be further investigated.