“What's Wrong With These People?”: Cape Town Beach Shack Leaves Mzansi Fuming

• A Cape Town man confidently called his shack a beach house, bragging about being five minutes from the ocean, and that confidence angered viewers
• Many South Africans were stunned that the structure was already complete, raising questions about how long it had been standing unnoticed
• Some feared the clip could encourage more people to occupy the Macassar coastline, turning protected dunes into the next informal settlement hotspot

A man has left South Africans fuming after a video showed him doing touch-ups on his newly erected shack on a Cape Town beach.

The clip, shared on 18 February 2026 by X user @Sentletse, showed the man claiming he recently moved into the Macassar Dunes area and is now just a five-minute walk from the ocean.

The footage raised fresh concerns about land invasions and the protection of coastal spaces in the Western Cape.

The structure appears complete in the video. The man presents it as his new beachfront home. He boasts about the location and hints that more people could soon follow. The incident reportedly took place in Macassar, an area known for its fragile dune system and sweeping views of Table Mountain.

Read also

Man hit another man with a sjambok as pedestrians and drivers watched

Beachfront shack leaves locals angry

Macassar Dunes form part of a protected coastal zone managed by the City of Cape Town. The area plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and acts as a natural buffer against storm surges and coastal erosion. Environmental activists have repeatedly flagged concerns about informal structures creeping into sensitive zones.

Over the past few years, Cape Town battled several land invasion attempts. Authorities have often had to intervene to remove structures built without permission. The city has argued that unregulated settlements in protected areas threaten public safety and environmental sustainability.

The City of Cape Town also entered the conversation through its official Twitter account. They asked users to share the exact location of the shack so officials could investigate. That response did not sit well with many locals. Several people grilled the municipality in the replies. They accused the metro of not knowing what was happening in its own backyard.

Read also

"Auction the burnt Parliament”: Mzansi reacts as Cape Town puts Good Hope Centre under the hammer

See the video below:

Mzansi shares their frustrations

Twitter users questioned how the structure was allowed to stand long enough for filming.

@Mgabadeli_K commented:

“I hate these shacks with passion.”

@IsayaKH55SR asked:

“Why is this allowed? This is not making any sense. No matter how bad it is. You can’t build on sand.”

@FrancoisvdMerw2 noted:

“They will rethink this development during the winter.”

@apesrcrazy said:

“This is one of the most awkward ideas I have seen in a minute.”

@MoMadibi commented:

“Proudly putting his life in danger. What is wrong with these people?”

More stories about shacks

• A young salon owner from Ga-Rankuwa turned her backyard shack into a modern space that looks more like a studio apartment.
• A woman successfully converted her family's two-room storage shack into a luxury personal haven and professional salon after working overseas.
• A young wife captivated thousands of people after giving a full tour of her beautifully decorated two-roomed shack in Cape Town.

Source: Briefly News