“This Is So Bad”: Informal Settlement in Sandton Leaves SA in Disbelief

• A TikTok video showing an informal settlement tucked inside Sandton, one of Johannesburg’s wealthiest areas, sparked strong reactions online
• Rise Mzansi mayoral candidate Lukhona Mnguni shared the footage, pointing to the absence of public housing in Sandton as the root cause
• South Africans watching the clip were left stunned, with many calling the housing crisis devastating

A video of an informal settlement nestled inside Sandton left many South Africans stunned. Rise Mzansi’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate Lukhona Mnguni posted the clip on TikTok on 5 September 2026, showing the Innesfree Park informal settlement in Sandton, Gauteng.

Sandton is widely regarded as one of Africa’s wealthiest business districts, home to gleaming skyscrapers, luxury hotels and high-end retail. The sight of a sprawling informal settlement existing in its shadow was enough to stop many viewers in their tracks.

Sandton’s hidden housing crisis

Mnguni used the footage to spotlight what he described as a direct consequence of the city’s failure to provide public housing in areas where large numbers of people are employed. His argument was simple: people who work in Sandton cannot afford to live anywhere near it, and so informal settlements have filled that gap.

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“The absence of public housing in Sandton has led to places like the Innesfree Park informal settlement coming to life,” Mnguni said in his caption.

Mnguni added that building affordable housing so residents can live close to where they work is a central pillar of his mayoral campaign, urging followers to mindfully cast their votes on 4 November.

See the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to the footage

South Africans in the comments section were visibly shaken by what they saw:

@HelloItsBello said:

“Bathong, 🥺🤯 is this really Innesfree Park, Sandton? This affordable housing/public housing crisis is devastating.”

@MissNonjabulo | MUA & CREATOR wrote:

“This is so bad.”

@11 added:

“ANC has messed everything up. 🥺”

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• Thuto Selomo, a 25-year-old Unisa law student from Limpopo, redirected her NSFAS book allowance to help vulnerable children.
• Gwakwani in Limpopo had no electricity, clean water, or internet access for years before the University of Johannesburg stepped in.
• Ron Mackenzie travelled to the Eastern Cape village of Rhodes hoping to find snow, and the tiny hamlet delivered in spectacular fashion.

Source: Briefly News