Rising rates of extreme poverty have driven the homeless to occupy unsafe properties across Johannesburg
Walking past the old Presbyterian church in downtown Johannesburg is an assault on the senses.
Damp sewage spills out onto the pavement near the building’s wooden doors, which are permanently bolted. Many of its windows are broken, with clothes left to dry within the empty frames. There are no hymns to be sung here.
Several individuals are said to be living inside, both men and women, without any access to water or electricity. One resident, who claims to have been a professional boxer, says he has called the church home for 21 years.
