In 1975 the area consisted of about seven corner shops and two liquor outlets. There were no adequate commercial facilities or community services. A railway line from the black township of Gugulethu divides Manenberg. Nyanga Railway Station was established to service the growing population of Gugulethu and Manenberg. The outer boundaries can be traced by following Duinefontein Road which runs, for the most part, parallel to the railway line, to where it meets Lansdowne Road to the south and Klipfontein Road to the north.
The streets of Manenberg were named after rivers. The flats or 'courts' were given female names like Nellie or Mathilda Court. The major road inside Mannenberg was called Manenberg Avenue and is still a vibrant avenue filled with cars, minibus taxi's and buses.
The area has become overcrowded and living conditions problematic with a high incidence of crime, gangsterism and social disturbance emerging.
Graffiti exhibits portraying gangster life are prominent in Manenberg. The 'King of rap, Tupac Shakur' features in many of the exhibits.
