At 03:30 on Wednesday morning, about 15 protesters built a shack outside Leeuwenhof, the official residence of Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, GroundUp reports.

The activists arrived with building materials in a bakkie and, within 10 minutes, a shack with two portable toilets had been erected.

Mihlali Xalisile of the Housing Assembly Youth Collective said that, because it was Mandela Day, "we thought we should come and donate this shack to Helen Zille and a portable toilet".

Activist Monwabisi Dasi said they would appreciate it if Zille would spend her 67 minutes for Mandela Day "inside of it [the shack], using the same services we have to use everyday".

"We are sick and tired of living in these shacks," said Xalisile.

"This has been the experience of our parents and grandparents, dying in overcrowded backyards and informal settlements," read a media statement from the collective.

In a statement, the youth collective demanded decent jobs and houses for all, from the age of 18. In order to apply for an RDP house, one has to be over the age of 21 and a South African citizen.

The protesters left at 06:00, leaving the shack on the side of the road as a "gift" for the premier.

Zille had not commented on the protest by the time of publication. She released a statement that she would be spending Mandela Day by taking part "in the annual LEAP Science & Maths Schools Mandela Day programme".