A PHOTOGRAPHY student from Newport is leading a new charity campaign to highlight the desperate poverty in South Africa, despite the country's government finding billions of pounds to spend on hosting the World Cup 2010 this summer.

Gareth Kingdon, 27, is in his second year of a documentary photography degree at the University of Wales Newport and recently won charity War on Want's student photography award.

As part of his prize, Mr Kingdon is now heading up the charity's campaign looking at the plight of thousands of South Africans evicted from their homes to make way for the country's £3.1 billion world cup preparations.

Mr Kingdon flew out to South Africa where he spent three weeks taking photographs in Blikkiesdorp - a "transit camp" 20 miles outside of Cape Town for people who have been moved out of the city, and away from the gaze of international tourists.

Photographs and film Mr Kingdon took of the poverty in Blikkiesdorp have gained attention in national and international media, as War on Want urges people to petition the South African government for action on housing and public services.

Mr Kingdon, whose previous projects included photographing the world's largest slum in Nairobi, said: "There is a clean up operation going in South Africa where they are trying to move people living in poverty away from the tourist areas.

Go to the World Cup and enjoy is, but be aware of the other side of South Africa."

To see Mr Kingdon's photographs from Blikkiesdorp, visit www.waronwant.org/southafrica2010