Surveillance and Control: the Regulation of Everyday Behaviour under Covid-19 in South African Cities

On 5 March 2020 the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported the first case of COVID-19 in South Africa. Since then, COVID-19 has caused unprecedented shifts in every sector of urban and social life and has reminded us of the critical role cities play in global health governance whilst also revealing their vulnerabilities when hit by an unknown virus. Cities have proved to be particularly vulnerable to the virus given their high population rates as well as socio-economic activity. As many parts of the globe continue to grapple with the COVID-19 crisis, researchers from various disciplines are constantly working to shed more light on the pandemic. Although a large share of this research is focused in the medical field, the dynamics of the pandemic and its impacts on cities has started to receive significant attention. In this paper, we reflect on how the state used various technologies of power to regulate and control everyday urban practices during COVID-19. In its endeavor to control the virus, the state was compelled to arguably radically infringe on people’s everyday activities; from the food they could purchase and consume, to spaces where they could congregate, right through to the manner and fashion at which they could worship, and even bury their loved ones. While this was warranted given the urgent need to curb the virus, we argue that these actions have the potential of transforming the manner by which cities are governed. This is particularly so in highly unequal cities where the chasm between the wealthy and the poor has been made gravely stark by the pandemic. Cities might have to find that they have to expand their social security nets further, given the near collapse of the informal economy and the subsequent growth in poverty and unemployment

The Struggle to Belong: Middle Classing and Social Change in Post-Apartheid South Africa

The social and urban landscape in Johannesburg has been profoundly influenced by its’ legacy of colonial and apartheid rule. Apartheid legislation such as the Group Areas Act of 1950 significantly embodied apartheid at an urban scale as it segregated and policed social space on the basis of racial classification where large numbers of people classified as native (also referred to as African, bantu or black), Indian (or Asian) and coloured were relocated to planned settlements to the periphery of cities and leaving the inner city and many areas to the north, east and west as white residential zones. The demise of apartheid and its administration in 1994 has resulted in Johannesburg becoming more racially integrated over time. Conversely, the democratic era has also been associated with a change in the class structure in the country, in particular, the growth of the black middle class. There is no longer always a direct relationship between race and income which means that black, Indian and coloured people are able to live in former white areas and neighbourhoods. Given the rise of crime and violence in the city, residential gated communities have been seen as the common housing option for middle- and upper-class social groups of the country. These developments were initially proliferated by mainly white groups in society, however changes in class dynamics in the country have resulted in growth of the black middle class living within these spaces, therefore creating racially integrated residential pockets in the city. The lived experiences of the black middle class within these spaces, remains under-researched. The study employs a qualitative thematic exploration through the use of in-depth interviews with a group of black middle-class residents residing in two South African residential gated communities in Johannesburg to unpack the politics of belonging to the community and the pressures and complexities of gated living and how that impacts identity formation and self-realisation. The interview data indicated the negative impacts of stereotype threat as black residents live with the historical legacy of being viewed as part of an inferior race. The findings outline various strategies that black residents employ to reaffirm their belonging to the community. Furthermore, the results provide a multi-layered analysis of race, identity, difference, space and place in a post-apartheid urban setting. The study makes recommendation for the decolonisation of privatised residential communities to create more inclusive and cohesive communities

Exploring Neighbourliness and Social Cohesion in Two Residential Gated Developments in Johannesburg, South Africa

The growth of privatised residential territories through the concept of ‘gating’ has become a global phenomenon and a distinct feature of the urban landscape of cities. There has been much debate around their existence. Justifications for these developments have been largely associated to the fear of crime, the expressed need for a defensible space, ineffective security provisions by government institutions, a search for an enhanced residential lifestyle and inadequate municipal service provision and governance. In the South African context, it has been argued that they have generated a “neo-apartheid” and serve as a façade, concealing the elitism and privilege that they offer residents. Similarly, questions have been raised around the benefits of living in a gated community, including whether or not they nurture or limit social cohesion among their residents. Current literature and studies on gated communities tends to focus on their physical form and function with little emphasis on the internal dynamics that take place within such developments. Given the growth and popularity of such developments in South African cities, the paper employs a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with residents of two gated communities in Greenstone Hill to examine how living in a gated community influences daily social interactions among neighbours. The findings of the study identified four key themes that influenced social cohesion in the gated developments. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, interview data revealed that gated communities are socially diverse living spaces allowing for interactions of individuals from various cultural, religious, racial and class backgrounds which is unique given South Africa’s legacy of apartheid that has resulted in the persistence of residential segregation and mono-racial communities. The implications of the study are that these developments provide platforms for different races, classes, and cultures to unlearn past prejudices which has key implications in the process of re-building and uniting the country and its communities. The paper makes recommendation for gated communities to be viewed from a different perspective that focuses on their potential to contribute to social change and cohesion in the era of democracy

Survey of community livelihoods and landscape change along the Nzhelele and Levuvhu river catchments in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract:Landscape change studies have attracted increasing interest because of their importance 29 to land management and sustainable livelihoods of rural communities. However, empirical studies 30 on landscape change and its drivers are often poorly understood, particularly, in small rural 31 communities in developing countries such as South Africa. The present study surveyed local 32 community livelihoods and perceptions of landscape change in the Nzhelele and Levuvhu river 33 catchments in Limpopo Province, South Africa. These areas have experienced land reform and are 34 also characterized by environmental degradation, poverty, inequality and environmental justice 35 concerns among other issues. Land cover maps derived from Landsat satellite imagery were used 36 for purposes of correlating and validating the survey data findings and results. The survey results 37 showed that education levels, working status and marital status have statistically significant effects 38 on community livelihoods (indicated by levels of income, p < 0.05). Maize, fruits and vegetables are 39 the main cultivated crop varieties in the study area, and these crops are mainly used for subsistence 40 to meet household self-consumption requirements.

Barriers and Opportunities of Community Participation in Informal Settlement Upgrading Projects: A Case Study of Slovo Park, South Africa

The Upgrading Informal Settlement Programme (UISP) has been identified as an approach to improve the lives of informal settlement dwellers with minimal interruption to their livelihoods and social networks. In addition, it has been recognised as a progressive approach in human settlements that moves away from the traditional approach of providing housing in the periphery of the city. This approach requires community participation to be at the centre of the development taking place within the settlement. Recent studies reveal that commonly, the state lacks institutional capacity to conduct effective community participation. The paper presents the results of an assessment of community participation in the upgrading process of informal settlements, as implemented at the Slovo Park. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach by means of in-depth interviews with the residents of Slovo Park to gather information on the possible impact of ineffective community participation during the UISP process. The paper reveals that community participation was ineffectively facilitated and this is reflective in the residents’ lack of information pertaining the design layout of the future projects to be implemented in the settlement. Moreover, the paper highlights that ineffective community participation hinders residents of informal settlements from accessing self-provided adequate housing and results in provided basic services such as electricity, inaccessible to the beneficiaries due to their known socio-economic status. Results in this paper can be used to emphasise the importance of meaningful community participation for a successful UISP process

Effectiveness of In Situ Upgrading in Improving the Quality of Life of Beneficiaries Living in Informal Settlements in South Africa

Informal settlements have been a recurring problem in South Africa and it is undeniable that eradication of informal settlements is a goal difficult to achieve. However, the fundamental problem is not the mere existence of informal settlements but, the poor quality of life the residents are subjected to. Since 2004, South Africa has embarked on a journey to improve the quality of life of informal settlement dwellers through the implementation of Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme (UISP). Not only did the state recognise that upgrading informal settlements can be a viable solution to the housing backlog but also acknowledged that housing strategies that relocate the poor have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the urban poor. Thus, UISP is set to achieve effective informal settlement upgrading through ensuring minimal disruption to livelihoods, encourage community empowerment and community participation. The paper presents results of a study conducted on the implemented UISP in Slovo Park informal settlement. The study is conducted using a qualitative approach which entails in-depth interviews with ten residents of Slovo Park and two City of Johannesburg officials on the possible impact UISP has on improving quality of life. This paper reveals how effective is UISP in ensuring land tenure security for the urban poor. Furthermore, the paper highlight factors that hinders the effectiveness of UISP. Results from this paper can be used to monitor and review the outcomes of in situ upgrading by highlighting the shortcomings in the planning and implementation process. In addition, findings from this study could assist the National Department of Human Settlements in achieving successful in situ upgrading by improving the UISP process using recommendations provided