PAGE 4 Social issues Conclusions and implications for policy Related to the unemployment and crime discussed previously, residents commented Industrial decline in Ekandustria is the on high rates of teenage pregnancy and the biggest concern. Many people have Abandoned factories in Ekaindustria fact that girls engaged in relationships with lived in the area for a long time and sugar daddies because of poverty. A lack of have invested in their housing. There Living the urban periphery: investment, infrastructure and economic change in education was blamed too, and concerns has been some improvement in ser- about HIV/ AIDs mentioned. The perception vices, and facilities although there are African city-regions: and Rethabiseng of the area varied. Some found it very noisy, still problems and gaps. Residents are usually worsened if living near a tavern. still living in serious poverty and they Introducing the Research Project December 2018 want policies and assistance with ac- Others found the area peaceful. Residents cessing employment. Casual work and worried about taverns being unlicensed and inconsistent, poorly paid and casual In 2017 a group of researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK and the University of the Witwatersrand in SA being a place of crime. Some mentioned employment is a dominant problem. began a research project in Ekangala and Rethabiseng in the western edge of Tshwane. The researchers were interested positive developments, such as sports facili- in finding out how changes in areas on the peripheries of African cities happen (especially changes in infrastructure), who ties and the community centre in Rethasa- Further improvements are needed in makes these changes, and, most importantly, how these changes are experienced by people living there. The researchers bing which helped to occupy the youth. basic services and facilities in the area. focused on a few different types of infrastructure, so the study includes examples of investment in housing, roads, Schools were seen as good and some pro- Transport and mobility are also particu- transport, basic services, and investment in industrial areas. The researchers wanted to test the idea that infrastructure vided food for children, but not all areas had lar concerns. Addressing the high un- investment in the urban periphery can improve the quality of daily life for the communities where new infrastructure has schools. Churches were viewed as very employment and industrial decline is a been put in place. important in the area. major challenge. The research in Ekangala/Rethabiseng formed one ‘case’ in a much larger project researching seven different areas in three city-regions in Africa. There are two other cases in – Winterveld in Tshwane, Lufhereng, Protea Glen and Waterworks in Johannesburg and Rand West— and two in eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal: first the cluster of Hammonds Farm, Waterloo, Canelands and Conistion, and second, Molweni, Crestholme and Crestview . There are also two case in Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia: the areas of Tulu Dimtu and Yeka Abado. The researchers hope to understand Research on experiences of living the urban periphery in other African cities each of these places in detail and compare them to each other to increase our knowledge of how infrastructure changes affect poverty reduction and how people living in these areas experience these changes. In Ekangala and Rethabiseng 45 people wrote diaries about their daily life for a two-week period and took photographs Similar research has taken place in Mol- dence of improvement. Residents are long commutes into the city centre for showing living conditions, services and experiences of their neighbourhood. The researchers spoke to 31 of these men and women in the community, and six professionals involved in planning and urban development to gather further infor- weni, Hammonds Farm, Waterloo, Luf- very anxious about waiting times for work. Residents noted the new invest- mation. Surveys (questionnaires) were undertaken with around 200 residents. This pamphlet summarises the main find- hereng, Protea Glen and Waterworks in housing and many are living in poverty. ments in employment opportunities in ings of the research based on information we gathered from residents of Ekangala and Rethabiseng. Unfortunately there and Addis Ababa in Ethio- In some areas on the edges of cities their areas or beyond. But, many lacked is not enough space to report on everything that was said. pia. The researchers spoke to men and local government is quite weak or is far the right skills for the work or were seen women in the community, collected resi- away, and in these cases some local as too old or not supporting the right dent diaries and photographs, and inter- powerful men control whole areas and political party. Many struggled with basic viewed residents and key professionals. can often be useful to residents but also things like lack of access to photocopiers Experience of changes overtime The findings of the research showed that operate through a culture of fear. etc. to submit CVs for consideration. residents had experienced both positive These findings would all be shared with and negative consequences of the Lufhereng, Soweto, South Africa relevant government authorities and also Overall, residents of Ekangala and Rethabiseng portrayed a changes that had occurred in their are- with those involved in urban planning negative picture of the changes they had experienced in their as. Some of the key findings in other and housing. respective areas overtime. A common thread that cut across areas are as follows: RDP housing is all the areas researched including Dark City and Phumekhaya much appreciated elsewhere but resi- Yeka bado, Addis Ababa informal settlement was that the decline of Ekandustria indus- dents struggle with affordability and trial park over the years has affected the socio-economic sta- also access to jobs and services such tus of residents negatively. as clinics. Conditions in informal settle- ments remain very poor with little evi- many people are unemployed and facing poverty on a daily basis (Ekangala resident)

Residents in many cases note the im- In addition there is a generalised sense of stagnation owing to portance of shopping malls and new little government and private sector investment. Although gov- shopping facilities both is making their ernment is now attempting to improve infrastructure in daily lives easier but also sometimes Ekandustria, this has still to yield significant new jobs, and sev- providing employment. Lack of employ- eral factories have closed over the years. However, ment was a dominant theme across Rathabiseng offered a slightly different picture in this regard as there has been recent investment in RDP housing. The U- South Africa and this undermined most Save in Ekangala has helped, but is not seen as enough. residents’ otherwise positive experiences of all the changes. In Ethiopia, more resi- there have been lots of changes around Rethabiseng such as the dents had employment but they really More information and contact details: construction of RDP houses and a school (♀ Rethabiseng resident). struggle with the costs of their new gov- https://www.wits.ac.za/urbanperiphery ernment homes and also with the very / Hammonds Farm, Durban, South PAGE 2 PAGE 3 Transport, mobility and location Alcohol, drugs and crime

Taxis and buses are the only forms of Taxis are considered expensive and out- The high incidence of crime was a major addicts who are accused of engaging in public transportation available to resi- side of peak hours, they also take time to When riding by taxi it is easy however some- times it can take time for them to be full, so it issue in all the areas researched. The criminal activities to fund their addiction. dents. With the decline of Ekandustria, fill up. So residents can take a long time to takes longer to leave (♀ Ekangala resident) crimes range from muggings, car hijack- people are looking for work as far as Pre- go short distances. From places like Re- ing, murder and rape. Many residents The lack of job opportunities was blamed toria but residents noted that the location thabiseng, it is difficult to get direct taxis to displayed their concern about crime and for the increased uptake of drugs as peo- of Ekangala and Rethabiseng makes it too and residents complained about serious interventions are needed in this ple seek activities to keep themselves expensive to commute to work. regard. The presence of a local gang busy. was mentioned by some residents, who “Travelling to Pretoria is difficult. To get there In Rethabiseng, residents note that the In addition, the bus service which is the you need to hike to Cullinan and then get a noted how violent this gang was, and how cheaper option is considered unreliable taxi from there to . It costs R60 to Connectivity between township is also they used threats to control residents. absence of a police station in their com- People that work in Pretoria and live in Dark City get from RB to Pretoria and it can takes about poor for instance it some residents com- The police were seen as less willing to munity has led to an uncontrollable in- it doesn’t work as the bus is too expensive and plained that there are no taxis between confront this gang. crease in crime. They complained about so you are working for transport (♀ Dark City calling either the Ekangala or Bronk- resident). Rethabiseng and Ekangala. Some roads the time they spend travelling. are not tarred and taxis do not use them The increasing crime levels were linked horstspruit police stations and how the meaning residents have to walk. to the increased intake of a drug called police take a long time to attend to them and time consuming. Despite this, stu- The absence of nearby shopping centres dents who are attending colleges in Preto- in Ekangala and Rethabiseng also means “I do not feel safe as the criminals can then do “ most of the young people smoke Nyaope as as they please. If you call the police to ria rely on the buses for transport. residents have to commute more often to they have nothing else to do, so resort to drug Rethabiseng they can take one or even two The buses are very slow. They also not very which is expensive for abuse...Due to desperation people also steal- hours. ” (♂ Rethabiseng resident). reliable (♀ Dark City resident). many residents. The introduction of a reli- they even steal cars . If you try and stop them able bus service on this route would be they will kill you .” (♂ Dark City resident). welcome. The low visibility of police officers, more Nyaope. In Rethabiseng, Dark City, so in Phumekhaya, was also blamed for For Phumekhaya residents, taxis and bus- Phumekhaya, Ekangala, there was enor- the increased incidence of crime. es don’t come into their area and they mous concern on the number of nyaope have to walk to Ekangala proper which is caricature of Nyaope boys inconvenient when it is raining or when

Taxis do not come here .You have to travel to Nkandla and then take a taxi that goes into Bronco but that can be expensive. You then Service delivery have to walk back from Nkandla with all your shopping/ groceries. You have to call your children to bring the wheelbarrow and to help There are differences in the level of ser- clinic, play parks and stadium. Service thabiseng and their close proximity to Taxis at the intersection vices in the areas found in Ekangala and conditions in Dark City are still poor in Ekaindustria. This will also make sure the they are carrying any luggage. Rethabiseng. some areas, with the persistence of pit community have a sufficient skills base to toilets. Still there are improvements in take up any opportunities that might arise Phumekhaya as an informal settlement is various services, especially in street light- as the industrial area revitalises. Disused taxi/bus rank in Ekaindustria the least serviced with barely any ser- ing. vices. There is no electricity, sanitation and residents share communal taps that Health facilities provoked many com- Employment, work and livelihoods are illegally connected. The rolling out of ments.—about opening times in Ekanga- Informal businesses in Dark City basic services would be welcome. la, queues and waiting time in Dark City, Rising unemployment is a huge concern for most households in Ekangala and Re- and the lack of a hospital in the area. Whilst some residents were content with thabiseng. The closure or relocation of firms from Ekandustria has made it worse. “ we use paraffin to cook. However, paraf- the services at Dark City clinic, they were Some residents continue to rely on firms based in Ekandustria for work but other op- fin is expensive . It is also not safe to cook unhappy with the ambulance services portunities have arisen in coal mining as new mines have opened nearby. Despite this, with paraffin in the same shack that you sleep in ” (♀ Phumekhaya resident). that take a long time to respond in emer- a great number are still unemployed. The long distance to Pretoria, Ekurhuleni and gencies. Joburg coupled with expensive and inefficient transport make it difficult for people to The areas of Rethabiseng we did re- travel to seek work. Residents’ abilities to seek work are also affected by quite basic “ When people are sick the ambulance search comprise formal houses that have issues such as the very high cost of photocopying and printing CVs and application also takes very long- I called the ambu- access to various basic services. Howev- lance for a pregnant woman and the am- forms. Residents make a lot of effort to seek work, queuing daily for casual work, often er one of the challenges highlighted was bulance took an hour and thirty minutes. I with no joy. that electricity and water connections in had to deliver the baby as ambulance took the area are poor. This was also ex- too long! ” (♀ Rethabiseng resident). This research supports the need for the urgent revitalisation of Ekandustria to sustain pressed by Ekangala residents in Dark the socio-economic base of surrounding communities, although it recognises that this is likely to be difficult in the current economic City. environment. Residents commended the installation of “The electricity source is very unreliable and street lights in Rethabiseng and Dark City A substantial proportion of residents rely on government grants for their livelihoods. However there are several informal economic when it turns off it causes a lot of problems: “If you have groceries in the fridge they’re getting and attributed this to the reduction in activities such as spaza shops, car washing, vending, salons that people are engaging in to sustain themselves. Public works spoilt ” (Rethabiseng resident). criminal activities. There are also several schemes are also important, but people are concerned about the short-term temporary nature of work available. schools in all the areas that residents are happy about but there are no educational Shared water connection in Phumekhaya “ The food parcels often do not reach those most in need. Also, the social grant is not enough and will only last two For some residents in Ekangala, housing, facilities to cater for students after matric.

weeks and so after that people are back to square one .” (♂ Dark City resident). water and electricity are still lacking. Oth- Setting up a college of vocational training Some parts of Ekangala however include people who are better off with jobs such as professional, managerial, technical and sales ers indicate that there have been im- centre would be a welcome initiative con- provements in infrastructure, including a sidering the size of Ekangala and Re- work. This is also evident in the type housing in parts of the area.