MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master‘s Thesis „Think Water - Approaching concepts of Cape Town as a resilient city Investigating the Dynamics of (water) infrastructure regarding the constitution of citizenship in the context of policy-making and interventions during the water crisis in Cape Town” verfasst von / submitted by Janina Herzog-Hawelka, B.A. angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2019 / Vienna, 2019 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / UA 066 589 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Internationale Entwicklung degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kirsten Rüther, M.A. Acknowledgments A special thanks goes to my professor and supervisor Prof. Dr. Kirsten Rüther who supported my research project and provided me with knowledge and expertise. Additionally, I want to thank Professor Dr. Steven Robins from the University of Stellenbosch who played a key role in paving my academic path as it was his class in my exchange semester in 2016 that drew my attention to the Anthropology of Infrastructure. It was largely this approach that inspired this thesis. Furthermore, I would like to thank the University of Vienna for having supported my field research with a scholarship and therefore facilitated my engagement. I would also like to thank my friends for supporting me during this intense period, especially Helena Hornung for her relentless support, creative ideas and her patience that enriched my work as well as my life. A special thanks also goes out to all the supporters during my field research in Cape Town and particularly to the family who allowed me to stay with them during my research. Through the first-hand observations I was able to make on their daily water consumption and water saving strategies, they provided me not only great insights but also a home away from home. Last but not least I would like to sincerely thank my parents for their loving support and fighting spirit without which my thesis as well as my entire university career would not have been possible. This thesis is thus dearly dedicated to them. The same gratitude goes to Robbert de Kruijff who always provided an open ear and heart to rely on. Vienna, 16th October 2019 Content List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... iii List of Illustrations .................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ iv 1. Cape Town, the first city to run out of water? – An Introduction............................... 1 1.1. Statement of Problem(s) and Research Objectives .................................................... 2 1.2. Research Structure and Guiding Questions ................................................................ 4 2. Research Design, Methods and Methodology – A Discourse Analysis ........................ 9 2.1. Research Process ...................................................................................................... 10 2.2. Methodology – Qualitative Social Research Approach ........................................... 10 2.2.1. Positionality and Post-colonial Perspective ..................................................... 13 2.2.2. Participant Observation .................................................................................... 14 2.2.3. Semi-structured Narrative Interviews .............................................................. 15 2.2.4. Interview Analysis: Using the Grounded Theory ............................................ 18 2.2.5. Methodological Triangulation .......................................................................... 21 3. Governmentality, Biopolitics and the Resilient City ................................................... 23 3.1. Theoretical Contextualisation .................................................................................. 23 3.1.1. Infrastructure and the Urban Metabolism ........................................................ 23 3.1.2. Power, Subjectification and Neoliberal Implications ....................................... 25 3.1.3. Critical Urbanism and The Right to the City ................................................... 33 3.2. Contemporary Debate .............................................................................................. 36 3.2.1. The Infrastructure of Athropology ................................................................... 36 3.2.2. Water Governance and Public Participation .................................................... 38 3.2.3. Drought Management and Day Zero ................................................................ 39 4. Historical Implication and the Making of Cape Town ............................................... 41 4.1. Camissa – The Origins of Cape Town ..................................................................... 41 4.2. The Making of Apartheid Infrastructure .................................................................. 44 i 4.3. The Period of Transformation and the Neoliberal Turn ........................................... 47 4.4. Cape Town Today .................................................................................................... 52 5. Water Governance and Hydropolitics .......................................................................... 55 5.1. Water Management and Political Frameworks ........................................................ 55 5.2. Water – economic or social good? ........................................................................... 62 5.3. Day Zero – A Chronology ........................................................................................ 66 5.4. Water Management during the drought: Strategies and Interventions ..................... 71 5.5. Cape Town – a Resilient City? ................................................................................. 82 6. The Water Crisis and the Constitution of Hydraulic Citizenships ............................ 87 6.1. Technologies of Government – Technologies of the Self ........................................ 87 6.2. Active Citizenship, Public Participation and Activism ............................................ 99 6.2.1. DearCapeTown – Encouraging Participative Governance ............................. 100 6.2.2. The Water Crisis Coalition and the Anti-Privatisation Movement ................ 104 6.2.3. Justice4CapeTown – Representing Cape Town’s Vulnerable Groups .......... 107 6.3. The Right to the City – Dreaming different Dreams .............................................. 110 7. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 113 7.1. Summary of the Results ......................................................................................... 113 7.2. Outlook ................................................................................................................... 118 References ............................................................................................................................. 120 Internet Sources .................................................................................................................. 127 Media Sources .................................................................................................................... 129 Government Documents ..................................................................................................... 130 Appendix ............................................................................................................................... 132 Appendix A: Abstract ......................................................................................................... 132 Appendix B: Kurzfassung .................................................................................................. 133 Appendix C: List of Dialogue Partners .............................................................................. 134 Appendix D: Network of Relationships ............................................................................. 136 ii List of Abbreviations ACDP - African Christian Democratic Party CoCT – City of Cape Town COSATU – Congress of South African Trade Unions FBW – Free Basic Water GEAR – Growth, Employment and Redistribution Programme IDP – Integrated Development Plan NP – National Party NPO – Non-Profit Organisation PAJA – Promotion of Administrative Justice Act RDP – Reconstruction and Development Programme SDG – Sustainable Development Goal SKAD – Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse VOC – Verenigde Oost Indiesche Compagnie (Dutch East India Company) WCC – Water Crisis Coalition WCEDP – Western Cape Economic Development Partnership WHO – World Health Organisation WMD – Water Management Device WSA – Water Service Authority WSDP – Water Service Development Plan iii List of Illustrations Figure 1: Process-Model of Coding ......................................................................................... 20 Figure 2: An Ideal Apartheid City ............................................................................................ 45 Figure