City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2016 Post-Apartheid Citizenship and the Politics of Evictions in Inner City Johannesburg Anthony Johnson The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1566 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] POST-APARTHEID CITIZENSHIP AND THE POLITICS OF EVICTIONS IN INNER CITY JOHANNESBURG by ANTHONY JOHNSON A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2016 © 2016 ANTHONY JOHNSON All Rights Reserved ii Post-Apartheid Citizenship and the Politics of Evictions in Inner City Johannesburg by Anthony Johnson This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ______________________ ________________________________________ Date Advisor Name Chair of Examining Committee ____________________ _________________________________________ Date EO Name Executive Officer Supervisory Committee Setha Low________________________________ Don Robotham_____________________________ THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract Post-Apartheid Citizenship and the Politics of Evictions in Inner City Johannesburg by Anthony Johnson Advisor: Leith Mullings Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, this ethnographic study examines the phenomenon of eviction within the context of the post-apartheid constitutional right to housing and legal protections against evictions. Rather than view evictions as a singular event, evictions are treated as a lived experience intrinsically linked to the historical, political, and economic life of inner city Johannesburg and more broadly South Africa. I address how South Africa’s constitution creates both a platform for housing advocates to contest evictions and also allows property owners to evict tenants. To analyze evictions, I collected data through participant observation, media sources, archives, interviews, and legal documents. Working at the intersection of urban anthropology and contemporary studies of race and space, I begin by linking the historical process of land dispossession as a result of settler colonialism to current urban formations. I then analyze how the construction of evictions in popular media obscures the consequences of asymmetrical property relations established during the Apartheid era. Next I address how local activists organize to challenge evictions. Contributing to the broader anthropological study of the city, I conclude by concentrating on the limits of constitutional judgments on behalf of evicted tenants living in transitional housing facilities and explore the way evictions have become broader metaphors for the incomplete transformation of post-apartheid South African society. iv Acknowledgements The adage it takes a village cannot understate the collective mentorship and friendships that supported me to complete this long journey, through my doctoral studies and the completion of the dissertation. Despite the isolating experience of writing the dissertation, this process reflects the labor and love from a number of individuals that aided my research, mental health and ability to complete this achievement. Over time these individuals became communities and unflinchingly encouraged my efforts to pursue this path and remember the service that accompanies this goal. First I would like to express my appreciation to Drs. Leith Mullings, Setha Low and Don Robotham of my dissertation doctoral committee. Their scholarship and support for my research guided me through this demanding process. I would also like to express my gratitude to Ellen DeRiso, whose assistance throughout my time at the Graduate Center has been invaluable. During my time at the Graduate Center a number of faculty members outside of Anthropology had an indelible affect on my life and scholarship. Posthumously, I am sincerely indebted to the mentorship and guidance of Jerry Watts, who provided both financial and intellectual support for me to pursue my research in South Africa. I am sad that he was not able to see this moment, but the fruits of his labor are present throughout my work. I am also grateful for funding during the writing stage of my dissertation from the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs. In South Africa my path to study housing and later evictions benefited from the extraordinary work of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa. The legal advocacy and housing research conducted by SERI attorneys, greatly improved my own v study. I would also like to extend special thanks to Jackie Dugard and Stuart Wilson who hosted me as a research intern at SERI. In addition, I greatly benefited from the research, activism and policy research on housing and evictions by Kate Tissington. I am proud to call her a friend. I am also grateful to the collegiality of the Witwatersrand’s Department of Anthropology and Hylton White, whose institutional support enabled me to carry out my study. Special thanks to Kelly Gillespie and Leigh-Ann Naidoo who opened there home to me and have been extraordinary friends. Over the years, their encouragement of my research has been unwavering and I am wholeheartedly thankful for their support. I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Shereza Sibanda, Philemon Makweng, Mujinga Yabadi at the Inner City Resource Center. They accepted a stranger and opened a pathway for me to meet their members and observe the challenging and extraordinary work they do throughout inner city Johannesburg. Special thanks also to Moses Moyo, Nelson Chawe, Malaji Herbert and Themba for their input and candor about South Africa and inner city Johannesburg. A number of people supported me beyond my research and became good friends. Their friendship sustained me throughout my field study. Many of these individuals welcomed my partner and me to there homes and made us a part of their own families. I would like to offer my gratitude to Neo Rakajgane, Victor Dlamini, Deeboi, Pule, Nkateko, DjKongisto, Sindiso, Ashley Whitfield, Raimi Gbadamosi and the Devine’s. This research would not have been complete without the friendships and assistance I gained throughout this process. I owe thanks to Sean Jacobs and his extensive list of contacts he offered to help me settle in South Africa. I am also thankful for Antina vi Von Schnitzler comments and suggestions on my dissertation. Her professionalism and recommendations to further develop my manuscript were tremendously valued. I also had the opportunity to work with a group of extraordinary scholars at the Howard Samuels Center. Our work on access to higher education allowed me to understand how my interests and commitments beyond Anthropology could be fulfilled. I am deeply indebted to the supportive and intellectual environment created by Dr. Bill McKinney. His vision for our office and work at the Center continues to inspire me. My colleagues and their dedication to social justice also made HSC a special place to work. I wish to thank Michael Sharpe, Michael Partis, Ricardo Gabriel, Veronica Momjian and Georgina Pierre Louis. I would also like to thank the late Marilyn Gittell. Throughout my time as a doctoral student, I relied heavily on my friends in the Graduate Center and Anthropology department. They helped me through difficult times and reaffirmed my intellectual abilities. Those people are Janette Yarwood, Akissi Britton, Ted Sammons, Michael Partis, Christine Pinnock, Javiela Evangelista, Janny Llanos and Sobukwe Odinga. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to an extraordinary black anthropologist Damien Sojoyner, PhD. his scholarship is groundbreaking and our friendship over the years has been life sustaining. Along the way, Elline Lipkin provided assistance and structure during the writing stage of my dissertation. The collective mentorship and friendship I received from my time in Hawaii cannot go unmentioned. Brian Chung, LeeAnn Wu, Kristy Ringor, Greg Chung Jr., Iokepa Casumbal-Salazar, Keli’i Collier, Lianne Rozelle, Mindy Mizobe, Lloyd Grieger, Dean Saranillo, Heijin Lee, Jesse Lipman and family and to any one not named your presence has contributed to my scholarship vii To my folks from Oberlin, who have seen me traverse this circuitous route towards my PhD. They have always been encouraging and thoughtful. I would like to thank Rashida Bumbray and family, Elihu Miles and family, Gerald Blankson, Andrea Wu and Charles Steinberg. I am especially grateful to my family whose vision for me continues to guide my path, even when they didn’t know where that path might lead. To those in life and those who have transitioned, I love you. I dedicate this achievement to my late Great Grandmother Mary Hoskin, Uncle’s Walter, Bishop, Maurice, and Clint Jr. To my late cousins David and Ronnie, I miss all of you. Mom (Cynthia), I know you are proud and watching. I want you to know that your prayers that I never settle have been answered. I miss you dearly. To the living, I appreciate your prayers and sustaining energy. I am especially thankful to my grandparents Bernice