![\"Political](\"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cugs\/files\/2016\/04\/image.gif\")
<\/a>Political cartoon depicting President Zuma being chased by his corruption charges<\/p><\/div>\n
This introduction to South African politics definitely left an impression! But of course, it is important to rewind. I will focus on the lessons I learned regarding Cape Town\u2019s spatial segregation, because I have always been interested in the ways in which the legacy of apartheid has shaped the city\u2019s urban landscape. When apartheid was established in 1948, the government sought to separate people along color lines. Thus, neighborhoods were designated for whites, coloreds (mixed race people) and blacks. The darker people were, the further they were pushed outside of the city. In post-apartheid South Africa, urban planning has failed to undo what was established before democracy. Why? For one, the re-organization of the government led to administrative and legislative turmoil. New national policies were eventually written for every sector, except planning, which came years later. This meant that planners were in limbo until new urban planning policies were decided. Additionally, housing policies under the new democratic government have largely failed to support the implementation of mixed-use housing, which would allow for integration. In other cases, they have reinforced apartheid era segregation. For example, while Mandela\u2019s Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) has led to the construction of 3.6 million new homes for the poor across the country, the majority of these have been built at the edges of the cities. This has forced South Africa\u2019s most vulnerable members of society to remain in the undesirable corners of the urban landscape, far from the center, where opportunities lie.<\/p>\n
Thus, during my first week in Cape Town I became painfully aware of the city\u2019s spatial segregation. I visited neighborhoods in the Southern Suburbs that are nearly entirely white. I lived in Bo Kaap, a neighborhood that is largely Malay, or populated by descendants of South Asian Muslims. It was declared an exclusive area for Cape Town Muslims during the apartheid regime. I also learned that \u201ctownships,\u201d or areas designated for black, colored and Indian people, remain disadvantaged to this day because of their location on the periphery (which limits their access to transportation and causes them to have longer commutes to work in the city center,\u00a0for example), lack of quality infrastructure and ongoing issues with gang violence and crime.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Bo Kaap neighborhood<\/p><\/div>\n
As Alex and I complete the final leg of our program, we are interested to continue observing the spatial segregation patterns we see in the city as well as compare those that we see in our homestay neighborhoods, Bo Kaap and Langa, a black township.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Upon arriving in Cape Town, I was shocked to learn that in this country, as in Brazil, people are crying out for the president\u2019s impeachment. Jacob Zuma, leader of the African National Congress (ANC), has been President of South Africa … Continue reading