THE LEGACY OF APARTHEID

The legacy of apartheid and social injustice has resulted in numerous challenges facing a sustainable future in South Africa and has lead to numerous environmental issues such as exploitation of resources, pollution, lack of adequate sanitation, insufficient supply of fresh water etc. Social inequality is still of great concern today as there is still evidence of racial separation and social injustice despite the post apartheid equality since 1994.

(Hushka and Mau, 2006). 

During apartheid the development of informal non-white settlements and spatial planning occurred, which has resulted in a country that is still trying to recover from environmental impacts of the past.  Today, there is still evidence of these black settlements increasing in South Africa.  As a result of poverty and an ongoing recession, these settlements are becoming an increasing necessity. There is a constant influx of rural-urban migration into these townships as many people are in search of work, resulting in a high-density area with overcrowded living conditions (Wisner, 1995). 

Post 1994, various strategies were implemented to provide the country with an improved life and to ensure that all are understood as equal (Hushka and Mau, 2006).  It is somewhat obvious that this has not yet been accomplished, as poverty is still the leading concern throughout Africa and South Africa. Environmental sustainability is entirely interrelated to that of inequality and poverty (Harris, 2000).  South Africa’s major drawback is that they are unable to fulfill the fundamental human needs in order to accomplish social equity. (Harris, 2000). 

Informal Settlements, which were developed during Apartheid, lacked substantial planning in terms of infrastructure, and are high-density developments that experience overcrowding and many social problems such as poor health, inadequate housing and insufficient utilities. These issues amongst others are still evident within townships today.

Reference: Petterson, A. (2011). Khayelitsha Township. At: Getty Images. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/feb/21/south-africa-bloated-welfare-state. (Accesssed 18/04/2012) 

These conditions force inhabitants to exploit natural resources in order to fulfill basic needs such as food, water and housing. For many of the residents within the settlement, it is about survival and as a result, the relationship between them and the environment is therefore often distant. (Wisner, 1995)

Racial segregation and income inequality is still evident today, as can be seen in the informal settlement Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, Cape Town.  Imizamo Yethu originated in 1991 with the intention to house 455 squatter households.  (Harte, Hastings and Iraphne, 2006) In Xhosa, ‘Imizamo Yethu’ translates as the “People have Gathered”, and is more commonly known as “Mandela Park”. (Mercer, 2007)