Misplaced Pages

#514485

37-512: Alexandra , informally abbreviated to Alex , is a township in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is located next to the wealthy suburb of Sandton . Alexandra is bounded by Wynberg on the west, Marlboro and Kelvin on the north, Kew , Lombardy West and Lombardy East on the south. Alexandra is one of the poorest urban areas in

74-445: A lack of access to basic services such as sewerage, electricity, roads, and clean water, which adversely affects the residents' quality of life. Sewerage, water, and electrical infrastructure within townships are often in need of repair, resulting in a lack of sanitation due to problems with accessibility and availability. Electricity, water, and sewerage are managed by different government departments, resulting in inefficiencies in

111-683: A photography project with 190 of the youth of Alexandra. It resulted in a book, alexandra: our view of ekasi. In June/July 2008 the grassroots photographic project Shooting Jozi inspired by the Academy award-winning documentary Born into Brothels took place in Alexandra with local community members. In May 2008 a series of xenophobic attacks that took place throughout South Africa started in Alexandra Township. Foreigners including Zimbabweans, Mozambicans, Congolese, and even some South Africans from

148-449: A plot of land that are rented out by the land owner for additional income. Plots of land designed for single-family houses have been turned into plots, that, on average hold six families instead of one. These structures are illegally built in violation of planning and building codes and strain the infrastructure. Governments are loath to act on backyard dwellings, as doing so would result in large-scale displacement of people. A 2001 study of

185-506: A problem in townships and children as young as 12 or 13 get initiated into local gangs. Some see violence and gangs as a way of life and a part of their culture. The weapon of choice for most is a gun and with easy accessibility anyone is able to get one. It is estimated that out of the 14 million guns in circulation, in South Africa, only four million are registered and licensed to legal gun owners. Largest townships in South Africa at

222-539: A township (in the legal sense) is established and then the adjoining townships, with the same name as the original township, and with a numbered "Extension" suffix are later established. For example, the Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston has an extension called Bryanston Extension 3 . In traditionally or historically white areas, the term "suburb" is used for legally-defined residential townships in everyday conversation. A suburb's boundaries are often regarded as being

259-431: Is mainly attributable to higher and more rapid drop-out rates among the poor, rather than to a lack of initial access to schooling. The formerly white schools uniformly produce better results as their governing bodies are able to raise substantial private funds. These funds are used to get resources that are usually inaccessible for the rural and township schools which survive on the commitment of their teachers. Gangs are

296-542: The Group Areas Act was enacted, which empowered the Governor-General to designate land for the sole use of a specific race. Under this law, black people were evicted from properties that were in areas designated as "white only" and forced to move into segregated townships. Separate townships were established for each of the three designated non-white race groups: black people, Coloureds , and Indians – as per

333-529: The Population Registration Act, 1950 . Most South African towns and cities have at least one township associated with them. Some old townships have seen rapid development since 1994, with, for instance, wealthy and middle-income areas sprouting in parts of Soweto and Chatsworth . Despite their origins in apartheid South Africa, today the terms township, location, and informal settlement are not used pejoratively. However, policymakers are, as in

370-612: The Witwatersrand area ; 50,000 people lived in Cato Manor in Durban; and an estimated 150,000 black and coloured people lived in townships in Cape Town . Living conditions in the shack township settlements were poor, but they had some advantage over the other more established options, like hostels, of being cheap and largely unregulated by the apartheid-era South African Police . In 1950,

407-425: The 1950s, once again using the term ' slums ' in a highly pejorative way. Informal settlements that are normally self established around regulated townships are faced with several social problems. Most often, the residents of informal settlements do not own the land on which their houses are built. In effect, these houses are built illegally. Construction is informal and unregulated by the government. This results in

SECTION 10

#1732855672515

444-526: The Alexandra Renewal Project to redevelop Alexandra was R1,3 billion over 7 years. The ARP hoped to fundamentally change the physical, economic and social environment of Alexandra. It is a joint urban regeneration project between all three tiers of government, the private sector, NGO's and community-based organisations. The project has gone through several administrative changes and is currently being overseen by Julian Baskin. In June/July 2008

481-475: The absence of substantial coordination at all stages of the project planning, budgeting, and implementation cycle. The sewer systems within townships are poorly planned and constructed. The population of townships typically grows faster than what the infrastructure was planned for, causing overloads that result in blockages, surges, and overflows. There often are only a limited number of public toilets that are overused, abused, and quickly become health hazards for

518-415: The communities. Another issue is poor access to maintenance activities, which is caused by a lack of space between houses. Some of the areas on the township peripheries or near the riverbanks do not have access to sanitation facilities because they are not connected to the formal waterborne sewerage system. A consequence of inadequate pumping infrastructure and large populations is that the water pressure in

555-528: The considerable number of additional people moving into Alexandra during this time, led to a new area called the "East Bank" being built. Because of the insufficient capacity and difficult maintenance of the newly built infrastructure, the situation quickly deteriorated and thus the "Urban Renewal Plan" was shelved in 1990. During the communal and political conflicts that took place in the 1991–1992 period, many people were killed, injured or displaced. This led to several peace initiatives, which were greatly assisted by

592-452: The continuing growth of the townships. Constructing houses in the dried up tributaries is a potential problem in the event of a large storm as the tributary starts to fill up with water again or in case of a backup of sewerage coming into the tributary. The houses built in that area stand the risk of being destroyed by natural occurrences. As the area grows, the tributaries are piped and a number of concrete aprons and gullies are constructed over

629-509: The country. Alexandra is situated on the banks of the Jukskei River . In addition to its original, reasonably well-built houses, it also has a large number (estimated at more than 20,000) of informal dwellings or "shacks" called imikhukhu. Alexandra was established in 1912, on land originally owned by a farmer, a Mr H.B. Papenfus, who tried to establish a white residential township there, naming it after his wife, Alexandra. However, because it

666-554: The direct control of the then Department of Native Affairs. In the early 1960s, the government decided to demolish all family accommodation in Alexandra and replace them with single-sex hostels, which led to widespread resistance and protest. However, owing to the high costs, lack of alternative housing for the persons that would have to have been removed and the escalating opposition led by the Reverend Sam Buti's "Save Alexandra Party", only two hostels were actually completed, and so

703-576: The emergence of street committees and peoples' courts. After the imposition of the nationwide state of emergency in June, the Defence Force moved in to keep the peace. In its place, the government introduced the "Urban Renewal Plan" as part of its strategy during the state of emergency. However, this plan led to considerable demolitions, disruptions and displacement in the community as well as two treason trials involving 13 leaders of Alexandra. This, combined with

740-574: The first fully democratic South African elections in April 1994. To assist in renewing and uplift the community, the Alexandra Renewal Project was launched in 2000. The project has caused clashes between residents and companies, including SA Waste Holdings (Pty) Ltd , a waste disposal company based in nearby Marlboro . Approximately 3,000 houses have been built for relocation purposes to date. In August 2006 an American business student conducted

777-411: The government's disinclination to encourage power usage by non-residents. Some townships, such as Alexandra and Diepsloot , are built near rivers, and on flood plains . These areas are extremely dense with only tortuous, narrow access, few communal water points and banks of chemical toilets on the peripheries of the settlements. The settlements are beginning to be built in the old tributaries due to

SECTION 20

#1732855672515

814-505: The grassroots photographic project Shooting Jozi inspired by the academy award-winning documentary Born into Brothels took place in Alex with local community members. As township tourism rises in South Africa, Alexandra, through the ARP, is developing its tourism industry. Local economic development and tourism is run by Associate Director Darlene Louw. The Department of Housing recently extended

851-413: The influx of new residents. This led to overcrowding, poor living conditions, thus, contributing to high levels of crime and violence . High rents and overcrowding led to land invasions and the growth of shack settlements, which were largely ignored by the government. By 1950, a large portion of the urban black population lived in townships. In 1950, upwards of 100,000 people were living in townships on

888-426: The majority of the black population in the major urban areas lived in hostels or servants' accommodations, these were provided by employers, and the workers were mostly single men. In the period during and following World War II , urban areas of South Africa experienced a rapid period of urbanisation as the colour bar was relaxed due to the war. Neither employers nor the government built new accommodations or homes for

925-498: The north living there were attacked. The Vodacom League soccer (football) team Alexandra United plays there. Notable residents of Alexandra included: Township (South Africa) In South Africa , the terms township and location usually refers to an under-developed , racially segregated urban area, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid , were reserved for non-whites, namely Black Africans , Coloureds and Indians . Townships were usually built on

962-604: The periphery of towns and cities. The term township also has a distinct legal meaning in South Africa's system of land title , which carries no racial connotations. Townships for non-whites were also called locations or lokasies in Afrikaans and are often still referred to as such in the smaller towns. The slang term " kasie / kasi ", a popular short version of " lokasie " is also used. Townships sometimes have large informal settlements nearby. During 1900–1950 (roughly),

999-518: The same as the (legal) township boundaries, along with its numbered extensions, and it usually shares its name with the township (with some notable exceptions, such as the Johannesburg suburb known as Rivonia , which is actually the township of Edenburg with numbered extensions called Rivonia Extensions). Occasionally, formerly independent towns, such as Sandton (which itself consists of numerous suburbs), are referred to as "suburbs". Alexandra Renewal Project The estimated budget in 2001 for

1036-460: The scheme was cancelled in 1979. The riots that started in Soweto in June 1976 quickly spread to other areas such as Alexandra, where 19 people were killed. As a consequence of these riots, evictions, forced removals and expropriation of black properties were stopped; city blacks were no longer viewed as transient residents and their permanent status used to be recognised. Finally, in 1982, Alexandra

1073-561: The time of the 2011 census: The legal meaning of the term "township" in South Africa differs from the popular usage and has a precise legal meaning without any racial connotations. The term is used in land titles and townships are subdivided into erfs (stands). "Township" can also mean a designated area or district, as part of a place name. For instance "Industrial Township" has been used in reference to an industrial area, e.g. "Westmead Industrial Township", in Pinetown , South Africa. Often

1110-467: The township called Diepsloot near Johannesburg showed that 24% of the residents lived in brick structures, 43% were in shack areas, and 27% were in backyard shacks. Township schools are often overcrowded, and lack adequate infrastructure. There is a high dropout rate among poor youth, particularly around Grade 9. Despite government interventions, education outcomes remain skewed, with township students continuing to under-perform. This skewed distribution

1147-423: The townships is very low. Each section of the townships normally has one pump per section. The water is used for everything from washing clothes to cooking, drinking, bathing, and cleaning the house. Having limited water accessible to each section makes it very hard to meet the daily water needs per household. Illegal electricity connections are all-pervasive in the townships with electrical wires strung along

Alexandra, South Africa - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-446: The trees leading to power boxes. Although dangerous, every house in the area has a wire coming out of it and every wire is known by their owner in order to fix problems as soon as they arise. Most of the sub-stations are very unsecured to begin with so having so many additional wires coming from them is very dangerous for the people nearby and the kids playing in the area. The electricity infrastructure has not undergone upgrades because of

1221-513: The tributary into which the communal water points drain. The gullies are then choked with garbage and the tributaries appear to be substantially blocked but this will not hold off the water for very long if a flood comes through. Due to overcrowding, residents choose to build on river banks in hopes of easy access to water and laundry facilities, however, the available water is unsuitable for these purposes due to pollution, and they remain vulnerable to floods. Backyard shacks are additional units on

1258-462: The violent "Alex Six Days" uprising in February 1986. The uprising resulted from an attack by the security forces on a funeral in the township. 40 people were killed. The Alexandra Township Committee, led by trade unionist Moses Mayekiso , were arrested and beaten. Mayekiso was only released following a strike by metal workers. By May the council started collapsing and the councillors resigned which saw

1295-527: Was (at the time) a considerable distance from the centre of Johannesburg, this was not a great success. Consequently, in 1912, Alexandra was proclaimed as a so-called "native township". Because the township was proclaimed before the South African 1913 Land Act , it was one of the few urban areas in the country where black people could own land under a freehold title . By 1916, the population of Alexandra had grown to 30,000 people. The Alexandra Health Committee

1332-586: Was established to manage the township. However, the Committee was not allowed to collect local taxes, nor was the Johannesburg City Council willing to take responsibility for an area that it claimed fell outside its jurisdiction, leading to a lack of resources and proper management. When the National Party came into power in 1948 and started to implement its policy of apartheid , Alexandra was put under

1369-423: Was given the official status of a residential area and the then Alexandra liaison committee, led by Rev Buti, was instituted to run the township. In 1980 a "Master Plan" for Alexandra was introduced, whose aim was to transform Alexandra into a "Garden City" with a completely new layout. However, only a small part of this plan was actually ever implemented; the execution of the "Master Plan" was permanently stopped by

#514485