8/25/2023 0 Comments Township of south africaUrban Planning and Public Health in Diepslootįreddy Moagi, Community Worker from Sonke Gender Justice, Diepsloot Extension 6 Sometimes it’s not possible to leave work early’ she says. I only walk around at night if I really have too. ‘It’s not safe to walk around after dark. ‘We have no street lightening’ says Elizabeth. The toilets are never clean explains Amahle, a 19-year-old resident from Extension 1. While the city of Johannesburg provides temporary public toilets for the residents of Diepsloot most young women don’t feel safe using them. They have street lightening, water and better roads’ she says. We have power outages that can last for 2 or 3 days. Sometimes I can only get 20 litres for my entire family. The tap water is safe but it’s not always available. During the summer months the smell is sometimes unbearable. ‘I use bucket toilets’ explains Angel a 26-year-old mother of 3 children. While unofficial figures estimate the population to be closer to 500,000 putting an enormous strain on the existing urban infrastructure and services in the township. Over the past 20 years the population of Diepsloot has mushroomed from 138,000 to over 400,000. Public toilet off Bird Street Extension 1 in Diepsloot ‘We need to respond to the pollution sources and reduce our overall emissions’ says Professor Harrison. ‘We are now seeing a growing problem of indoor air pollution due to our over reliance on fossil fuels and unfortunately in low income densely populated informal settlements such as Diepsloot the residents bear the brunt of higher levels of poor air quality’ While were not as bad as Lagos in Nigeria many residents along the mining belt are affected by contaminated acid water and are exposed to toxic dust and the chemicals from the mines’ he says Coal burning and transport emissions are the principal sources of air pollution in the city. ‘We have serious problems with air pollution in our urban areas. ‘Improving the quality of life through social services and housing and dealing with issues of safety is a social challenge that the government can’t deal with alone’ ‘The most fundamental issue confronting our city and its future is job creation’ he says. Our carbon emissions are beyond our status as a middle-income country’. Water is a critical challenge for our city and for our success. We have some serious sustainability problems. Most of township’s inhabitants live in 3 m by 3 m shacks made from scrap metal, wood and plastic.Īccording to Professor Philip Harrison, Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand ‘The city of Johannesburg is one of the most divided and unequal cities in the world. Stretching over 5 square miles, the township was established in 1994 as a transit zone for migrant workers from Southern Africa while also providing a relocation area for marginalised populations moved from shackland settlements within the city Johannesburg. South Africa’s Urban Sustainability ChallengeĪ local rubbish picker in Extension 1, Diepslootĭiepsloot is one of South Africa’s most densely populated townships. ‘Even the taxi drivers won’t come into the township anymore. ‘I think the social problems in Diepsloot are getting worse’ explains local resident Nhlanhla, a 23-year-old shop keeper who was born in Diepsloot. Diepsloot is a dangerous place to live in’ he added. There was nothing for my family in Limpopo’ he says. ‘I came with my wife and 3 children for work. ‘There is no respect for the law’ says Thabiso a 43-year-old security guard from Limpopo, from South Africa’s Northern Province. Violent crime is a part of everyday life. ‘This is a survivalist place’ says Mzwakhe Khumalo from Sonke Gender Justice. In Diepsloot, 30 km north of Johannesburg, the impact of rapid population growth, unemployment and the enormity of the scale of the urban sustainability challenge is deeply felt. It estimated that over 18% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS. The last national census of South Africa was carried out in 2011 and suggests there has been a significant rise in the population over the last ten years with the population climbing to just over 57.7 million, an increase of over 6 million people. With more than half the population of South Africa living below the poverty line and over 50% of South Africans below the age of 35 unemployed, it is clear that The African National Congress (ANC) the political leadership of South Africa have not delivered upon its historic promise to lift millions of black South Africans out of extreme poverty and to eradicate unemployment and inequality. The Sustainable Development Challenge in South Africa
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