Are the walls giving way to fences?Is racial integration within Kwadukuza municipality leading to income based class segregation

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The racial and development imbalances created by apartheid have left a profound impact on the urban and social landscape in South Africa. Despite it being 20 years into the dawn of a new South Africa, many parts of society are still bearing the brunt of the harsh impacts of apartheid. The first democratic elections in 1994 heralded a new era of hope and optimism for a better life in a racially integrated country. However 20 years into democracy, just how much has society integrated? Literature suggests that, in the absence of legally enforced segregation as with apartheid, society will segregate itself on class or other factors. This study measures if changes in racial integration within KwaDukuza Municipality is leading to class based segregation. The study makes use of the Neighbourhood Diversity Index, to measure changes in racial integration within the study area. A Geographic Weighted Regression model was then used to determine if there is a relationship between racial integration and income that could explain the transference from racial to classed based segregation. The study found that although low levels of racial integration have taken place within KDM, the coastal areas of the municipality have become increasingly segregated over the last 20 years. The GWR model found that there is positive relationship between income and racial segregation in these coastal areas. This study highlights that politicians, decision makers, town and social planners still face a long and socially demanding challenge in redressing past imbalances and promoting integration by breaking down the current trend of class based segregation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University