Three steps forward, two steps back: ideology &amp; urban ecology in South Africa

McDonald, David A

doi:10.1080/03056249808704293

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 25, Issue 75

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Three steps forward, two steps back: ideology & urban ecology in South Africa

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Author(s): David A. McDonald ^a

Publication date (Print): March 1998

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

Environmental discourse in South Africa has undergone dramatic change in the 1990s. Since the unbanning of the ANC and other anti‐apartheid organizations there has been an important re‐conceptualization of environmental issues and a rapid politicization of environmental debates. Organizations like the Environmental Justice Networking Forum (EJNF) have made the links between poverty and ecology an environmental priority in the country and important gains have been made on a wide range of environmental fronts. Environmental debates in South Africa have shifted from an historically racist and exclusionary discourse to one in which the definition of ‘the environment’ has expanded to include the working and living environments of black South Africans. This has had a profound impact on the way that environmental policy is prioritized and developed in the country and has contributed to a strong, and growing, environmental justice movement in the country.

The first half of this article examines this shift in environmental discourse by looking briefly at the history of environmental debates in the country and at changes in environmental legislation and policy‐making procedures. The second half is a critical analysis of these environmental reforms ‐specifically as they relate to urban poverty. The delivery of basic services like sewerage and sanitation is arguably the single most important environmental concern in the country ‐ by virtue of the fact that it directly affects the largest number of people ‐ but it is unclear whether current urban upgrading initiatives are going to address this problem in an environmentally just and sustainable manner. It is argued that the interests of large scale capital and the propertied classes in South Africa continue to fundamentally shape ‐ and limit ‐ the environmental policy choices available to the ANC government. Environmental conditions in South African cities will gradually improve over the next five to ten years, but in a way that is intended to benefit urban capital and surreptitiously off‐loads the costs of urban upgrading onto the urban poor themselves.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): March 1998

Volume: 25

Issue: 75

Pages: 73-88

Affiliations

^a Assistant Professor , Department of Geography at Queen's University , Kingston , Canada

Article

Publisher ID: 8704293 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 25, No. 75, March 1998, pp. 73-88

DOI: 10.1080/03056249808704293

SO-VID: 056712e8-dfe7-43b8-9e0f-e7756a1090c1

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 50, Pages: 16

Bibliography

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ANC (African National Congress) ( 1992 ), ‘Ready to Govern: An Introduction to the ANC's Policy Guidelines’ , Johannesburg : ANC
ARA (Association for Rural Advancement). . 1991. . “‘Animals Versus People’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .
Bartone Carl, Berstein Janice, Lehman Josef and Eigen Jochen. . 1994. . Towards Environmental Strategies for Cities: Policy Considerations for Urban Environmental Management in Developing Countries . , Washington, DC : : World Bank. .
CCC (Cape Town City Council). . 1993. . “‘The Environmental Evaluation for the Cape Metropolitan Area’. ”. Cape Town : : CCC. .
Clark David. . 1996. . Urban World, Global City . , London : : Routledge. .
Eberhard Anton and van Horen Clive. . 1995. . Poverty and Power: Energy and the South African State . , Johannesburg : : Pluto Press. .
Fig David. . 1991. . “‘Flowers in the Desert: Community Struggles in Namaqualand’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .
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GSA (Government of South Africa) ( 1993 ), White Paper: ‘Policy on a National Environ‐mental Management System for South Africa’ , Pretoria
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1994b. . ‘Reconstruction and Development White Paper’ . Cape Town :
1995a. . ‘National Sanitation Policy Draft White Paper’ . Cape Town :
1995b. . ‘Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework’ . , Pretoria : : Government of South Africa. .
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David Harvey ( 1982 ) The Limits to Capital , Chicago : The University of Chicago Press
1989. . The Urban Experience . , Oxford : : Basil Blackwell. .
1996. . Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference . , Oxford : : Basil Blackwell. .
Hendler Paul. . 1991. . “‘The Housing Crisis’. ”. In Apartheid City in Transition . , Edited by: Humphries Richard, Shubane Khehla and Swilling Mark. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .
Huntley Brian, Siegfried Roy and Sunter Clem. . 1989. . South African Environments into the Twenty‐First Century . , Cape Town : : Human and Rousseau. .
IDRC (International Development Research Centre) ( 1992 ) Cities in Transition: Towards an Urban Policy for a Democratic South Africa
1995. . Building a New South Africa: Environment, Reconstruction and Development . , Ottawa : : IDRC. .
Khan Frieda. . 1994. . Waste Picking as a Survival Strategy’. . Urbanization and Health Newsletter . ,
Greg Knill ( 1995 ) ‘Salhdana: People or Profit’
Koch Eddie. . 1991. . “‘Rainbow Alliances: Community Struggles around Ecological Problems’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .
LGDB (Local Government Demarcation Board for the Western Cape). . 1995. . “Report No. 13: ‘Proposed Substructure Boundaries for the Cape Metropolitan Are’. ”. Cape Town : : LGDB. .
Lukey Peter. . 1995. . Health Before Profits: An Access to Trade Unions and Environmental Justice in South Africa . , Johannesburg : : EJNF. .
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Naidoo Jay. . 1995. . “‘Taking the RDP Forward: Report to Parliament’. ”.
Dan O'Meara ( 1983 ) Volkskapitalisme: Class, Capital and Ideology in the Development of Afrikaner Nationalism, 1934–48 , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press
1996. . Forty Lost Years: The Apartheid State and the Politics of the National Party 1948–1994 . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .
Palmer Development Group. . 1995. . “‘Evaluation of Solid Waste Practice in Developing Urban Areas in South Africa: Main Report’. ”. Cape Town : : PDG. .
Quick A J R and Pistorius PA. . 1994. . “Environmental Issues and Management Strategies in Metropolitan Cape Town’. ”.
Ruiters Greg and Bond Patrick. . 1996. . ’Failure in the Townships?: The Development Bottleneck’. . Southern Africa Report . , Vol. 11((3))
Savitch H V. . 1996. . “‘Cities in a Global Era: A New Paradigm for the Next Millennium’. ”. In Preparing for the Urban Future: Global Pressures and Local Forces . , Edited by: Cohen Michael. . Washington, DC : : Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. .
Saul John S and Gelb Stephen. . 1981. . The Crisis in South Africa: Class Defence, Class Revolution . , London : : Monthly Review Press. .
Smith David M. , ed. 1992. . The Apartheid City and Beyond: Urbanization and Social Change in South Africa . , London : : Routledge. .
Soni Dhiru V. . 1992. . “‘The Apartheid State and Black Housing Struggles’. ”. In The Apartheid City and Beyond: Urbanization and Social Change in South Africa . , Edited by: Smith David M. . London : : Routledge. .
Vogel Coleen and Drummond James. . 1995. . “‘Shades of Green and Brown: Environmental Issues in South Africa’. ”. In The Geography of Change in South Africa . , Edited by: Lemon Anthony. . Chichester : : John Wiley and Sons. .
WCEDF (Western Cape Economic Development Forum). . 1995. . Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework: A Guide for Spacial Development in the Cape Metropolitan Region . , Cape Town : : WCEDF. .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Ahmad Junaid. . 1995. . ‘Funding the Metropolitan Areas of South Africa’. . Finance and Development . , September;

[2] ANC (African National Congress) ( 1992 ), ‘Ready to Govern: An Introduction to the ANC's Policy Guidelines’ , Johannesburg : ANC

[3] ARA (Association for Rural Advancement). . 1991. . “‘Animals Versus People’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .

[4] Bartone Carl, Berstein Janice, Lehman Josef and Eigen Jochen. . 1994. . Towards Environmental Strategies for Cities: Policy Considerations for Urban Environmental Management in Developing Countries . , Washington, DC : : World Bank. .

[5] CCC (Cape Town City Council). . 1993. . “‘The Environmental Evaluation for the Cape Metropolitan Area’. ”. Cape Town : : CCC. .

[6] Clark David. . 1996. . Urban World, Global City . , London : : Routledge. .

[7] Eberhard Anton and van Horen Clive. . 1995. . Poverty and Power: Energy and the South African State . , Johannesburg : : Pluto Press. .

[8] Fig David. . 1991. . “‘Flowers in the Desert: Community Struggles in Namaqualand’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .

[9] Gasson Barry. . ‘Rapid Urbanization Resulting in the Need for Low Cost Neighbourhoods: The Environmentally Viable City’. In: . paper presented at International Federation of Landscape Architects Conference; . Cape Town .

[10] GSA (Government of South Africa) ( 1993 ), White Paper: ‘Policy on a National Environ‐mental Management System for South Africa’ , Pretoria

[11] 1994a. . ‘Local Government Transition Act of 1993’ . Cape Town :

[12] 1994b. . ‘Reconstruction and Development White Paper’ . Cape Town :

[13] 1995a. . ‘National Sanitation Policy Draft White Paper’ . Cape Town :

[14] 1995b. . ‘Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework’ . , Pretoria : : Government of South Africa. .

[15] 1995c. . The RDP: The First Year Reviewed’ . , Cape Town : : Office of the President. .

[16] 1997a. . ‘White Paper on Water Policy’ . , Cape Town : : Government Printer. .

[17] 1997b. . ‘Towards a White Paper on Local Government in South Africa: A Discussion Document’ . , Pretoria : : Government of South Africa. .

[18] Government of the Western Cape. . 1995. . “‘Provincial Government Western Cape: RDP Policy Document’. ”.

[19] David Harvey ( 1982 ) The Limits to Capital , Chicago : The University of Chicago Press

[20] 1989. . The Urban Experience . , Oxford : : Basil Blackwell. .

[21] 1996. . Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference . , Oxford : : Basil Blackwell. .

[22] Hendler Paul. . 1991. . “‘The Housing Crisis’. ”. In Apartheid City in Transition . , Edited by: Humphries Richard, Shubane Khehla and Swilling Mark. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .

[23] Huntley Brian, Siegfried Roy and Sunter Clem. . 1989. . South African Environments into the Twenty‐First Century . , Cape Town : : Human and Rousseau. .

[24] IDRC (International Development Research Centre) ( 1992 ) Cities in Transition: Towards an Urban Policy for a Democratic South Africa

[25] 1995. . Building a New South Africa: Environment, Reconstruction and Development . , Ottawa : : IDRC. .

[26] Khan Frieda. . 1994. . Waste Picking as a Survival Strategy’. . Urbanization and Health Newsletter . ,

[27] Greg Knill ( 1995 ) ‘Salhdana: People or Profit’

[28] Koch Eddie. . 1991. . “‘Rainbow Alliances: Community Struggles around Ecological Problems’. ”. In Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa . , Edited by: Cock Jacklyn and Koch Eddie. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .

[29] LGDB (Local Government Demarcation Board for the Western Cape). . 1995. . “Report No. 13: ‘Proposed Substructure Boundaries for the Cape Metropolitan Are’. ”. Cape Town : : LGDB. .

[30] Lukey Peter. . 1995. . Health Before Profits: An Access to Trade Unions and Environmental Justice in South Africa . , Johannesburg : : EJNF. .

[31] Mabin Alan. . ‘Negotiating Local Identities: Local Government and Space in South African Cities’. In: . paper presented to Canadian Research Consortium on Southern Africa; . October 27– ; . Kingston : : Queen's University. .

[32] Hamish Main and Williams Stephen. , eds. 1994. . Environment and Housing in Third World Cities . , Chichester : : John Wiley and Sons. .

[33] McCarthy Jeff. . 1991. . “‘Class, Race, and Urban Locational Relationships’. ”. In Apartheid City in Transition . , Edited by: Humphries Richard, Shubane Khehla and Swilling Mark. . Cape Town : : Oxford University Press. .

[34] David McDonald ( 1994 ) ‘Black Worker, Brown Burden: Municipal Labourers and the Environment’ South African Labour Bulletin , Vol. 18 , No. 5

[35] 1995. . ‘Decentralization in South Africa: How Democratic?’. . Southern African Report . , Vol. 11((1))

[36] 1998. . ‘Neither From Above Nor From Below: Municipal Bureaucrats and the Environ‐mental Policy in Cape Town, South Africa’. . Canadian Journal of African Studies . , Vol. 30((2))

[37] Munnik Victor. . 1993. . ‘St. Lucia’. . New Ground . ,

[38] Murray Martin J. . 1994. . The Revolution Deferred: The Painful Birth of Post‐Apartheid South Africa . , London : : Verso. .

[39] Naidoo Jay. . 1995. . “‘Taking the RDP Forward: Report to Parliament’. ”.

[40] Dan O'Meara ( 1983 ) Volkskapitalisme: Class, Capital and Ideology in the Development of Afrikaner Nationalism, 1934–48 , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press

[41] 1996. . Forty Lost Years: The Apartheid State and the Politics of the National Party 1948–1994 . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .

[42] Palmer Development Group. . 1995. . “‘Evaluation of Solid Waste Practice in Developing Urban Areas in South Africa: Main Report’. ”. Cape Town : : PDG. .

[43] Quick A J R and Pistorius PA. . 1994. . “Environmental Issues and Management Strategies in Metropolitan Cape Town’. ”.

[44] Ruiters Greg and Bond Patrick. . 1996. . ’Failure in the Townships?: The Development Bottleneck’. . Southern Africa Report . , Vol. 11((3))

[45] Savitch H V. . 1996. . “‘Cities in a Global Era: A New Paradigm for the Next Millennium’. ”. In Preparing for the Urban Future: Global Pressures and Local Forces . , Edited by: Cohen Michael. . Washington, DC : : Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. .

[46] Saul John S and Gelb Stephen. . 1981. . The Crisis in South Africa: Class Defence, Class Revolution . , London : : Monthly Review Press. .

[47] Smith David M. , ed. 1992. . The Apartheid City and Beyond: Urbanization and Social Change in South Africa . , London : : Routledge. .

[48] Soni Dhiru V. . 1992. . “‘The Apartheid State and Black Housing Struggles’. ”. In The Apartheid City and Beyond: Urbanization and Social Change in South Africa . , Edited by: Smith David M. . London : : Routledge. .

[49] Vogel Coleen and Drummond James. . 1995. . “‘Shades of Green and Brown: Environmental Issues in South Africa’. ”. In The Geography of Change in South Africa . , Edited by: Lemon Anthony. . Chichester : : John Wiley and Sons. .

[50] WCEDF (Western Cape Economic Development Forum). . 1995. . Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework: A Guide for Spacial Development in the Cape Metropolitan Region . , Cape Town : : WCEDF. .