Berkley Center

Ubuntu (n.)—human-ness; humanity toward others; universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity; interconnectedness

Research has proven that the income inequality gap in South Africa is in fact growing. As the colloquial saying goes, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. For several reasons, Cape Town has a high income and standard of living compared to other parts of the country. Still, like most major cities in the world, the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished is quite visible. Within a short five to ten minute radius lies some of the country’s most expensive real estate but also informal settlements. This large income disparity proves that Cape Town, like all major cities, is a complicated space that holds a complex reality. As a consequence of South Africa’s intensely racialized past (and arguably its present), both the city demographics and social class are intricately related to issues of race and ethnicity.

South Africa’s apartheid system had rigorous de jure separation of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The system justified separate development plans for each racial category in the spirit of “cultural preservation.” To facilitate segregation, the apartheid state tore apart diverse communities and forced persons of specific skin colors to live in particular areas. Mandated relocations created completely racially homogeneous communities. Despite making up the vast majority of the country’s population, black South Africans were at the bottom of the National Party’s racial hierarchy. Consequently, blacks forced to move into townships, communities with limited space and resources. While townships were invented by the apartheid regime, they continue to exist in today’s democratic South Africa. They are no longer government mandated living quarters, yet many of the homes that were built during the old regime are still standing in their original or a remodeled state. They often belong to the same people who were forced to live in them years before, their children, or grandchildren.

Throughout the city, negative stereotypes about the townships and the people who live in them prevail. Outsiders fail to recognize the nuances of these communities. For example, although townships were created with the goal of annihilating racial diversity, presently they are some of the most diverse areas that I have seen throughout the country. Rather than racial diversity, however, there is great socioeconomic diversity. While there are informal settlements (evidently an indicator of poverty) on one side of town, just blocks away are beautiful homes belonging to members of the black middle or upper class. Typically, these belong to families who have lived in the townships for decades but have had economic opportunities to enhance the quality of their lives.

Despite the many negative stereotypes that are associated with black townships, residents have a strong commitment and love of their community. There is a southern African cultural term called ubuntu. Ubuntu refers to the interconnectedness of all humans. In the tradition of ubuntu, we should care for each person we encounter in life with the utmost love, respect, and recognition of his or her human dignity. From what I have perceived, this doctrine is an integral component of life within township communities. It is obvious to me that townships are so much more than what meets the eye. They are so much more than a community that has been negatively stereotyped by its crime rates and its blackness. Townships are not soil marks that ruin Cape Town’s essence and beauty, but rather they lie at the heart of it. Much like the city of Cape Town itself, the townships are complex realities that have incredible diversity to share and fascinating stories to tell.