Social infrastructure, on the other hand, is a new form of infrastructure which is designed to enhance social capacities in communities. These services are provided to communities by government agencies or official entities. Social infrastructure includes both the structures and services provided within them. South Africa’s struggle to implement best social infrastructure has led it to experience rapid increases in inequality and poor. Most South African universities encourage students to attend “social infrastructures’ courses in order to gain a better understanding of how complex social infrastructures are in South Africa. A recent SI student, I would like to talk about the foundations of social infrastructures and their challenges as well as the benefits they bring in South Africa. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the community engagement understanding that you gained from “social infrastructures”. The essay also aims to explain how you came to understand this concept and how that knowledge can help you become a better citizen.
Urbanization refers to the migration from rural areas into urban areas. The main reasons for this migration are either push or pull factors. Push factors are poverty, natural catastrophes, unemployment, etc. Pull factors include, for example, business opportunities, recreation facilities, proximity to services, and so on. South Africa’s history as a political nation has driven its urbanization. Prior to 1994, the cities received better care than rural areas and homelands. The white people had better opportunities. Non-whites were forced to live in poverty and move to cities to find work. These migrants were unable to afford rent in cities due to the market economy. Informal settlements also formed when people were forcibly removed from their home areas by apartheid. A District Six example is where, as per the former District Six student I met when we took our District Six class off-campus, “more then 60 000 people had been forcedly relocated in barren outlying regions aptly called the Cape Flats. And their houses in district six were flattened”. The former District Six resident continued to explain that many people left the Cape Flats to go to other places, such as Langa and Nyanga. Apartheid ended on April 1, 1994. Non-whites took over the political leadership. De Stage and Watson (2018) said that the democratic transition was marked with a mix of confusion, expectation and contestation as different social and political forces fought to influence new laws, policies and institutions. The people were promised different things. They were encouraged to believe that the new government would end poverty. White people still held the majority of economic power because they owned land and production means. This economic imbalance also led to more informal settlements, as non-whites do not own land. Sometimes, people will invade land to create informal settlements. In many cases, those living in informal communities are victims of “social inequality, poverty and joblessness”. In my site visit at Nonqubela/PJS in Khayelitsha I learned that housing, sanitation and roads are the main issues of contention in this community. This area is characterized by shacks, and residents fear flooding. The community is unhealthy because of the open drains and channels. The area is only accessible by one route, and cars find it difficult to get there. In cities, the same economic imbalances are evident. In places such as Cape Town Station and Bree Street, non-whites are less privileged in these areas because they are not visible. Non-whites make up the street vendors while the majority of whites hang out in expensive restaurants.
Co-production is essential in addressing these issues. In order to provide public services, all parties involved, including professionals, government employees, NGOs and members of the community, are equal partners. The best co-production involves reciprocity and equality. Co-production or engagement with the community should consist of these steps: inform and involve, listen and collaborate, empower. The entity that will be providing services for the community must inform the group about what it is going to do and ask them to get involved. The service provider must listen to community input and work together towards their common goal. It is important that knowledge and skills are transferred from professionals to members of the community, or vice-versa. Due to the complex nature of community, it takes time and patience to build these relationships. Understanding community is fundamental to the development of best practices in social infrastructure. Community is loosely a group living in the same space. They can form smaller or bigger groups with different goals, objectives, resources, etc. Link et.al. (2011) argues communities are heterogeneous groups and are marked by “competing goals, large levels of cultural variation, diverse attitudes towards strangers, and inequalities in living standards”. A community’s characteristics can lead to members having different opinions on a variety of issues. The perspectives of individuals are shaped by both social capital and culture capital. Stalker (1996) confirms it when she states that she does not relate well to the students’ perspectives or experiences because of their different backgrounds. The heterogeneity in a community can be a barrier to community engagement. This process can succeed if it is properly understood. For example, in PJS community members worked with NGOs to solve their problems. Together with Development Action Group, Architecture Sans Frontiers – UK and 1to1-Agency for Engagement, the PJS community sat and outlined all the issues in the area. The community then created a map that highlighted the problems and a second map that shows how they envision their area in the future. The community used this opportunity to design a route which passes through an informal settlement. In addition, the community was able create a place where children could play as there wasn’t one before. The exchange of skills, knowledge, expertise, and resources between the four parties was most important.
It is still a mystery to me why there are so many challenges with community engagement. It is important to ensure that community representatives represent the collective aspirations and goals of their community. Link et al. (2011) describe their experiences in La Gracia with a water filtration they were required in the area. Link et al. (2011: p. 3) mentions four undergraduates working with a village Water Board to complete a water filtration. The students assumed the Water Board represented the interests of their community. Four of the five families who received grants were Water Board. It was therefore a conflict. Link et al., (2011) substantiate this argument with the statement “Many of the families that were represented by Water Board were neither connected to it nor did they have any connection.” The Water Board was unable to communicate with families. This was evident in the meetings we attended. It is a major challenge for the community engagement process because many people are selected to be leaders in their communities because of their position, class or credibility due to their personal success. Sometimes, people choose themselves as leaders or are chosen by the mass.
The second challenge to “avoiding the disillusionment” is engaging social. The second challenge is “avoiding disillusionment” while engaging the social. This is largely due to the inability of professionals to clearly and concisely communicate the expected outcome for the project or service. As an example, in 2004, South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 World Cup was won. The people were promised jobs, better services and a better quality of life. But, in 2010, the World Cup did not provide much in the way of benefits for most people. Inability to establish continuous governance arrangements is another challenge in community engagement. This is because people are always changing and moving around in their careers and personal lives. If a professional changes career while working on a community project, it may be difficult for the new person to earn the trust of the community. Ndzendze (2012) discusses the problematic nature of a single narrative and advises that only reporting or publishing negative stories about settlements like Khayelitsha is harmful. Ndzendze’s (2012) Reflection Paper 2 cites Adichie’s TEDTalk on the dangers of a singular story. She says the storyteller has more power than the audience. Stalker (2013) argues that we are shaped by our experiences, and the stories of negative events about informal settlements influence the perceptions of those outside the settlements. These people marginalize people who live in informal settlements when they have to engage with them. These negative stories may serve as a way to raise public awareness, but they also damage the reputations of these places. In order to maintain a balanced view of these areas, both positive stories and negative ones should be included.
The social infrastructure is a key factor in a country such as South Africa achieving social justice and a positive impact on its economic development. Person (2016) states that social infrastructure reduces transaction costs and social control because it encourages community trust and inclusion. As a result of the communities being involved at the start of the process, there are fewer or no protests. Therefore, the costs to rebuild and renovate (retrofitting the buildings for the handicapped) as well manpower costs will also be reduced. Person (2016) goes on to argue that engaging socially facilitates innovation. This happens due to the sharing of information, ideas, and skills between parties who are involved in community engagement. Social infrastructure is also important in addressing the current environmental issues. Peer-to-peer education revealed that involving the social could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore lessen global warming’s impacts. These discussions argued that by encouraging the use of public transport and using best social infrastructure, emissions could be lowered. In addition, a community that is inclusive gives everyone a sense of belonging and eliminates social isolation. McKinney argues (2016) that “the built-environment has the largest impact on daily activities for people with disability, more particularly their ability to engage in society.” The only way that professionals working in the built-environment can identify the people for whom they cater is through community engagement. Good social infrastructure is also a great way to attract foreign and domestic investment, which boosts the economy.
Kabo (2009) talks about the Queen’s University course, “Engineering and Social Justice – Critique Theories and Technological practices”. The course I recently completed at the University of Cape Town is similar. Kabo-Day-Baillie (2009) quotes Bell in saying that social justice education aims to give people the tools they need to better understand oppression. They also want to empower them to take action and interrupt oppressive patterns. As an engineering major, my perception of community changed from a place that is “full with prejudice and racism” to one where people come together and share different viewpoints, cultural differences, and unequal standards. This understanding of community has allowed me to have discussions about my country’s past, present and future. After taking this course my “engineering thought” has changed. I can now better understand the oppression, and social injustices in my country. The weekly readings of the course and “in-class learning” have helped one to discover his identity and positionality in various issues that affect our society. My peers’ challenges to my culture and my norms made me uncomfortable, but I have grown in my understanding of the world and how everything is not free. It was not just the class material that engaged me. I looked for other resources to work with. One could, for example, relate the events in Mjondolo where the Abahlali BaseMjondolo Movement (Shack dwellers) are allegedly at loggerheads the eThekwini Municipality due to land evasions. Media has tended to focus on one “single” story of the situation in Mjondolo. But, despite this, there are clear signs that community engagement has failed between the social movement in Mjondolo and the government. Issues like these make you think about your positionality both as a country citizen and a future professional. Boyte (2008) suggests that citizen professionals should stop acting as experts outside the country who solve problems and instead work collaboratively with fellow citizens. As a professional in the future and as a citizen I share these sentiments. It is my belief that we have a responsibility to our fellow citizens, both economically and politically.
As a professional in the future, I also believe that I am responsible for designing projects which promote humane lifestyles. As future professionals, we must work together on the development of our communities. In the future, one hopes to gain more knowledge about issues that impact on South Africans’ daily lives. This will be achieved through reading books and having discussions with other students.
This essay has examined the urbanization concept and its causes. South Africa’s current political problems are rooted in its history. There was also a discussion on the effects of South Africa’s urbanization, and how they relate to the classes one has taken away from campus. The best way to resolve the controversial issues surrounding informal settlements and the urbanization was to use co-production. In the end, co-production and community engagement was discussed. In this essay, we also discuss the role that citizen professionals can play in ensuring social justice for South Africa. Christine Gregoire once said, “Education is our foundation for the future.” One should keep teaching each other about issues that impact us and our development.
