Home Institution
Rice University
Publication Date
Fall 2013
Abstract
Warwick Junction, a thriving trading hub in the inner city of Durban, has long been considered one of the best examples of collaborative urban management practices between the local government and informal traders. In a post-apartheid South Africa, there was a national desire to transform the old systems of governance, which in Warwick translated to city government institutions making an effort to include informal traders in the policymaking and management processes. This paper tracks the history of Warwick Junction, using its oppressive past to frame common perspectives of informal trade. It considers the legacy of the post-apartheid era South Africa, how it led to an effective area based management initiative, and what has transpired since. Primarily relying on interviews, it will present a variety of perspectives from a variety of stakeholders: past and present City officials, formal shopkeepers, informal traders, and leaders of local non-governmental organizations. This paper will find that the spirit of collaboration from the early period of the post-apartheid period has broken down over time. While City officials and informal traders offer different accounts, a common trend is that much work remains to be done in the Warwick area, yet the processes to complete this reform are no longer collaborative. This paper will offer some explanations for the deterioration but will ultimately suggest the need for more research regarding the management of Warwick Junction after twenty years of democratic rule.
Disciplines
African Studies | Civic and Community Engagement | Community-Based Research | Economic Policy | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Family, Life Course, and Society | Growth and Development | Inequality and Stratification | Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation | Policy History, Theory, and Methods | Politics and Social Change | Public Affairs | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Urban Studies and Planning | Work, Economy and Organizations
Recommended Citation
van Schilfgaarde, Kara van Schilfgaarde, "The Trajectory of Warwick Junction as a Site of Inclusivity in Post-Apartheid South Africa" (2013). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1672.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1672
Included in
African Studies Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Growth and Development Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons
Program Name
South Africa: Social and Political Transformation