The City might have addressed the fears by demonstrating that it is possible to develop affordable housing in good areas without reducing the good area to a slum, says the writer.
I don’t believe there’s anyone who is fortunate enough to live in relatively affluent suburbs in Cape Town who wouldn’t like to see living conditions on the Cape Flats improved, inequality reduced, and past divisions laid to rest.
Nor do I believe that anyone unfortunate enough to live in squalor on the Cape Flats wouldn’t want to see exactly the same thing.
If everyone agrees on this matter, then why have we made so little progress changing the picture over the past 30 years? What’s holding Cape Town back from crossing its post-apartheid Rubicon?
There are many contributing answers to those questions, including political traditions, party ideologies, and the region’s unique demographics. Three stand out:
