Negotiating urban informality: narratives of politics and mobility in an informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Recent work on ‘urban informality’- forms of urbanisation such as the growth of settlements outside the confines of the state and its policies- have begun to emphasise the politics and everyday negotiations of those living in these marginalised spaces. In South Africa, the creation of and the politics around such informal settlements have been largely shaped by the colonial history and legacies of spatial inequalities and racial segregation. This research examined the politics of im/mobility in a particular settlement in Cape Town, called Siqalo in Mitchells Plain. Through qualitative methods including open ended interviews with community leaders and activists in Siqalo, the thesis offers insights of how a group of activists and residents negotiate everyday challenges. It shows how being viewed as “encroachers” shapes their political and social life in the city and examines how a politics of belonging mediates their access to services and better livelihoods. Overall, taking decolonisation as a lens through which to study mobility, the thesis shows how informality and mobility are linked in contemporary South Africa.