Socioeconomic development of human well-being at grassroot institutions with special reference to Maitland Garden Village

Abstract

Maitland Garden Village is a little hamlet in the City of Cape Town that was originally developed as an area for soldier housing during World War 1. Thereafter, it was established in the 1920s by the Coloured Housing Council of the then apartheid regime as a residential area and today houses one of the oldest 'Coloured' communities in the Western Cape. Over the years, Maitland Garden Village (the village) progressively spiralled downwards into a vulnerable and marginalised community of low community cohesion that is plagued with drug abuse, high teen pregnancy rates and mounting unemployment. In order to address these vices, the aim of this study was to investigate the causes of the ongoing poverty and poor development in Maitland Garden Village. Current statistics for the area project a 52% unemployment rate, a growing problem with drug addiction, and a lack of scheduled health-promoting activities. This is against the background of high levels of violence, crime and inequality. This study seeks to investigate and report what is currently happening in the Garden Village community, localising it within the broader macroeconomic environment of South Africa, while proffering recommendations and advocacy that can contribute towards positive and sustainable change in the community. These include assistance with ongoing projects and the creation of long-term, sustainable projects to help residents become more independent. Such community-led programmes should be guided by the community based on their needs and recommendations.