How inequality affects youth unemployment
How inequality affects youth unemployment
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Youth unemployment in urban and rural areas
Youth unemployment in urban and rural areas
Urban areas naturally present more employment opportunities as they are melting pots of various industries and economic activity. Even so, South Africa's slow economic growth does not generate enough jobs. In urban areas, another challenge for the youth to find jobs is where they live. In large metropolitan regions like the Gauteng province, rapid urbanization increases informal housing. A significant part of the youth is lives what is also known as shacks; small and weak structured houses which are often in poor locations, far from downtown areas.
In rural areas, most job opportunities require physical labor and are not attractive to the youth. These job opportunities are mostly in the agricultural sector and include farming. But the agricultural sector's production has declined since 2007 and weak property rights discourage many from engaging in farming. While this might present itself as an opportunity for young people, they require support in developing farming skills and access to land, both of which they lack access to.
A brief history of townships in South Africa
A brief history of townships in South Africa
The goal of apartheid city planning was to physically separate black workers from living in well located white areas. The historical timeline below outlines key periods and laws that began the urbanization, industrialization and racial segregation in South Africa. Apartheid city planning began in 1913 with the Native Land Act which declared that black South Africans could not own or rent land in what was then defined as "white" South Africa.
1867: Discovery of diamonds in South Africa
1884: "Mineral Revolution" and the discovery of gold and diamonds increased demand for mining workers to extract these natural resources. Settlements began to form on the outskirts of Cape Town.
1913: Native Land Act dispossessed land from the indigenous population
1923: Urban Areas Act enforced residential segregation by race
1949: A framework to develop townships is developed to house mining workers
1950 and beyond: Apartheid became more powerful and another series of laws were developed by the governing National Party to control the movement and living space of black South Africans.
Photograph by Johnny Miller
Urban inequality today
Urban inequality today
The apartheid city planning still shapes many urban areas in South Africa today. Nowhere is this more clear than the two neighborhoods of Primrose and Makause in Johannesburg, pictured in the photo above. Primrose, on the left, is a wealthy suburb with more vegetation and better quality homes. It is also more organized with a clear grid structure and defined streets. On the right side is the Makause neighborhood, with informal housing made up of small, poorly-built and tightly connected shacks. This neighborhood is also known as a township, which refers to an urban area that was under-developed under Apartheid, from the late 19th century to segregate Black Africans from white areas. This affects the Black youth in particular today, because (add link to research, research has shown that) that the youth make up the majority of the population live in townships that provide little to no economic opportunities.
Today, 30 years after the end of the apartheid system in South Africa, Black South Africans are still disproportionately located in at the edges of the city center while the white elite is closer to economic activity at center of major urban centers. While the post-1994 government acknowledged this issue, its policies over the years have exacerbated inequality in urban centers. Over time, many low-income residents have fallen into a poverty trap; living far from the city center, in slums, makes it difficult to find jobs, but well-located areas are unaffordable for the poor. Government policies to address this have mostly focused on subsidizing the cost of living in poorly located areas instead of choosing better locations to develop.
But why are poorly located areas at the edge of the city not developed?
Private sector developers prefer to build new housing and other commercial development in already established economic zones
For the private sector there is a lower return on investment in building in low-income neighborhoods
There is no consistent national policy for planning
VIDEO
VIDEO
A video explaining why South Africa is still so segregated.
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