Browsing by Author "Ngwenya, Nobukhosi"

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    Conversations with tradition: faith-based community development through the Eden Network in Cape Town
    (2018) Kirkby, Heather; Winkler, Tanja; Ngwenya, Nobukhosi
    Community development is a tool in urban planning that, when used in contexts in the global South, can be used to perpetuate forms of "worlding" (Roy, 2011). "Worlding" tracks the way that urban models travel in asymmetrical ways from the global North to the global South. Christian Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs), in particular, are sites where this type planning is done. The perpetuation of asymmetries between the global North and the global South lies, partially, in Christianity's connection to iterations of urban citizenship. In the contemporary era, faith-based community development inhabits an ambivalent space, where it draws on Enlightenment traditions to legitimate action, while also invoking hope and conviviality in everyday local settings. I investigate the work that FBOs do in community development through a case study of the Eden Project in Salt River, Cape Town. I use a combination of desktop research, unobtrusive observation and interview, which I analyse using discourse analysis. I also review literature related to FBO community development. Through a thorough review of the literature on FBOs, I establish a set of assessment criteria by which I assess the case study. In the course of this research, I find that the Eden Network SA is an assemblage, which draws on global forms, or principles. These forms are assemblages because they adapt to the heterogeneous conditions of local areas. The Eden Network SA reiterates a version of "worlding", while also subverting parochialisms. The Eden Network SA invokes hope in its capacity to hold the tension between systemic concerns, while also acting on possibilities in particularised settings. These possibilities frequently relate to welfare functions, which means that this network plays a governance function in the local area it locates in. I suggest that FBOs are well-positioned for relational community development work. However, this work should be done in receptive, respectful ways that seek to join the daily life of the neighbourhood. This is the case because relationship-building is the primary foundation for participating in the life of an area. This requires a move away from goal-, or programme-led efforts to undertake community development, in favour of being in relationship with people, on their own terms.
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    Deafhood and exclusion: a study of deaf adolescents perceptions of Love Life's HIV and AIDS communication campaigns
    (2012) Ngwenya, Nobukhosi; Grossman, Jonathan
    In particular, the research conducted focused on participants’ perceptions around issues of access to Love Life’s HIV and AIDS campaigns. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey, a focus group, individual interviews and a HIV and AIDS campaign design task. The findings reveal that, firstly, the participants are aware of what Love Life is and what they aim to do, and; secondly, participants have very limited access to Love Life’s print and television campaigns.
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    Public finance mechanisms for urban infrastructure: A case study of the MyCiTi BRT, Cape Town
    (2018) Macauley, Ryan Manzie; Winkler, Tanja; Ngwenya, Nobukhosi
    With tight budgets and shifts in the global economy, urban infrastructure has become a critical investment municipalities are struggling to fund. Innovative land-based financing tools have emerged as a means of funding critical urban infrastructure. At times, land-based financing tools enable local municipalities to meet their spatial goals. This dissertation reports on research highlights the potential applicability of land-based financing tools in cities of the Global South, namely Cape Town. The findings show that the City of Cape Town has the necessary supportive regulatory frameworks, urban planning policies and robust market conditions to use the land-based financing tools. While harnessing land value to partially fund infrastructure is not new, this study provides hearty evidence for policy makers and practitioners who seek to transform the spatial legacy of apartheid in a tangible way.
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    The Pursuit of Urban Justice: Managing processes of decline and regeneration in Salt River, Cape Town
    (2013) Ngwenya, Nobukhosi; Winkler, Tanja
    Since the 1990s, Salt River has undergone significant changes to its socio-economic, cultural and physical structures due to the withdrawal of both public and private investments from the area. These changes are interpreted by the City of Cape Town (CoCT) as an indication that Salt River is in decline and, consequently, in need of regeneration. In response to this perception, the CoCT has developed a number of spatial frameworks and plans to guide regeneration in the area. This dissertation assesses the manner in which 'neighbourhood change' is taking place in Salt River, and how the CoCT is facilitating and managing this change. I develop a theoretical framework using Fanstein's (2010) concept of the 'just city' and consequently I establish criteria for urban justice. These are used in this research to assess the manner in which neighbourhood change is occurring in Salt River and how the CoCT is facilitating and managing this change. The main research question thus asks: How should municipal planners and policymakers engage more effectively with processes of decline and regeneration that are leading to changes in the spatial and socio-economic fabric of Salt River? The research uses the case study, oral history and discourse analysis methods to address this question. Data is collected through non-participant observation, oral history and individual semi-structured interview techniques. The focus is on capturing the views and opinions of users of Salt River; more specifically, the area's long-term residents. The research findings indicate that only the residential parts of Lower Salt River are in decline. The commercial portions of Salt River are regenerating. In adopting a minimal intervention stance in relation to the regeneration of Salt River, the CoCT has left the market to direct regeneration in the case area. Municipal planners need to take the lead in the regeneration of Salt River to ensure that social development is prioritised and that working class households do not continue bearing the costs of regeneration. I recommend that municipal planners and policy makers create a social development framework for the area in conjunction with all residents. Moreover, municipal planners and policy makers should mandate that affordable housing be kept as affordable housing in perpetuity and that one-to-one replacement policies for affordable housing be established. This will ensure that affordable housing in the area is not lost and consequently, that working class households are not displaced as property and land values in the area increase.
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    #ReclaimTheCity: the use of Facebook to engage the state and the public on affordable housing delivery in Cape Town, South Africa
    (2024) Mshelia, Saratu; Ngwenya, Nobukhosi
    The global increase in the use of social media has enabled the real-time connection of people across localities, the fast sharing of information and the mobilisation of communities for a common cause. Social movements are increasingly leveraging this phenomenon to expand their activism to the digital space to reach a wider audience. This is true in the South African context as well where Reclaim the City (RTC) and Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) – the two cases for this research – utilise a social media platform, namely, Facebook, to engage with the State and the public on affordable housing delivery in Cape Town. To understand how Facebook is utilised by these organisations, a qualitative research approach was adopted. First, a systematic review of posts published between 2017 and 2020 on the Facebook pages of RTC and NU was undertaken, excluding the contents of comments to the posts. Second, five semi-structured interviews – three with participants from RTC and two from NU – were also conducted. Lastly, non-participant observation was also undertaken at three events organised by the organisations to understand the link between their online and offline engagements. The findings indicate that RTC and NU have played significant roles in highlighting the need and urgency for affordable housing delivery in Cape Town's well-located areas. This has been achieved through in-person and online campaigns and activities. Focusing specifically on the digital realm, the findings indicate that Facebook serves as a complementary space of engagement for both RTC and NU. In this space, RTC shares personal stories on housing struggles and promotes its offline campaign events to raise public awareness and support. They also share information that provides insight into the State's obligations, promises and failures regarding affordable housing issues. NU, on the other hand, leverages its social media platforms to mostly educate the public on affordable housing delivery through the dissemination of housing research findings, providing information about tenancy rights and available support against eviction, as well as providing updates on state policies, projects and ongoing housing-related court cases. The findings illustrate that Facebook is an essential space for public sensitisation and mobilisation. However, as the findings further indicate, online campaigns are designed to support offline campaigns and in-person activities by mobilising the public. Yet, as the findings further indicate, the stated audience of RTC's Facebook page – the poor and working class – faces significant challenges in the form of high data costs which limit their engagement with the Facebook posts of RTC and NU. Thus, the findings intimate that social media serves as a complementary space of participation and primarily facilitates engagement with the upper working class and middle class.