Service delivery and the war within: Wentworth, Durban, South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe events and reflections recounted in this article draw from a larger project that sought to understand the notion of urban belonging in the post-apartheid city. In particular, the focus centred on neighbourhoods in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, once set aside for those defined as coloured. To this end, I began conducting interviews in Alabama Road, Wentworth, a township in the south basin of the city of Durban. In the midst of these interviews, tensions flared into two bloody confrontations between residents and private security, supported by the police. The article focuses on the events surrounding these conflicts, while drawing on research I had conducted throughout 2015. The spark for the tensions was the planned upgrading of 1 148 dilapidated flats funded by the Provincial Department of Housing of KwaZulu-Natal. It is a story about service delivery, belonging and a deep sense of marginalisation.