‘LIVING TOGETHER, SEPARATELY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA’: THE CASE OF INTEGRATED HOUSING IN MOGALE CITY AND LEHAE

The report examines the allocation of RDP houses to racially diverse groups in Lehae and Chief Mogale, Gauteng. It finds that while the housing allocation process is often perceived as opaque and corrupt, leading to initial hostility toward white and Indian beneficiaries, shared experiences of poverty and a common desire for secure tenure have fostered a degree of social integration. The study concludes that spatial desegregation in these settlements has been accompanied by social change, although racial identities remain salient.

• The allocation of RDP houses to white and Indian families in Chief Mogale and Lehae was not part of the initial beneficiary lists and required specific provincial-level interventions.
• In Chief Mogale, the inclusion of white families was proactively driven by local leadership, specifically the former MMC for Housing, Caldeira, who framed the move as part of a vision for a non-racial community.
• Indian families in Lehae faced significant barriers to housing access, with some reporting that their applications were overlooked due to race, eventually securing houses only after organized protests and political pressure.
• Initial resistance to the presence of white and Indian residents was often framed as a concern over the legitimacy of the allocation process rather than purely racial prejudice, with accusations that these groups had 'jumped the queue'.
• Residents in both settlements share a 'symbolic imaginary' of their new homes as orderly, peaceful, and safe, which helps bridge racial divides through a shared sense of stability and security of tenure.
• Social integration is facilitated by daily routines and shared experiences of poverty and unemployment, which serve as markers of belonging that transcend race.
• Despite spatial integration, racial identities remain salient, and social networks often remain segregated as residents continue to visit churches and shops in their previous, racially homogeneous neighbourhoods.
• The housing allocation process in South Africa is described as highly opaque, with multiple competing strategies for beneficiary identification, which fuels perceptions of corruption.

APA

Meny-Gibert, S., Chipkin, I., Rubin, M., Mhlanga, L., Mohapi, M., Brunette, R., Coetzee, E., Greyling, C., Masgina, M., & Yuba, M. (2013). ‘LIVING TOGETHER, SEPARATELY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA’: THE CASE OF INTEGRATED HOUSING IN MOGALE CITY AND LEHAE. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Living-Together-Separately-in-the-New-South-Africa.pdf

Chicago

Meny-Gibert, Sarah, Ivor Chipkin, Margot Rubin, Letta Mhlanga, Mpho Mohapi, Ryan Brunette, Emile Coetzee, et al. ‘LIVING TOGETHER, SEPARATELY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA’: THE CASE OF INTEGRATED HOUSING IN MOGALE CITY AND LEHAE. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2013. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Living-Together-Separately-in-the-New-South-Africa.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{menygibert2013living, author = {Meny-Gibert, Sarah and Chipkin, Ivor and Rubin, Margot and Mhlanga, Letta and Mohapi, Mpho and Brunette, Ryan and Coetzee, Emile and Greyling, Carolien and Masgina, Mluleki and Yuba, Masimba}, title = {{‘LIVING TOGETHER, SEPARATELY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA’: THE CASE OF INTEGRATED HOUSING IN MOGALE CITY AND LEHAE}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Living-Together-Separately-in-the-New-South-Africa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }