Bo-Kaap
‘We see gentrification as the eradication of the culture and
traditions that make up Bo-Kaap,’ Jackie Poking of the Bo-
Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association (BOCRA) explains. ‘The
people coming in with the new developments have an income
that is way above the income of the present residents, and they
live in these buildings that become islands of privilege within a
community that consists of working-class families that have lived
together for generations.’
Bo-Kaap is not neglected, dilapidated or distressed in terms of both
physical and social structures. The buildings are in good condition,
and the neighbourhood is thriving. Poking, who is a recent incomer
to Bo-Kaap, has merged into the community and proudly describes
its old-fashioned sense of community – the kind of community we
strive to create in residential estates. Bo-Kaap has a history that is
a unique and important part of South Africa’s identity, but it is the
very special traditions and culture of the neighbourhood that are
what Poking and her colleagues are fighting fiercely to protect. ‘We
are not against new people moving in,’ says Poking; ‘the fight is
that there is an exclusive rich population buying up our homes, but
with no vested interest in our community.’ BOCRA took the City of
Cape Town to court this year to halt the construction of an 18-storey
building on its boundaries that they say would change the nature
of their neighbourhood. Judgement is reserved at time of writing.
The development would be a mixed-use retail, office and residential
building that would take up nearly a whole city block. When asked
if this would not provide much-needed housing for locals, Poking
replies that the units are priced way above affordable.
There is a popular belief that if Bo-Kaap is declared a national
heritage site, it will be protected from gentrification. The
neighbourhood meets the criteria for national heritage site status
because of its significance to all South Africans, but has not yet
been declared because of opposition from some affected parties. As
it stands, it is a provincial heritage site, and this affords it the same
protection as a national heritage site.
Ben Mwasinga, manager of the Built Environment Unit of the
South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), explains that
heritage legislation limits the nature and type of development that
can occur on declared sites. The intention is to protect them from
undesirable development. ‘But remember,’ he says, ‘it also limits
development by existing home owners, and they also have to get
permission for any changes they want to make.’ Any development
within Bo-Kaap requires a permit from Heritage Western Cape, the
provincial enforcer of heritage legislation, and SAHRA makes a
point of providing comment.
Heritage legislation protects a particular demarcated space, but
properties in the buffer zone do not require a permit from the
heritage authority. In the case of the proposed 18-storey building,
because it is on the boundaries of Bo-Kaap, a comment is required
from the heritage agency, but not a permit, even though it is
considered highly undesirable because it impacts on the historical
fabric of the place.
Mwasinga is quick to caution against conflating issues of
gentrification with issues of heritage protection. For a start, heritage
status does not limit property rights, he says: ‘There is nothing that
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stops someone from selling their property.’ Heritage legislation also
does not affect rates and taxes because those are determined as a
function of the municipality.
Finally, heritage legislation protects spaces that are important
for cultural use but does not protect the culture itself. Mwasinga
clarifies: ‘Heritage will protect the physical fabric of the site from
an aesthetic perspective in order to protect the use of the site.’ For
example, it will not dictate how, where – or even whether – Bo-Kaap
residents observe the traditions of Ramadan, but it will protect a
square that is used traditionally for neighbourhood iftaar (end-of-
fast) gatherings.
Woodstock
Urban rejuvenation can in fact empower the original residents of a
neighbourhood even while meeting the demand for new affordable
and upmarket housing and commercial space. For this to happen,
according to Lewin Rolls, who researched regeneration in Woodstock
for his masters in 2016, gentrification policies have to favour the
poor. He puts forward a number of suggestions for how this can be
achieved.
• For a start, he suggests, planners can encourage economic
development that supports small businesses, and make sure
that public infrastructure benefits everyone living in and using
the area.
• State-owned land can be developed for mixed-use and mixed-
income development, with a focus on affordable housing.
Municipalities can focus on creating social housing stock and
prioritise their development within shorter time frames. This
affordable social housing should be kept as such in perpetuity.
Further, social subsidies can be provided for evictees to return
to Woodstock when that housing becomes available.
• Transparent, inclusive planning and zoning will help to make
sure that the needs of low-income residents and small local
businesses are not disregarded. Therefore, he emphasises, all
stakeholders have to be included in decision making about
the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure, so that
‘officials, residents and NGO representatives engage in a
process of co-designing the future of Woodstock.’
• Rolls also suggests broadening the Urban Development Tax
Incentive to focus on economic development and support
for small businesses, and incentivising the development of
social housing. In addition, he suggests applying a Woodstock
Local Area Overlay Zone that ‘allows the municipality to apply
specific development controls that reflect local circumstances
and to encourage development that supports the local
economy.’ Opening the streets to local markets and community
celebrations would go a long way towards building a new sense
of community – or reviving an old one.
Change is the only constant
Cities are always changing, but for cities to be developed in a just,
equitable and democratic way, rejuvenation has to protect the people
who are already living in the inner city, and make sure their needs
are provided for in the course of development. As Rolls writes: ‘The
city should be one that is accessible to all, where neighbourhood
development creates equal opportunities for all, thereby allowing for
the social and economic growth of all who reside in or have access
to the city, not just the affluent minority.’
Rehana Dada