South Africa’s townships are relics of colonial domination and apartheid. The term ‘township’ refers to the underdeveloped, urban living areas that were established for Black South Africans.

Townships are essentially a construct of racial segregation, its architecture (squashed and small) sets a tone designed not to inspire. It has been many years since the advent of a democratic government yet the gaps between predominately white suburbs and townships remain all too evident and the spatial inequalities assembled by the apartheid regime endures.

Youth in post-apartheid South African townships face both similar and dissimilar challenges to their predecessors who lived in apartheid South Africa. These challenges include: high unemployment, poor access to basic services, structural inequality, patriarchy, limited access to quality education, poor approach to civic engagement, and institutionalized racism to name a few.

In an effort to address some of the persisting challenges experienced in South Africa’s townships, the government has introduced a number of policies and interventions to try and alleviate these.

The upcoming dialogue will look into what still needs to be done to address the critical challenges faced by township communities.

Thursday, July 27 16h00-17h00 - Click here for venue and contact details.