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    Diepsloot
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    Diepsloot
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    Diepsloot
    Ebook272 pages5 hours

    Diepsloot

    By Anton Harber

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    In a little more than a decade, Diepsloot has transformed from a semi-rural expanse to a dense, seething settlement of about 200 000 people. A post-apartheid creation lying to the north of Johannesburg, Diepsloot is talked about as a place of fear, vigilante justice, xenophobic violence and a haven for criminals and undocumented foreigners. Respected journalist Anton Harber spent several months there, meeting the people, drinking in the taverns and probing the bitter local political battles. He patrolled with volunteer crime-fighters at night. He spoke to politicians, church members and artists. He interviewed city officials, asking them why so little progress was being made in developing Diepsloot. He investigated why the much-need police station stands unfinished. Amidst the poverty, violence and chaos, he found a bustling place much loved by its inhabitants, an active economy with all the associated hustling and trading. He found people who, when neglected by the state, made their own solutions. Most of all, I learned that if you want to understand where this country is headed, you need to listen to the people of Diepsloot. Hear what they are saying. Take note of their hopes and aspirations. You might be surprised.' Diepsloot is the first study of its kind that seeks to understand change as it is lived on the ground, and not as it is talked about in the media and corridors of power. Rich with detail and local colour, it offers a nuanced examination of life as it is lived despite the State with its half-completed police station and the ANC with its internecine warfare.' - JACOB DLAMINI
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonathan Ball Publishers
    Release dateMay 3, 2011
    ISBN9781868424221
    Unavailable
    Diepsloot
    Author

    Anton Harber

    ANTON HARBER was a founding co-editor of the Weekly Mail, later known as the Mail & Guardian. He was the chair of the Conference of Editors in 1991, the National Association of Broadcasters in 1998, and the Freedom of Expression Institute in 2010. He serves on the board of directors of the Global Investigative Journalism Network and the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism. He is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand, a columnist for Business Day, and the co-editor or author of five books.

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    Reviews for Diepsloot

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    • 4/5
      Diepsloot is a well written and researched top journalist's account of a specific burgeoning squatter camp and organized settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg . the study is about people coming from somewhere trying to find a space to call home , their problems and the challenges of overcrowded formal and inform living with minimal services . Harber writes in a readable , accessible manner about the people he meets and how they see their lives , hopes and futures at a specific moment in time circa 2010 . Harber has interviewed hundreds of people and also the experts who clearly do not have the answers to the socio economic conditions that have given rise to a settlement of this type . the rich in surrounding suburbs and small holdings tho chose the country life don't want dense masses of people on their doorsteps , but the poor have no where else to go . Everyone who is here hopes for a better life and that Hope includes the possibility of being given an RDP or gratis formal small home by government . Harber writes with some authority based on meeting the people , he is non judgemental and sees Diepsloot as a microcosm of urban demographic transition and at the cutting edge I of issues around service delivery . Harber keeps on asking questions and one line of enquiry then leads deeper into the murky territory of who is responsible for the provision of services , what to do about xenophobia , how do South Africans and people from other parts of Africa co exist . He gives face and form to the scale of the challenge when one notes that Diepsloot (literal meaning of the name = deep ditch ) is only one of 182 such settlements around Johannesburg, all competing for public services (water, transport, roads, sewerage , schools , clinics .... The list is endless) and resources are beyond limited . No wonder, Johannesburg 's slogan , "a world class African city" now rings so hollow and is so difficult to deliver on and this impacts on both the affluent and the poor . Any weaknesses in the book ... It's not a scientific or planning study so lacks neatly tabulated data showing change through time, there is no bibliography ,no footnotes and is not in that sense an academic book, but it's strength is that it is so readable, accessible ,gives direct voice to people who live in Diepsloot and care about what is happening and adds to the literature on Johannesburg .
    • 5/5
      Excellent introduction into the complex structure, background and people of a typical exploding township, squatter camp and melting pot in Gauteng. Excellent views and deep insights, because he get's the people talking, sees them where they are living and has a good sense of perception. Great writer!