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Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990

Bibliography: leaves 251-273.

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Main Author: Ralinala, Rendani Moses
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Historical Studies 2014
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ralinala, Rendani Moses
author_browse Ralinala, Rendani Moses
author_facet Ralinala, Rendani Moses
author_sort Ralinala, Rendani Moses
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description Bibliography: leaves 251-273.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
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provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
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publisherStr Department of Historical Studies
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8793 Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990 Ralinala, Rendani Moses Bibliography: leaves 251-273. This thesis examines how urban apartheid affected Mamelodi residents, and how they responded to it, in the period 1953 to 1990. The thesis challenges the idea that township residents were victims of urban apartheid, and did nothing to improve their lives. It also challenges the idea that the African response to urban apartheid was limited to political struggles. It argues that forms of struggles went beyond social, economic and political ones, to challenge all the facets of urban apartheid. From 1953, Mamelodi residents realised the effects of apartheid laws on their lives. The thesis takes into account the influence of race, class and age in the evolution of the struggles against urban apartheid, which was implemented by bureaucratic administrative structures created by the National Party government. The notion of African Nationalism influenced Mamelodi residents in their political struggles. They saw themselves as Africans who had a birthright to rule themselves in South Africa. The thesis shows how the existence of different classes as social categories in the township contributed to various forms of struggle. These included daily struggles such as illicit beer brewing, hawking and taxi pirating. They were complemented by more organised political struggles initiated by the black middle class in the earlier years. The thesis argues that African responses in Mamelodi township made it difficult for the government to control the lives of urban blacks. It began to concentrate on curbing resistance rather than insisting on the implementation of its urban policies. This defiance on the part of the residents led to government policy losing direction. The government became defensive as it concentrated its energies and resources on curbing resistance. In the mid 1980s, the thesis argues, the government lost control of the township due to co-ordinated campaigns, which it failed to curb. When the government unbanned political organisations and released political prisoners in 1990, it was acceding to demands that township residents had made for many years. 2014-10-26T19:37:04Z 2014-10-26T19:37:04Z 2002 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8793 eng application/pdf Department of Historical Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Ralinala, Rendani Moses
Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
thesis_degree_str Doctoral
title Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
title_full Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
title_fullStr Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
title_full_unstemmed Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
title_short Urban apartheid and African responses : aspects of life in Mamelodi township, 1953-1990
title_sort urban apartheid and african responses aspects of life in mamelodi township 1953 1990
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8793
work_keys_str_mv AT ralinalarendanimoses urbanapartheidandafricanresponsesaspectsoflifeinmameloditownship19531990