Browsing by Author "Ajibade, Abraham"

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Investigating the experiences of workers in exclusionary communities: a case study of waterfall estate
(2018) Ajibade, Abraham
Researchers, in the past, have found that the development of satellite cities has reduced the strain upon the infrastructure of the parent cities. These developments have had negative side effects as well, with urban sprawl proving to not only be an infrastructural challenge, but an environmental problem as well. One of the major critiques that has been levelled against urban sprawl is that it contributes towards pollution by encouraging long commutes and traffic congestion. These negative effects have been factored into the decision-making processes of residents in these areas, as they usually own at least one car that allows them to commute freely between their homes and the metropolitan centre. However, their lifestyle changes also affect another demographic, namely the workers who service these areas. The impact that the distance from the metropolitan area has on their physical, emotional and economic wellbeing has yet to be fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of the research report was to investigate and unpack the experiences and working conditions of domestic workers in Waterfall Estate. This included a representation of the sociological profile of the domestic workers in terms of their class, gender and employment history as well as an understanding of the different ways that the workers access and utilize the same space. The report also shed some light on their experiences, working conditions, relationship with employers and responses to the challenges faced by these individuals, contributing towards contemporary literature regarding the evolution of domestic service in exclusionary communities. The effects of commuting from the periphery to the city affect all who dwell within Exclusionary Upscale Communities, both upper class residents and workers alike. In addition to the socio-economic impact, power dynamics between the employers and workers provide an additional layer of complexity to the workers experiences. The research utilized both qualitative interviews with 5 workers, as well as the distribution of 31 surveys to workers in the area to not only gain a deeper understanding of the forces at play but also to get a sense of what the collective worker experience was. It was found that the domestic workers were heavily reliant on transit nodes such as taxi ranks in order to commute to the estate. In addition to this most of the domestic workers were found to be paying the cost of diverted care resulting in strenuous relationships with their families, resulting in cases where other family members had to care for their children and a negative outlook on the profession and their fulfillment of their roles as mothers.
Rediscovering Economics as a Crucial component of Development in South Africa: The Case of the Inner City Property Scheme
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2015-11) Ajibade, Abraham
It has been twenty‐one years since the apartheid regime was dismantled – an age that is synonymous with the maturity, balance and grace shown by leaders in South Africa and those returning from abroad. The proverbial torch has been passed down to the next generation to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and forge a new zeitgeist, one that is accepting of all. Yet, the need to forthrightly address the impacts of separate development and state-advocated forms and systems of preferential treatment remains at the forefront of public discourse. Development has many dimensions and planning interests - urban, development, economic and policy - are concerned with all of these. This report is primarily concerned with those ideals that have been supported by legislation in the form of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE). Such polices were physically manifested through the mechanisms of many state departments and agencies, and this research report seeks to critically examine its manifestation in the form of one of those structures, namely the Inner City Property Scheme (ICPS). This research report utilised a mixture of evaluation and qualitative research methodologies. This allowed for the evaluation of economic empowerment policies through engagements with selected respondents. These respondents were selected based on their knowledge of the ICPS, Economic Empowerment and the Planning profession. Drawing upon these interviews and engagement with other sources, the report seeks to address the issue of planning’s limited engagement with the economic circumstances which are prevalent in each context and how the economic circumstances affect the interventions the planning profession proposes. The results of the research report found that the ways in which economic empowerment e.g. through the ICPS, was practised only served to benefit an elite grouping. These class distinctions were also seen to be congruent with the flaws of the planning profession. The reason for these could be traced to a lack of engagement with the economic aspects of development on the side of planners. The research report proposed a set of recommendations that sought to provide planners with the tools to guide the state in becoming truly developmental.