Page 92 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

ENGINEERING, THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

“The poverty level in informal settlements is evident in the space
constraints, overcrowding, lack of outdoor space, and overlapping
or clustered house designs,” says Prof Mbanga. “These features
make physical distancing and self-quarantine impractical, and are 3 200 recorded informal
a conducive environment for the rapid spread of communicable
diseases.” settlements

They observed that many people in Walmer E did not have masks South African government reports suggest that
on and mandatory distance of 1.5–2.0m between people was not between 2002 and 2016 informal settlements in
adhered to at all. “At the market we observed ‘a business as usual’ South Africa have increased from 300 to 2 225.
atmosphere, with close to half the people not wearing masks,” says By May 2020 assessed and recorded informal
Prof Makasa. “They were transacting on the street, selling whatever settlements in South Africa were said to be around
merchandise they had. These included apples, vegetables, bananas, 3 200, and still growing in number. However, it is
pears, potatoes, nail polish, wigs and hats. A group of bus drivers not easy to confirm how many informal settlements
waiting to load passengers were clustered together smoking exist in South Africa, as shacks spring up on a
cigarettes, which they shared freely. They wore no masks.” daily basis. Based on existing knowledge, about
1,3-million households, translating to almost five
“We then observed that out of the ten buses that loaded in our million people, live in informal settlements in the
presence, about four drivers drove off without putting their masks highly dense urban settlements in and around
on. Most passengers arrived at the bus station either with their the major metropolitan cities of Cape Town,
masks in their hands or pockets. Some even had their masks under Johannesburg, eThekwini, Buffalo City, Nelson
their chins. We observed that very few people wore their masks Mandela Bay and Mangaung.
properly as they approached the buses. They only did this as they
embarked on a bus, so at least every passenger had a mask on as
the bus drove off. Generally, bus stops and the buses themselves
were still as crowded as in pre-pandemic days. This makes them
clear incubators and COVID-19 hotspots.”

The study has highlighted that handling pandemics in countries
with high rates of urban poverty is very complex and can end
up being ineffective. This calls for the need to formulate and
implement bespoke strategies and innovative policies.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the numerous
deficiencies in our informal settlements,” says Prof Mbanga. “It
triggers bigger questions about the character of the South African
democracy – that at times tends to forget about the needs and
circumstances of its financially impoverished constituencies when
faced by crises. To effectively mitigate the effects of the pandemic,
requires a complete transformation of the way the South African
everyday life of the urban poor is played out.”

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