introduction

The story of social cohesion in the Gauteng city-region (GCR) is essentially one of dualism, which mirrors the starkness of the contradictions with which South Africans live on a daily basis. Caught between fragmentation and unity, this urban space has the simultaneous experience of xenophobia, racism, crime, poverty and inequality on the one hand, and on the other a robust civil society, a government committed to development and transformation, as well as vibrant city-centres bustling with energy and the sound of languages from across the globe. This duality reflects the tensions of navigating the burdens of the past while creating an inclusive future. The GCR, in other words, is a microcosm of the challenges facing the country as a whole.

The divisions within our society are deep, and are reflected in South Africa’s unequal class, race and gender-stratified social fabric. The legacy of segregation and apartheid is still rife. South Africans are grappling with the questions of what it means to be African, how to deepen our democracy and what makes us hopeful – across these stratifications – about the future of the country.

The evidence of this is a range of social fragmentations in the Gauteng city-region, commingling with a shared view that the future is positive. In spite of the onslaught of issues such as crime, unemployment and HIV/AIDS on the social fabric, social networks and support structures are available to a large proportion of city-region residents. We have seen an unexpectedly large proportion of residents, across race, class and age divides, unite in their aversion to social injustices such as rampant xenophobia and crime, and in their demand for better education and health, more equal gender relations and stronger environmental protection. We have seen the city-region host much of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with grace, hospitality and a sporting spirit which cut across class, race, age and sectoral divides. In spite of serious challenges to social cohesion, we retain optimism in the ability of the Gauteng city-region to reverse impulses toward fragmentation and disunity.