In a recent session, four groups from Professor Loren Landau‘s class at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), explored the complex intersections of mobility, urban space, and social justice, each offering a distinct lens on how exclusion operates in South African cities today.

Group 1: Who is Cape Town really for?
Through real-life contextual experiences, the group highlighted the price of housing and spatial injustices. The Reclaim the City projects and their decade-long judicial wins were spotlighted, though participants noted that while litigation has won battles, long-term housing delivery still depends heavily on the state.

Group 2: Apartheid and Spatial Injustice
Drawing on the case of Abahlali base Mjondolo, the group argued that apartheid didn’t disappear, it has continued through spatial injustice. Unemployment, they noted, is driven by anti-poor structures of the state, not immigration. A striking comparison was drawn between present-day immigration enforcement and the apartheid system, with the Lindela centre cited as a contemporary parallel.

Group 3: State vs Non-State – Navigating Dual Positionality for Justice
The Siyafuna Sonke Action Campaign acknowledged the country’s socio-economic issues while rejecting the scapegoating of migrants. The campaign called for government action against vigilante groups and highlighted the denial of healthcare to migrants, even as they activate the right to health regardless of statehood. Spiritual dimensions, they noted, are also leveraged to access justice in urban realities.

Group 4: March and March Case Study
The group argued that March and March exploits socio-economic issues, framing state resources as belonging only to citizens. Targeting migrants, they noted, is a scapegoating strategy that does not address governance failures. This has left migrants having to mask who they are to avoid being ostracised. The group posed a critical question: What does March and March’s politics reveal about their version of justice?

Reflection from Professor Loren Landau:
He noted the significance of making arguments about epistemically driven ideologies and the tensions that exist within communities, a reminder that the fight for justice is as much about ideas as it is about policy.

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