Open Access
The endurance of inequality: Race, property and spatiality in Bloemfontein and surrounds
Edited by Karin van Marle, Lochner Marais and Danie Brand
2025
ISBN: 978-1-0672372-3-3
Pages: 182
Print version: Available
Electronic version: Free PDF available
About the publication
[For Bloemfontein/Mangaung] as an example of an “overlooked” city, with much of the literature … about [it] referring to work of urban geographers done in the 1990s, this is an important corrective work: Centring Bloemfontein/Mangaung; and particularly its racial/spatial histories and how they still impact on property and enduring inequalities today. Locating the spatial debate in Mangaung is an original contribution, as well as the way in which space, race and property intersects and are fused conceptually to make sense of the Bloemfontein reality.’
Stephan de Beer
Professor and Director, Centre for Faith and Community, University of Pretoria
‘This … book makes an original contribution by integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives, including social constructionism, legal studies, and geographical and cultural studies, to analyse post-apartheid spatial, social, and legal dynamics in South Africa, with Mangaung as study site. It uses empirical data from interviews to ground theoretical discussions in the lived experiences of those affected by apartheid-era policies and their aftermath. The volume critically examines the failures of post-1994 reintegration policies, advocating for alternative approaches that focus on the development of displaced communities. It highlights the cultural, social, and emotional dimensions of home, challenging the economic-centric view of property and land. By exploring both traditional and alternative understandings of property law, the book suggests potential for transformed visions of property rights. The concept of trans temporality adds complexity to the understanding of spatial and temporal relations. The narratives of displacement and psychological loss underscore the enduring impact of apartheid and the challenges of meaningful redress. As a collection, the book enriches the discourse on property, land, and home in post-apartheid South Africa through its comprehensive, multi-disciplinary analysis.’
Ronnie Donaldson
Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Stellenbosch University
Table of Contents
Editor’s preface
Contributors
1 Introduction
Lochner Marais and Karin van Marle
2 Considering home, assets and place attachment in the urban periphery: Rethinking the spatial marginality of apartheid planning
Lochner Marais and Job Gbadegesin
3 It’s not the same, but it will eventually feel like home: Response to Marais and Gbadegesin
Motsaathebe Serekoane and Chitja Twala
5 The endurance of apartheid notions of property law in Bloemfontein and surrounds: Response to Danie Brand
George Fordam Wara
6 The trans-temporality of land ownership in South Africa
Gerard Emmanuel Kamdem Kamga and Isolde de Villiers
7 The trans-temporality of land ownership in South Africa: Response to De Villiers and Kamga
Lindani Mhlanga
8 Cuts and wounds: Stories of perpetual loss and insecurity
Phia van der Watt
9 The psycho-social healing of a nation: A few pointers: Response to Van der Watt
Andries Odendaal
10 Narrative, nomos, world(s)
Karin van Marle
11 Narrative, nomos, world(s): Response to Van Marle
Stewart Motha
12 Conclusion
Karin van Marle