EEfinal Draft Lukas

Extended Essay:

Social and Cultural Anthropology

Race relations in Johannesburg as

viewed by Primary school children

How do Primary school children in Johannesburg feel about their

ethnicity and how do they relate to the other main racial groups? Where

would they like to live?

What indications might these findings give for future changes to

Johannesburg's spatial structure?

Lukas Wallrich

Waterford Kamhlaba

Candidate No.: 00146-061

Supervisor: Rolf Huysmans

Word Count: 3993

Extended Essay Lukas Wallrich 18/06/2007

Soc. and Cult. Anth. Waterford Kamhlaba Cand. No.: 00146-061

Page 2 of 42

Abstract

Word Count: 294

For most of its modern history, South Africa was characterized by the oppression of blacks

and other groups by white settlers that first arrived in 1652. Although the oppression has

ended with South Africa's turn to majority rule in the early 1990s, race relations are still tense

and most living areas racially segregated.

This investigation sets out to answer the following questions:

How do Primary school children in Johannesburg feel about their ethnicity

and about the other main racial groups? How do they relate to each other

and where would they like to live?

What indications might these findings give for future changes in


The focus on children, which was chosen because they will shape the future, allows the

drawing of conjectures about the future of racial integration which is assumed to be an

important element in the creation of a united and peaceful nation.

Most of the paper focuses on the evaluation of a survey that was carried out in three schools

in predominantly black, Indian and coloured communities, while other anthropological

resources are used in the light of these results. Due to practical limitations, the scope of the

investigation excludes white children and analyzes the attitudes of groups without paying

much attention to the factors that shape these in individual group members.

Overall, the paper concludes that children in Johannesburg see their ethnicity as an integral

part of their personal identity, although many view their group in a critical light. Generally,

other groups are seen as inferior and racist ideas are still widespread. The children in the

sample group do not interact much with members of other groups; interracial friendships are

few. All this leads to a situation, where a clear majority prefers to live in racially segregated

neighborhoods.



Page 3 of 42

Table of contents

Abstract 2 Table of contents 3

Table of figures 4 Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 6 Outline of the Historical Background 7

The Significance of Urban Social Segregation 8 Methodology 9

Soweto – Tumang Primary School 10 Lenasia – Lenasia Park Primary 10

Eldorado Park – Cavendish Primary School 11 White areas 11

Results of the Survey 12

The Key-Findings 13 Key-Finding #1: The majority sees ethnic background as hugely important. 13 Key-Finding #2: Every group sees itself as the most important. 13 Key-Finding #3: Most children dream of leaving South Africa. 14

Key-Finding #5: Apartheid still dominates the children's thought system. 15 Key-Finding #6: A good neighborhood is highly important to most children. 15 Key-Finding #7: Ethnicity is highly important in the choice of living areas. 16

Key Finding #8: Contact nurtures appreciation. 17 Key-Finding #9: There are few friendships across the groups. 17 Key-Finding #10: The sample group does not have contacts with whites. 18

Self- and external perception of the groups 19

Blacks 19 Whites 20 Coloureds 20 Indians 21

A General Note on the Group Perceptions 21 Limitations and Evaluation 22 Conclusion 23

Bibliography 24 Appendices 27

Appendix I: Further Details on sample areas and schools 28 Appendix II: Whites in Post-Apartheid South Africa 31

Appendix III: The questionnaire 32 Appendix IV: Summaries of the Cited Questionnaires 39



Page 4 of 42

Table of figures

Figure 1: Questionnaires by schools 12

Figure 2: Questionnaires by group 12

Figure 3: Importance of Ethnic Background 13

Figure 4: Favourite Places to live 14

Figure 5: General Feeling About South Africa 14

Figure 6: Favorite Living Areas by Economic Rating 16

Figure 7: Favorite Living Areas by Dominant Ethnicity 16

Figure 8: Percentage of children without friends from other groups 17

Figure 9: General Tone of Description of Blacks 19

Figure 10: General Tone of Description of Whites 20

Figure 11: General Tone of Description of Coloureds 20

Figure 12: General Tone of Description of Indians 21



Page 5 of 42

Acknowledgements

First, and foremost, the author would like to express his gratitude to his

Extended Essay supervisor, Rolf Huysmans, who helped to transform broad

ideas into more specific concepts and was a steady pole throughout the

process.

Furthermore, many thanks have to go to Stephanie Lotter, Crispin

Pemberton-Pigott, Pippa Davies and Carla Cabrita who all gave highly

insighful information in personal interviews. The latter, moreover, deserves

even more thanks for her help in deciphering and coding the favorite living

areas.

Moreover, the researcher feels indebted to the staff and especially the

Principals of Tumang Primary School in Soweto, Cavendish Primary School in

Eldorado Park and Lenasia Park Primary in Lenasia for their warm support.

Equally helpful was the staff of Lebo's Soweto Backpackers where the author

stayed during his visits to Johannesburg, who helped him with many

practicalities apart from giving him useful insights into modern township life.

Lastly, the author's gratitude extends to Sue Bradshaw, Sandhya Fuchs and

Amy Burnett for their help with proof-reading and cutting and to Quinton

Reissman for his help in making decisions about the statistical evaluation of

the data.



Page 6 of 42

Introduction

"This train goes to Soweto. Where are you going?" – the author of this paper was frequently

asked during his research. Although time has torn down some of the barriers apartheid set

up between racial groups, many others are still intact and any transgression provokes

surprised reactions. Almost two decades after of the new South Africa was conceived, race

relations are still tense and in an urban context, most people still live in racially homogeneous

areas.

Much of this separation is based on South Africa's history. Living quarters for blacks,

coloureds, Indians and whites1 were meticulously separated under apartheid and multiracial

settlements forcibly destroyed. However, the Group Areas Act was repealed in 1991 which

triggered changes in the spatial distribution.

Johannesburg, South Africa's most populous city, is an exciting place to observe these

changes. Comprising places like Sandton, the capital of the white business community,

Soweto, the embodiment of a black township and Lenasia with its thriving Indian

community, it has been described as South Africa in a nutshell.

Considering racial integration a prerequisite for a successful future for South Africa, this essay

sets out to answer the following questions:

How do Primary school children in Johannesburg feel about their ethnicity

and how do they relate to the other main racial groups? Where would they

like to live?

What indications might these findings give for future changes in


1 Whenever the word "groups" is used in this paper, it refers to these four main groups that were the

foundation of racial classification under apartheid.



Page 7 of 42

The focus on children is based on the understanding that they are "pacesetters of future

change".2 The investigation concentrates on poor segregated areas since this is where the

majority of Johannesburg's population lives.

Hence, the paper is based on a survey carried out in three schools in parts of Johannesburg

that emblematically stand for one racial group: Tumang Primary in Soweto, Cavendish

Primary in Eldorado Park, and Park Primary in Lenasia. Due to difficulties that will be outlined

later, white children were not amongst the respondents of the survey.

Outline of the Historical Background –

The Spatial Aspects of Apartheid Legislation

To understand the spatial distribution of Johannesburg's population, it is important to know

the main rulings that led up to it:

When the National Party came into power in 1948, South African politics were already

heavily biased in favor of whites. However, they proceeded rapidly to formalize "petty

apartheid" (racial segregation). In 1950, the Group Areas Act was instituted which forced all

racial groups to live in clearly confined areas and formed the heart of apartheid's spatial

policy.3

Early attempts to defy "petty apartheid" were brutally crushed by the white government as in

the destruction of Johannesburg's thriving Sophiatown in 1963. Nevertheless, during the

later years of apartheid some areas tuned 'grey' when people of different races moved in, in a

time when public opinion did no longer allow violent government reactions.4

2 Neumann, W. Lawrence, Social Research Methods (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1997), p. 42

3 It was preceded by the Natives' Land Act of 1913 that restricted land ownership and followed by the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953 that enforced segregation of all public facilities. Together these three Acts imposed total social segregation.

4 The best known example for such an area is Johannesburg's Hillbrow which, as a formerly white area, became a symbol of hope for a better South Africa in the 1980s when people of all colours moved in and lived together in an intense cosmopolitan atmosphere. Sadly, all whites moved out in the 1990s and by today, Hillbrow, mostly inhabited by illegal immigrants, has develop a reputation for being Johannesburg's most dangerous area.



Page 8 of 42

The repeal of the Group Areas Act in 1991 instigated a lot of movement and stirred up

excitement. Nevertheless, the often precarious security situation in the transition period made

many people retreat into racially segregated areas. This self-segregation has maintained

many racially homogenous areas, although some (such as Hillbrow) have changed their

color since the dismantling of apartheid.

The Significance of Urban Social Segregation

This self-imposed segregation has profound effects. Much anthropological writing has been

done around the relation between social and geographical distance, concluding that higher

propinquity makes interaction more likely, while a more widespread distribution reduces

contacts:5 Hence, any contact barriers hinder the development of an open society in which

people can move freely – socially and geographically. Contact becomes even more important

if one agrees with Barth who proposes a view of ethnicity as "an aspect of relationships"

rather than "a personal property"6

Furthermore, it is important to observe changes in spatial distribution because "segregated

areas can become self-sustaining ghettos if only the people who have nowhere else to go

stay", as Crispin Pemberton-Pigott suggests.7 "This happened in the United States after the

abolition of forceful segregation and might happen in South Africa. Segregated areas only

function socially, as long as everyone is forced to live there."8

Hence, the paper sets out to determine whether there is a general willingness to end

segregation amongst South Africa's youth or whether they will continue down the

traditional road.

5 Peach, Ceri (ed.), Urban Social Segregation (New York: Longman Group, 1975), p. 1 6 Frederik Barth as cited in Eriksen, Thomas Hylland, Small Places, Large Issues (London: Pluto Press,

2001), p-263 7 Pemberton-Pigott, Crispin, Personal Interview, 7 May 2007 8 Ibid.



Page 9 of 42

Methodology

In order to investigate future tendencies, the research focuses on schoolchildren, those who

will shape the future of South Africa.9 Furthermore, to compare the attitudes of the different

groups, the most typical area for each group was selected. This was based on the assumption

that the attitudes there reflect the general views. To find these areas, people familiar with

Johannesburg were asked to draw up lists. These lists were evaluated, favoring places in

geographical proximity to each other, which led to unambiguous results for all groups.

A quantitative survey would allow comparisons across the different groups but would have

limited the research's exploratory character. Consequently the researcher decided to

combine qualitative and quantitative elements into one questionnaire.

Preliminary research suggested that only primary schools would give an unbiased sample

because "after primary school, all children that can afford it attend schools in Johannesburg's

centre"10 The researcher focused exclusively on Grade 711 students in order to obtain the

most reflective thoughts. In order to sample the schools, on a first visit to each of the areas a

list of primary schools was created with the help of local residents, from which one school

was randomly selected and contacted.12

Officially, independent research in Johannesburg's schools is highly restricted and involves

an official application according to the "Protocol on Events involving Learners" that starts a

process which takes at least six months. However, only one of the selected schools could not

be convinced to take a shortcut and had to be replaced.

Apart from the survey, further information was obtained in interviews with three experts and

teachers in the sample schools. Nevertheless, as these interviews were non-directive, no

formal transcripts were produced.

9 Additionally, they still have the most common occasion for a change of living area ahead of them,

since they are all still living in the parental home. 10 Cabrita, Carla, Personal Interview, 6 May 2007 11 In South Africa's public education system, Grade 7 constitutes the final year of Primary school education. 12 The researcher preferred this method over a random choice of a list of all schools because the

expectation was that a school that is perceived by the public is more likely to represent public opinion than others.



Page 10 of 42

The areas and schools

The following section gives some basic fact about the selected areas and schools. Additional

information can be found in Appendix I.

Soweto – Tumang Primary School

Soweto, the embodiment of a black township, houses between 1 and 3 million people.

Having recently celebrated its 100th birthday, it is still only inhabited by blacks.

In Soweto, the survey was conducted in Tumang Primary School which is a relatively small

school, with about 350 children. Its condition seemed rather poor to the researcher.

Tumang's student population is 100% black and mostly comes from Meadowlands, the

surrounding suburb.

Lenasia – Lenasia Park Primary

Lenasia was created for Johannesburg's Indian population. Today it houses about 100,000

people, still mainly Indians. Linguistically, Lenasia is one of few non-white areas in South

Africa dominated by English.

As soon as the segregation of schools became obsolete,13 Lenasia's "schools were overrun by

children from Soweto"14 as Jaintilal Bhana recalls. Their inferior previous education and

mediocre English made Lenasia parents fear that the standard would depreciate. By now,

"everyone who can afford it sends their children to private schools."15 According to Stephanie

Lotter, an anthropologist from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, whose

work presently centers on the Indian community of Lenasia, "this feeling of expropriation

makes many members of the community very angry."16

13 This officially came about with the implementation of South Africa's new constitution in 1996,

although various schools opened themselves earlier to student of all racial groups. 14 Bhana, Jaintilal, Personal Interview, 17 May 2007. Jaintilal Bhana teaches in Lenasia Park Primary

which he joined in 1985. 15 Ibid. 16 Lotter, Stephanie, Personal Interview, 21 May 2007



Page 11 of 42

In Lenasia, Park Primary was chosen. Its infrastructure is clearly superior to the other selected

schools. There are 850 attending students who are almost evenly mixed between blacks

almost exclusively from Soweto and Indians from Lenasia.17

Eldorado Park – Cavendish Primary School

Eldorado Park,18 Johannesburg's second largest coloured area; was chosen partially because

of its proximity to Lenasia and Soweto. Linguistically it is dominated by Afrikaans.19

Here, the survey was carried out at Cavendish Primary. Founded in 1983, the present

Principal describes the school, which is with 550 students rather small, as academically strong

and states that "compared to other schools, we have very few social problems." 20 He says

that "black students only gradually came in from the early 1990s and constitute today about

20% of the student body,"21 in contrast to Lenasia.

White areas

The preparatory research showed Sandton as the most typical white area. Life in Sandton,

however, is in no way comparable to the other areas that were identified because it is one of

Johannesburg's richest areas. Hence, the researcher looked for a comparably poor white

area which was found in Bezuidenhout Valley.

However, several visits to the area showed that even poor whites send their children to

private schools that are at a much higher material standard than the schools in the sample;

most residents in the area are very distrustful which made the establishment of contacts very

hard. Hence, it was decided to exclude whites from the scope of this investigation. (For

further details see Appendix II.)

17 In the interview, Bhana estimated the ratio to be 60:40 between blacks and Indians, while there are

also a few coloured students. 18 Although Eldorado Park is notorious for its high crime rates, recent initiatives to establish Community

Policing have started to show effects, so that it seems comparable to the other areas. 19 Afrikaans evolved as the language of the Afrikaners, the descendents of Dutch settlers. Under

apartheid, it was seen as the language of the oppressor. By now, it has spread from the Afrikaners to the coloured community.

20 Hendricks, R.D., Personal Interview, 10 May 2007 21 Ibid.



Page 12 of 42

Results of the Survey

Overall, 152 questionnaires were obtained, evenly

spread across the three schools (see Fig.1). However,

since only black children were found to go to school

outside their home community, they make up the

biggest group as Fig.2 shows.

This indicates that the findings for Indians are statistically

far more likely to be due to chance than the findings for

blacks. However, all sample sizes are fairly small. This, in

addition to inconsistencies in the use of scales that

increased the standard deviation, makes statistical

significance testing fairly meaningless. Therefore the

author decided to omit it from the paper, but to restrict

the analysis to differences that seemed significantly large

and that were supported by the qualitative data.

Therefore, it is important to remember throughout the results that all findings in this paper

can only hint to possible tendencies.

A further limitation is children's different socioeconomic background. Ranked on a scale from

1 to 5, the children in Eldorado Park and Soweto positioned themselves with 2.99 and 2.93

on equal levels, while the pupils in Lenasia (3.51) and especially the Indians amongst them

(3.81) seem to be significantly more prosperous which reduces the comparability between

the schools.

The results are divided into ten key-findings that will be presented first, followed by an

analysis of the self- and external perception on the different groups. The section on the

results will then be concluded with a look at further limitations.

57

46

49 Park Primary

TumangPrimaryCavendishPrimary

Figure 13: Questionnaires by schools

9238

21

black

colouredIndian

Figure 14: Questionnaires by group



Page 13 of 42

The Key-Findings

Key-Finding #1: The majority sees ethnic

background as hugely important.

As Fig. 3 shows, about 80% of the children described

their ethnic background as very important.22 Overall,

ethnicity is described as something that "God made"23

and that is highly influential in the students' lives. The

most frequently mentioned aspect is their mother

tongue. For some, however, ethnicity has a greater

political meaning as for one boy who feels that being

black "helps not to forget about apartheid"24 or

another who is happy because it enables him "to help

increase the number of blacks so that blacks never

die out."25 Although such blunt racism is not the norm, it can be seen that:

Key-Finding #2: Every group sees itself as the most important.

By averaging ratings of each group's importance in economic, political and cultural terms in

South Africa today, an index of general importance ascending from 1 to 5 was created.

Interestingly, the members of each group consistently rated themselves as the most

important group.26

This is quite alarming because such a difference in self- and external perception could make

mutual understanding very difficult.

22 A further breakdown into the schools and racial groups does not change the result significantly,

apart from the coloureds that see their background as clearly less important which hints at their feeling of being marginalized as outlined above.

23 Questionnaire No. 142 24 Questionnaire No. 7 25 Questionnaire No. 110 26 A more detailed analysis shows again the coloureds as the only divergent group, being more

extreme in rating themselves at 4.02 and all other groups at less than 3.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

1 (v. unimportant) 2 3 4 5 (v. important)

Figure 15: Importance of Ethnic Background



Page 14 of 42

60%

6%

12%

20%2%

Western World

AfricaBrazilSouth AfricaOthers

Figure 16: Favourite Places to live

Key-Finding #3: Most children dream of

leaving South Africa.

As Fig. 4 shows, only 20% of the children's favorite

places to live are within South Africa. Even when

taking into account that some of the favorites were

places like Disney Land, a strong sense of wanting to

leave remains which is problematic in a country that

needs every citizen's commitment to overcome the

divisions of the past.

However, as this strongly contrasts with the following

finding, it might have to be discarded as an

expression of the juvenile desire for adventure.

Key-Finding #4: There is a high prevalence of

patriotic feeling.

When asked about their general feelings towards

South Africa, less than 10% positioned themselves on

the negative side of the spectrum, as Fig.5 shows.

However, when asked about the quality of politics,

only blacks stated that democracy works well.

Similarly, only blacks describe the people in power

predominantly positively, while close to 80% of the

coloureds gave a clearly negative assessment.

Throughout all groups, the rulers are described as

black and still credited for having fought apartheid.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

1 (hate it) 2 3 4 5 (love it)

Figure 17: General Feeling About South Africa



Page 15 of 42

Key-Finding #5: Apartheid still dominates the children's thought system.

Although none of the children experienced apartheid, it still dominates their thoughts. Many

do not only judge whites but also other groups in the light of their perceived relation to

apartheid. For example, an Indian boy stated as his primary thought about blacks that

"without them, we wouldn't have freedom."27

In some cases, this preoccupation is sadly well founded, as in the case of the coloured girl

who recalls that "because of the war the whites created, I lost my granddad. That's why I hate

them."28 Generally, the dominance of this thought-system dating from the previous

generation is surprising.

Key-Finding #6: A good neighborhood is highly important to most children.

The children's descriptions of their neighborhoods show that strong ties are highly important

to them. Not a single comment expresses disinterest as it is so common in Western settings

and also in many white areas of Johannesburg. This emphasis may render life in white areas

unattractive to the children.

27 Questionnaire No. 63 28 Questionnaire No. 118



Page 16 of 42

Key-Finding #7: Ethnicity is highly important

in the choice of living areas.

In general, Johannesburg's rich and attractive living

areas are the predominantly white northern suburbs.

However, 55% of the respondents gave a place close

to their present home in the South when asked about

their preferred living area; 15% even mentioned their

home community.29

Grouping the answers by economic rating of the

areas30 (Fig.6) suggests that material factors

seemingly have surprisingly little

impact. The desire to live in a

community with similar people

appears to dominate. Overall, 48%

named an area almost exclusively

inhabited by members of their own

group (Fig.7). Only Indians mainly

want to live in non-Indian areas

which might be explained by the

scarcity of Indian areas and a

stronger emphasis on material

factors.31

29 In this context, virtually all the home communities were rated as poor. 30 This economic rating as much as the division of the answers into the different racial categories was

done by the researcher with the help of Carla Cabrita and was based on personal experiences as well as on a variety of maps.

31 This was, for example, suggested in the fact that no Indian named a poor area.

50%

50%

37%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Blacks

Coloureds

IndiansBlack

WhiteColouredIndianM ixed

Figure 19: Favorite Living Areas by Dominant Ethnicity

50%

22%

28%

poor

middle classrich

Figure 18: Favorite Living Areas by Economic Rating



Page 17 of 42

Key Finding #8: Contact nurtures appreciation.

Black children attending school with children from another group comment more positively

on that group, compared to their counterparts in Soweto. In quantitative terms, the

assessment of the general importance rose from 3.06 to 3.56 for coloureds and from 3.69 to

3.88 for Indians.32

An increased exposure to other groups apparently does not change the assessment of one's

own importance.33 Nevertheless, one can see an adjustment in the black's assessment of their

cultural importance which decreased from 4.57 (Soweto) to 4.20 (Eldorado Park) and 4.15

(Lenasia). It seems to be much easier to acknowledge others' cultural contributions than

contributions in other areas.

This finding emphasizes that interaction with other cultures is an essential step in building up

an identity and supports the idea that "people become aware of their culture […] when they

encounter other cultures," as proposed by Anthony Cohen34.

Key-Finding #9: There are few friendships across

the groups.

Many children stated that they only have friends from

their own group as Fig.6 shows. While this result was

expected in Soweto, it is highly surprising to see that

even in Lenasia where the student population is almost

evenly balanced between blacks and Indians, close to

20% of the children do not have friends from another

group. Even more striking is that more than 20% of the

blacks in Eldorado Park only have black friends which

means that they pick their friends from just 20% of their

classmates.

32 These figures are instances of the instances of the index for general importance as outlined in Key-

Finding #2, p.13. 33 This is suggested by the fact that the blacks' rating of their own general importance in Soweto

(4.00), Eldorado Park [3.93) and Lenasia (4.02) is virtually equal. 34 Cohen, Anthony, Symbolic Construction of Community (Chichester: Ellis Horwood Ltd., 1985), p. 69

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

SowetoEldorado ParkLenasia

Figure 20: Percentage of children without friends from other groups



Page 18 of 42

The ones that have friends from other groups recall different experiences. While many state

that these friendships are normal, others stress that "we learn about each others cultures"35 .

However, several children describe the different languages as a hurdle while others recall

that regularly "people look at you and ask 'What's going on between you?'"36

Key-Finding #10: The sample group does not have contacts with whites.

While there is generally not much evidence of interaction between the groups, interaction

with whites is virtually nonexistent. Many respondents felt unable to describe whites since

they "never really communicate with them".37 Some of the comments show a great cultural

divide, as the one on South Africa's thriving safari industry, stating that whites "are becoming

very silly these days. [They are] sticking by wild animals and don't see that it is dangerous."38

Quantitatively, this divide is also visible as at least for blacks and coloureds, whites are far

inferior in cultural importance (3.08 and 2.86 compared to averages of 3.96 and 3.7 for the

other groups). This can be explained using theories concerning spatial distribution, since the

geographical distance to whites is much larger than to other groups. Another explanation

might be that throughout most of South Africa's history, whites stood opposed to the others;

therefore they do not have a common history which Eriksen described as "an important

element" in developing a feeling of connectivity.39

This finding complements Christopher's finding that "whites remain both more segregated

and less open to change than other groups."40

35 Questionnaire No. 98 36 Questionnaire 81 37 Questionnaire 100 38 Questionnaire 44 39 Eriksen, p. 273 40 Christopher, A.J., "Urban Segregation in Post-Apartheid South Africa",

Urban Studies, 1 March 2001: p. 449-466, p. 465



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33%

40%

27%

positive

negativeboth sides

Figure 21: General Tone of Description of Blacks

Self- and external perception of the groups

It is important to note that this investigation, at least to some extent, assumes the validity of

Critical Race Theory which means that race is seen as a social construct that determines much

of human interaction given that racism is an inherent part of South African society.41 This very

much contrasts with the mind-set of most respondents to the survey that generally saw race

as God-given.

Blacks:

As Fig.7 shows, the general tone in describing

blacks is predominantly negative which does

not change if only black answers are taken into

consideration.

Politics accounted for many positive and

negative comments. While the blacks received

credit for the defeat of apartheid, they were

also criticized for having taken "over the

country."42 Apart from that, sharing and

helpfulness, summarized in the belief in ubuntu,43 are often mentioned. However, blacks are

often associated with crime and violence and sometimes described as rude.

41 Delgado, Richard and Jean Stefancic, "Critical Race Theory: An Introduction", New York University

Press, published in 2007, accessed on 15 June 2007, http://www.nyupress.org/19309chapt1.php 42 Questionnaire No. 112 43 Ubuntu is a traditional school of thought in Sub-Saharan Africa. A popular definition of ubuntu is,

"the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity." (comp. Bengo, Mfuniselwa, Ubuntu: The Essence of Democracy (Cape Town: Novalis Press, 1998))



Page 20 of 42

27%

48%

25%

positive

negativeboth sides

Figure 22: General Tone of Description of Whites

30%

42%

28%

positive

negativeboth sides

Figure 23: General Tone of Description of Coloureds

Whites:

Overall, whites were described most negatively in

the survey as Fig.8 shows. In this light, it is

unfortunate that no self-perception could be

surveyed, but according to the researcher's

experience, it can be assumed to be highly

different.

Whites are socially clearly isolated from the other

groups. A frequent perception is that whites

"think they are better than the other people in

South Africa"44 and that "the country is theirs"45. They are seen as rich and willing to help

other groups, yet often perceived as condescending.

Coloureds:

While the general tone (Fig.9) is very similar to

the descriptions of blacks, it is important that

almost 50% of the coloureds describe their own

group negatively.

Only in their own comments, issues like smoking,

drinking and drugs come up repeatedly.

They often feel "in between"46. From the external

perspective, coloureds are described as wanting

to keep themselves "white and important"47 and

the "wealthy ones" are accused of "still having

apartheid."48

44 Questionnaire No. 142 45 Questionnaire No. 111 46 Questionnaire No. 113 47 Questionnaire No. 103 48 Questionnaire No. 3



Page 21 of 42

46%

35%

20%

positive

negativeboth sides

Figure 24: General Tone of Description of Indians

Indians:

Indians are, according to the general (see Fig.10)

as much as to their self-perception (58% positive)

the most positively described group.

While they are seen as rich and materialistic, "a

strong sense of tradition"49 is attributed to them.

They are usually seen as traders and strongly

associated with cultural specialties such as curry.

An interesting example of the creation of stereotypes lies in the frequently uttered view that

Indians are "always in love."50 For the researcher, it seemed fairly arbitrary, until he realized

that the only cinema in Johannesburg's southern townships is a Bollywood dominated

establishment in Lenasia.

A General Note on the Group Perceptions

In spite of the high importance that most respondents attributed to their ethnicity, the

groups are highly critical even of themselves, with more than 40% of all comments being

clearly negative. This might indicate a general frustration with the concept of groups, so that

a lowering of their importance might be an important step in enabling South African society

to move forwards.

Furthermore, the answers support Eriksen's view that "in polyethnic societies, people […]

commonly hold stereotypes about themselves."51

49 Questionnaire No. 120 50 Questionnaire No. 106 51 Eriksen, p. 264



Page 22 of 42

Limitations and Evaluation

Apart from the issues of sample size and comparability of the schools that were already

introduced, there are other limitations that require the reader to understand all findings as

indications rather than definite statements.

A first important issue is researcher bias, especially important in the context of this research,

as it was highly unusual for many respondents to encounter a white person. The children in

Soweto, for example, got so excited that they wanted autographs. In some cases, this

excitement clearly led to a distortion of the answers as in the case of the boy who wrote that

whites are "very kind like the man who gave me this paper."52 In such obvious instances, the

answers were not considered for evaluation.

Another problem was language. As stated earlier, only the Indians speak English at home; all

others filled in the questionnaire in a second language. Although these children have been

to English medium schools for the past seven years, the general level of English is fairly low.

This resulted in unintelligible or ambiguous statements53 that had to be interpreted. Hence,

the quotes from the questionnaires were generally paraphrased to express the intention that

the researcher conjectured out of the context. This introduces a source of subconscious bias.

Moreover, language problems changed answers when the questionnaires were filled in.

There is clear evidence that answers were changed due to an uncertainty in spelling as in a

case when the attempts "Diep" and "Dipkl" were abandoned and replaced by "Protea."

Lastly, the maturity of the sample group was an issue. Above, it was explained why the

survey focused on primary school children, and the researcher still does not see an

alternative. However, the evaluation showed that many respondents were insufficiently able

to generalize and frequently mixed descriptions of specific incidents without expressing

coherent ideas.

52 Questionnaire No. 26 53 The most common example for this was the use of the word "respective" which, according to the

context, meant "respectful" in half of the cases, "respectable" in the others.



Page 23 of 42

Conclusion

The paper concludes that Primary school children in Johannesburg see their group as an

integral part of their personal identity. However, they often see it in a critical light. Generally,

other groups are seen as inferior and racist ideas are widespread. For the respondents, not

much interaction exists with members of other groups; interracial friendships are few.

All this leads to a situation where a clear majority prefers to live in racially segregated areas.

Additionally, the fact that wealthier children leave the townships' educational systems when

they can and often leave for good shows that the introductory thought by Pemberton-Pigott

might come true; Johannesburg southern townships may become social ghettos.

However, especially amongst Indians many seem to be willing to bridge the gap. So the

results of this study may paint an overly pessimistic picture. Overall, there is some evidence for

Tali Triggs view that "In South Africa, there seems to be room to move. […] There's room to

experiment. There's room to create new things."54

If there is enough political will to make integration happen, the findings suggest two ways to

reduce segregation: firstly, through the intensification of contact between the different

groups which can be encouraged through urban development. Secondly, through economic

development of the poorer areas, as there is some evidence to suggest that a better

economic situation as prevalent in Lenasia leads to a greater openness to integration.

Further research into factors that reduce the tendency towards self-segregation would be

highly interesting. Two specific aspects could lead to more specific and reliable results: firstly

another survey with a larger sample size and questions allowing for a connection of personal

factors with attitudes. Secondly the establishment of focus groups in the schools surveyed to

discuss the findings and conjectures in greater depth. Furthermore, it would be useful to

widen the scope to include white children. Finally, a study of teachers' attitudes might be

highly interesting because it would allow for a comparison across the generations; it might

also explain the formation of some of the children's opinions.

54 Tali Trigg, "South Africa: Clegg return to US for Major Tour", Allafrica.com, published in 2004,

accessed on 2 June 2007, http://allafrica.com/stories/200407210498.html



Page 24 of 42

Bibliography

Books:

Bengo, Mfuniselwa, Ubuntu: The Essence of Democracy

(Cape Town: Novalis Press, 1998)

Cohen, Anthony P., Symbolic Construction of Community

(Chichester: Ellis Horwood Ltd., 1985)

Eriksen, Thomas Hylland, Small Places, Large Issues

(London: Pluto Press, 2001)

Neumann, W. Lawrence, Social Research Methods

(Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1997)

Peach, Ceri ed., Urban Social Segregation

(New York: Longman Group, 1975)

Internet:

Delgado, Richard and Jean Stefancic: "Critical Race Theory: An Introduction", New York

University Press, published in 2007, accessed on 15 June 2007,

http://www.nyupress.org/19309chapt1.php

Trigg, Tali: "South Africa: Clegg return to US for Major Tour", Allafrica.com, published in 2004,

accessed on 2 June 2007, http://allafrica.com/stories/200407210498.html

Scholarly Articles:

Christopher, A.J., "Urban Segregation in Post-Apartheid South Africa",

Urban Studies, 1 March 2001: p. 449-466



Page 25 of 42

Interviews:

Bhana, Jaintilal, Personal Interview, 17 May 2007

In 1985, J. Bhana started teaching in Lenasia Park Primary. Since then he witnessed

the massive influx of black students that the end of educational segregation brought

about. He sees his work as his contribution "in the struggle for a better South Africa."

Cabrita, Carla, Personal Interview, 6 May 2007 and 15 June 2007

Carla Cabrita has worked in a youth centre close to Eldorado Park. Having left this job

to teach and engage in further studies, she has a profound knowledge of the

situation in Johannesburg's southern townships.

Hendricks, R.D., Personal Interview, 9 May 2007

R.D. Hendricks joined Cavendish Primary School one year after its opening in 1983.

Since then, he has witnessed and in more recent years presided over many changes,

that, according to him, "made his school successful in spite of challenging conditions."

Lotter, Stephanie, Personal Interview, 21 May 2007

Stephanie Lotter currently works and teaches at the University of the Witwatersrand

in Johannesburg. Her main focus is on a project that deals with visual anthropology

in Lenasia.

Pemberton-Pigott, Crispin, Personal Interview, 7 May 2007

A Canadian expatriate who has lived and worked in Southern Africa for the past three

decades, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott has critically observed the historical processes in

South Africa that have led to the situation which is analyzed in this paper.



Page 26 of 42

Questionnaires:

Brief summaries of all questionnaires that were explicitly cited can be found in Appendix IV.

Selected Further Reading:

Arkin, Antony and others: The Indian South Africans

(Pinetown: Owen Burgess Publishers, 1989)

Harding, D.W.: Social Psychology and Individual Values

(Watford: Mayflower Press, 1953)

Lapping, Brian: Apartheid – A history

(London: Grafton Books, 1986)

Mandy, Nigel: A City Divided: Johannesburg and Soweto

(Braamfontein: MacMillan South Africa, 1984)

Roberts, Adam and Joe Thloloe: Soweto Inside out

(Johannesburg: Penguin Books, 2004)

Sparks, Allister: Tomorrow is another country

(Cape Town: Hill and Wary, 1994)

Woods, Donald: Rainbow Nation revisited – South Africa's Decade of Democracy

(London: André Deutsch, 2000)



Page 27 of 42

Appendices

Appendix I: Further Details on sample areas and schools 28

Appendix II: Whites in Post-Apartheid South Africa 31

Appendix III: The questionnaire 32

Appendix IV: Summaries of the Cited Questionnaires 39



Page 28 of 42

Appendix I: Further Details on sample areas and schools

Soweto – Tumang Primary School

Soweto, comprising of between 29 and 50 suburbs, houses between 1 and 3 million people.

Reliable numbers do not exist, because Soweto is still growing as more and more people

from rural South Africa and other African countries move into new "shanty towns".

Throughout South Africa, Soweto is seen as the embodiment of a black township. While the

first black settlements in the area were established in 1904, Soweto as a unit only came into

being in 1963 when the SouthWestTownship got its name. It is still virtually a black only area

whose residents, having celebrated Soweto's 100th birthday recently, have started to develop

more and more pride in their township culture.

A source of that pride is Soweto's historical importance in South Africa's struggle for

liberation. It was there where large student uprisings in 1976 started the long period of

popular resistance that eventually led to the dismantling of apartheid. Soweto also boast of

the only street in the world, where two Peace Nobel Prize laureates lived: Vilakazi Street

housed both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

In Soweto, the choice of the sample school as outlined in the Methodology fell onto

Sapebuso Primary School. Unfortunately, its headmistress insisted on adhering to the official

guidelines so that the survey had to be moved to Tumang Primary School. Tumang, with

about 350 children, is a comparably small school, but even that number stretches its capacity

and requires average class sizes of about 50 children. While the headmaster described the

school as "average in all aspects", to the researcher its condition seemed rather poor. Its

student population is 100% black and mostly comes from Meadowlands, the immediately

surrounding suburb, which is a middle-class environment in a Soweto-context but still

comparatively poor when compared to the other areas in the sample.



Page 29 of 42

Lenasia – Lenasia Park Primary

Lenasia is the township to which Indian residents were confined under apartheid. Today it

houses about 100,000 people, who are mostly of Indian descent. It still has a strong Indian

atmosphere and boasts of shops full of Indian clothes, spices, Bollywood movies etc.

Looking at Johannesburg's Indian areas in general, this thriving for a clear cultural identity is

an interesting feature that sets them apart. It can, for example, be clearly observed in Mayfair

and Fordsburg, areas close to the city centre that Indians reclaimed after the abolition of the

Group Areas Act and started to turn into distinct Indian area with appropriate architecture

and shops, even boasting an Indian mall with the Oriental Plaza.

Historically, it is important that Lenasia was a centre of Indian resistance against apartheid

that continuously supported the African National Congress and resisted governments

attempts to secure Indian support in the oppression of blacks. It played a significant role in

the creation of the United Democratic Front, a resistance movement that, founded in the

early 80s, united many different groups and accelerated democratic change. Therefore, one

could expect its residents to have a more positive attitude towards blacks than other Indians

who collaborated with the white government. However, in his visits preceding the survey,

the researcher got the impression that there is still a clear-cut distinction between Indians

who own and enjoy the place and blacks who work as simple laborers while coloureds and

whites are mostly absent.

Linguistically, Lenasia is one of very few non-white areas in South Africa that is dominated by

English. In an educational system that is entirely based on that language, this gives the

children a huge advantage. Since Lenasia's "schools were overrun by children from Soweto",

a strong contrast can now be observed as Jaintilal Bhana, teacher at Lenasia Park Primary,

pointed out. He emphasized the importance of the different linguistic backgrounds and

added that "most blacks have many problems at home; their parents are often out to work.

The Indians have much stronger and more supportive homes."55

In Lenasia, Park Primary was chosen as the sample school. On the first glance, one realizes

that its infrastructure is clearly superior to the other schools which seems to be due to a high

level of parent engagement in the school. In addition, the school appears to be proudly

55 Bhana, Jaintilal, Personal Interview, 17 May 2007



Page 30 of 42

South African, having even embroidered RSA56 on the towels in the bathroom. The school

seems to be strongly involved in the local community, having walls full of certificates of

achievements from sports events as much as from a variety of contests and charity

fundraisers. Lenasia Park Primary is attended by 850 students which can be divided into 60%

blacks who almost exclusively come from Soweto and 40% Indians from Lenasia.57 Apart

from that, the school has a few coloured students.

Eldorado Park -Cavendish Primary School

Eldorado Park, Johannesburg's second largest coloured residential area; was partially chosen

because of its location between Lenasia and Soweto. It is Johannesburg's second largest

coloured residential area, inhabited by poor middle-class coloureds who predominantly

speak Afrikaans. While it is slightly notorious for its high crime rates, recent initiatives to

establish Community Policing start to show effects.

Although it has almost grown together with Soweto, few blacks live in its heart. A resident

told the researcher that "as soon as the blacks started to move into the western areas [after

the Group Areas Act had been abolished), many coloureds moved further into the older and

still predominantly coloured areas of Eldorado Park," which reduced the area of coloured

Eldorado Park. However, when walking through the streets one can see that this tendency

kept the Eastern areas predominantly coloured.

Looking at coloureds in South Africa today, it is important to understand that many coloureds

feel betrayed by history. Under apartheid, they were not white enough to enjoy the

advantages the system provided for whites, now they feel that they are not black enough to

fully benefit from the Black Empowerment Program58 and similar programs.

In Eldorado Park, the survey was carried out in Cavendish Primary School. Founded in 1983,

its development was almost entirely witnessed by R.D. Hendricks, the present principal, who

joined the school in 1984. He describes the school, which is with 550 students rather small,

as academically strong and states that "compared to other schools, we have very few social

problems". Different from the schools in Lenasia, he says that "black students only gradually

came in from the early 1990s and constitute today about 20% of the student body."

56 Republic of South Africa 57 Bhana, Interview 58 A program that enforces positive discrimination for previously disadvantaged groups. (comp.

www.southafrica.info/doing_business/trends/empowerment/bee.htm)



Page 31 of 42

Appendix II: Whites in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Brian Lapping, in his book "A History of Apartheid", explains apartheid as something that was

caused to a far extent by the conflict between the English South Africans and the Afrikaners

and by the fear that the emergence of a poor white proletariat would require far-reaching

changes in the economic structure. Looking at South Africa today, one can still see these four

groups – English and Afrikaners, both divided in poor and rich – who make up the majority

of South Africa's white population. However, these groups hardly have a common identity so

that it is even harder to arrive at valid generalizations about White South Africans than for

any other group.

Therefore the researcher decided to focus on poor Afrikaners who, while probably being the

largest group, have a lifestyle that most closely resembles the lifestyle of the other groups in

the sample. Hence, the most typical white area, that was found to be Sandton, a rich

northern suburb that houses mostly rich white businessmen, was of little use. A more suitable

area was found in Bezuidenhout Valley, an inner-city suburb that is mostly inhabited by poor

Afrikaners.

The first visit to the area pointed out two things that would make research as conducted in

the other areas impossible: firstly, most residents of Bezuidenhout Valley seemed very

distrustful, and secondly, a vast majority even of the poor white residents sends their children

to private schools, mostly Rand Primary, where there are better protected.

Two specific incidents shall serve to clarify the first claim: the first and most prominent

building the researcher came across was the "Bezuidenhout Valley Firearm Training Centre,"

which seemed to be the only prospering business. Furthermore most whites he tried to

interact with were absolutely "not interested" such as in the case of a group, in which the

spokesperson insisted on translating the word "research" as "propaganda" and since the

others hardly spoke English but only Afrikaans, that interaction ended quickly.

Generally, according to the researcher's personal experience in Johannesburg that has been

supported by various residents, most white areas have much weaker neighborhood bonds

than other areas which leads to a situation when the social life has been moved out of the

home into pompous shopping malls.



Page 32 of 42

Appendix III: The questionnaire (For technical reasons, the questionnaire is not exactly printed in its original layout.)

Life in Jozi 2007

I am doing research about life in South Africa today. Please help me by answering the following questions as honestly as possible. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers and try to forget what other people might expect you to think. All your answers are confidential and won't be used outside the context of this research.

To begin with I need some information about you:

Your gender: female male

Your age: ______

Your school grade: ______

How would you rate the economic status of your family?

Very Poor Very wealthy

Then I have some questions about the place where you live:

What is the name of the area where you live? ___________________

Were you born there? yes no

If not, when and from where did you move there?

In the year ______ from ___________________________.



Page 33 of 42

How would you describe the people who live in your neighbourhood?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you could choose any place on earth to live, where would it be?

___________________________________________

How should your favourite place look like? How should living there be?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If your dream place isn't in Jozi, what would be your favourite place in Johannesburg?

___________________________________________

Back to your present neighbourhood: On a normal day you are walking out of your house and you see someone. Please write down your first thoughts and ideas, if he is:

- a black person

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- a white person

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Page 34 of 42

- a coloured person

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- an Indian person

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As you might have realized, I'm using the groups here that were used in the time of Apartheid to classify people. Please don't feel offended by this -- it is necessary, because a focus of my research is the legacy of apartheid.

Therefore I would also like to know: what group you belong to?

black

white

coloured

Indian

Now, I have a few questions about your friends:

Firstly, how many of your friends come from within your living area (if you understand that term fairly broadly) compared to other areas of Johannesburg?

Just a few All



Page 35 of 42

Do you have friends that belong to a different group (in the sense I used the word before)?

yes no

If yes, then how important are they to you (choose the most important one)?

Just a distant acquaintance best friend

Do you think these friendships are at all different because of your different ethnic background?

yes no

If yes, in what way? What are the difficulties you encounter? What is special about these friendships?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Almost in the end, I have a few questions about South Africa in general:

How do you feel about the country in general?

Hate it Love it

Do you think that the democracy works?

yes partially no

How would you describe the people who hold the power today?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Page 36 of 42

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please describe the general attitudes and roles of the following groups in South Africa today, as you see them:

Blacks: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whites: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Coloureds: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Indians: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Page 37 of 42

If you think, the majority in your environment sees one of these groups in a different light, then please share that view here:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please try to judge the importance of the different groups in South Africa today. Do you see this respective importance as fair?

Blacks:

Economically: very unimportant very important Fair: yes no

Culturally: very unimportant very important Fair: yes no

Politically: very unimportant very important Fair: yes no

Whites:




Coloureds:






Page 38 of 42

Indians:




And to conclude with, a few more questions about you:

How important is your ethnic background for your personal identity?

very unimportant very important

What do you think about that importance?

should be less should be more just good

Please describe its influence:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for your time.



Page 39 of 42

Appendix IV: Summaries of the Cited Questionnaires

The questionnaires that were directly cited in the paper will be summarized here in order of

their first appearance. The summaries will contain only biographical information about the

respondent.

Number:142 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Zakirrya Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:7 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto - Meadowlands School: Tumang Primary - Soweto (Grade 7) Number:110 Gender: female Age: 12 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:63 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: Indian Lives in: Lenasia School: Park Primary - Lenasia (Grade 7)



Page 40 of 42

Number:118 Gender: female Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary – Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:98 Gender: female Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:81 Gender: female Age: 12 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto School: Park Primary - Lenasia (Grade 7) Number:100 Gender: female Age: 12 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:44 Gender: female Age: 13 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto - Meadowlands School: Tumang Primary - Soweto (Grade 7) Number:112 Gender: male Age: 12 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Freedom Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7)



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Number:111 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:113 Gender: female Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:103 Gender: male Age: 12 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:3 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto - Meadowlands School: Tumang Primary - Soweto (Grade 7) Number:120 Gender: female Age: 13 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto - Diepkloof School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7) Number:106 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: coloured Lives in: Eldorado Park School: Cavendish Primary - Eldorado Park (Grade 7)



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Number:26 Gender: male Age: 13 Racial Group: black Lives in: Soweto - Meadowlands School: Tumang Primary - Soweto (Grade 7)

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