2.3. Lockdown in an Informal Settlement

Business as usual

Informal settlements across the country are characterised by severe inequalities in access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity (Socio-Economic Rights Institute, 2018). Close to 25% of people living in informal settlements in Gauteng rely on chemical toilets as their main form of sanitation (Housing Development Agency, 2013 in Socio-Economic Rights Institute, 2018). It is estimated that 19% of Gauteng’s households live in informal settlements (StatsSA, 2016 in Socio-Economic Rights Institute, 2018). Informal settlement areas also feature high rates of poverty, with residents employed in the informal and low-wage economy. Many residents were vulnerable to job losses, lack of income, and ultimately, shortages of food during the lockdown (Nyashanu, Simbanegavi, & Gibson, 2020). These longstanding constraints in housing and basic service provision in informal settlements and some townships were raised to the fore by the pandemic, prompting an emergency response by the South African government (Republic of South Africa, 2020). Interventions included the provision of communal water storage and collection points, hand washing facilities, interim sanitation systems, the distribution of food parcels, as well as controversial proposals for “de-densification” and “decanting” (Poplak, 2020; Republic of South Africa, 2020).

As part of its “de-densification”, the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation set in motion plans to move residents from some informal settlements, including in Gauteng (Republic of South Africa, 2020; Culwick Fatti et al., 2020). Though these suggestions were proposed as efforts at enhancing social distancing, they were met with criticism from academia and civil society, raising critical debates about urban density, and the long and short-term impacts of resettlement (Afesis-corplan et al., 2020; Culwick Fatti et al., 2020). Informal settlements in urban areas thus became a focal point during the lockdown.

Only one of our Lockdown Diary participants, Anonymous (41) resides in an informal settlement in the South of Johannesburg. His diaries provided some important observations that are of relevance to reflections on space and place, particularly in relation to the other typologies discussed in earlier sections. As with the rest of the participants, Anonymous (41) shared reports of his daily life and routine, often reflecting on the increased time he was spending with his family. As someone actively engaged in his community, he was also able to report on the progress of lockdown in the settlement, and on observations of the street and community life. These reports pointed to a prevailing normality, where residents continued to move and engage as they did before the lockdown.

Lockdown in an informal settlement:

Day 1 27 March, 2020 Nancefield

“Today 27/03/20, first day of the lockdown in South Africa Johannesburg South informal settlement. My day was not a usual day as I woke up relaxed hoping to see people responding to the call of staying home [and] not roaming around the street unnecessarily. Old, young and small children were working down the street as always spaza shops opened as usual others selling chips as always and people queuing for their orders. Some people were working in groups some driving around with passengers fully packed in cars others walk drinking alcohol. As was sitting in the yard some people came to report their electricity problem, asking my help to call city power to come and fix the problem. ”

Two-room (2020)

This trend of “business as usual” would continue through his diaries. As the Level-5 lockdown neared an end, he observed that local health workers were operating without gloves and masks

The presence of movement and people echoed diaries from participants in townships. The sight of children playing soccer was a familiar day-today presence on the streets in the informal settlement where he stayed. In comparison to township residents living in serviced and cemented homes, however, Anonymous’s diary entries presented the vulnerabilities apparent from living in a shack, and the socioeconomic circumstances in informal settlements.

Day 34 29 April, 2020 Nancefield

“As I have started my day with the usual routine and observing the lockdown daily life. The people of my settlement continue to leave their lives as usual now days it’s getting worse in such a way that no precautions are taken by young people and old people. People still walk around in pairs and groups visiting each other, NGO health workers continue to do their daily visit to different houses in the settlement without gloves and mask, [and] the Good Samaritan proceeds with his daily routine to give people in the settlement a loaf of bread everyday with the help of the block committee members

Kids playing on the street as always. ”

- Anonymous (41)

Day 4 30 March, 2020 Nancefield

“Me personally I thought of staying in a shack at this lockdown, is it not like waiting for this corona to come through a hole maybe people think alike and just carry on to live life like nothing is different. People continued to walk around the Slovo Street just like nothing is here. It’s a challenging situation.”

- Anonymous (41)

Day 17 12 April, 2020 Nancefield

“Young people can’t wait to be on the street, some people don’t have enough space in the yard due to the fact that they have done shack farming 6 . ”

- Anonymous (41)

Food Parcels, hunger, looting

Anonymous’ diaries progressively showed the exacerbation of economic challenges as the lockdown continued, particularly among young people. Only a few days into the lockdown, he shared that people were “being chased out by landlords ‘cause they haven’t paid yet”. On Day 17, he reported that residents had erroneously assumed that he was making a list of residents to receive food parcels. Less than two weeks later, this confusion regarding food parcels resurfaced, attributed to an outdated list of needy residents, and lack of information.

Day 30 25 April, 2020 Nancefield

“As of yesterday, young people were much concern on the way SASSA distribute food parcels. Apparently they were using their data base list that was compiled last year June which is not covering everyone in the state of lockdown. Then they take it to the street to show their frustration. Their demonstration was not for long, and [they] leave it all by themselves. People that are in need were really confused not knowing what they must do to get those parcels as well. Those who got a relief from the individual and some political organization last week got for the second time through the list of SASSA.

People still carry on with their daily life routine. ”

- Anonymous (41)

This sense of restlessness and agitation was an emerging theme across the country as concerns of hunger, food security and poverty worsened by the ongoing lockdown began to override efforts to contain the virus. On Day 19, he shared how a thwarted strike by young people led to a clash between youths, with some people injured and others arrested.

Day 19 14 April 2020 Nancefield

“Life continues as usual. Later on the day, young people from the settlement tried a small strike whereby they closed some of the street claiming that one of the factory baking cakes here at the industrial site is not willing to pay them. Only to find that plan was to escalate to looting of shops, but police and soldiers responded quickly to close the intention down. This Young people then influenced boys to go close down Freeway but before they could get to freeway, they clashed with other young boys that tried to stop them. Suddenly the were exchange of stone throwing and one of the other boys got hurt and is now at ICU while others got arrested. ”

Intermittent police & everyday mundaneness - Anonymous (41)

As with diary submissions from townships, Anonymous sent reports of occasional police and army presence and patrols. These would be brief, but while police presence lingered, residents would return to their homes and remain there. However, once the police left the settlement, things would return to “business as usual”.

Like residents in all other areas, however, the bulk of diaries from Anonymous spoke to the familiar, day-to-day routine. Most of the time was spent with his family, playing with his son, watching TV, reading, or engaging as a local community leader.

Day 5 31 March, 2020 Nancefield

“Later on the day, for the first time people were running to clear themselves from the street and spaza shop owners rushed to close, only to find that we have soldiers and police patrolling for the first time in our settlement. Not for long, they left the area [and] people started to go back to the street. And this time it was like everyone was on the street hoping to see where they went to. ”

Day 5 31 March, 2020 Nancefield - Anonymous (41)

“As we come back to the informal settlement we meet a convoy of police and soldiers driving around Eldorado Park only to find that they were coming from our settlement. Later on the day people continue to do business as usual. ”

- Anonymous (41)

Day 21 16 April, 2020 Nancefield

“I spent lots of my time in the yard and in my shack with my family. Eating has become a bad habit as we normally watch TV until we get tired of watch TV and play outside the (House)with my son sometimes we ride bicycle in the yard around the shack, then other days we play golf in the yard the two of us. There are times when I spend time on the phone chatting or on a conference call meeting which happen mostly on Tuesdays. When my data is finished, I sometimes sleep especially when it is raining or a bit chilly outside. Some other days I will be called outside by my community members that need our services during this time of the lockdown which it become a bit difficult. ”

Anonymous (41) often spent time in his yard, sometimes setting up a makeshift mini-golf challenge with his son. He notes that the liberty of a yard was not shared across the settlement, with some yards being rented out to sub-tenants. As a result, the street was where most children and youth spent time during lockdown. His experience in south Johannesburg offered a small window into life in an informal settlement during lockdown. His observations of the street as a site and conduit of play, social interaction, and business echoed townships, and again brought to the fore the practical constraints of lockdown requirements for social distancing in some areas. Most notable, however, were his observations of increased tensions as the lockdown progressed and people contended with the impact it was having on their pockets, and their ability to put food on the table.