Lefebvrian analysis of livestock keeping in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa

Abstract

Public nuisance caused by livestock has resulted in many local governments having a designated area to keep them, called commonages. In Makhanda, livestock owners often do not effectively utilize commonages; they let animals wander in the streets and keep them in the backyards, which is against municipal regulations. This study uses Lefebvre's production of the space-spatial triad, which provides a holistic understanding of why bylaws are circumvented in Fingo Village. The focus is on the dialectic process in the spatial triad between representational space and representations of space to understand spatial patterns. Purposive sampling methods were used to select ten household plots in Fingo Village. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The study's findings reveal that bylaws are circumvented because there are spatial contradictions between the conceived land use designations of the Makana Municipality and the lived experiences of the users/inhabitants. Three issues were noted: conceived ideas were not inline with cultural beliefs about livestock keeping in backyard kraal; commonage geographic location was not ideal as it's not visible to residential areas so users can see them while grazing, which increased chances of livestock theft; and Makana Municipality not effectively enforcing regulations and administering commonages.