More than just a piece of land: Power dynamics in the land discourse within the City of Tshwane

Abstract

Land ownership in South Africa is a thorny issue. The magnitude of this challenge is so huge that we are like a country sitting on a time bomb which is already ticking and ready to explode. Whilst it remains a dream of every South African to own a piece of land, the government has been slow to deliver to its promise. This article seeks to explore the issue of land and dispossession from the perspectives of those in the margins, the homeless in the City of Tshwane. This is done by allowing them space to read and reflect on 1 Kings 21:1-16 and apply it in their context of landlessness. Emerging voices of ordinary readers of the text, as represented by the homeless in the City of Tshwane, suggest that land ownership is more than just a commercial issue; it involves such issues as culture, politics and religion, amongst others. Power dynamics are at play, especially with regard to the right to the City. There is also an issue of attachment, especially when issues of ancestry and birthrights are raised.

Cultivating the “good city”: The theological engagement of the Institute for Urban Ministry within the City of Tshwane

“…The knowledges and hermeneutics of the urban poor surface in Mangayi's participatory research (Mangayi, 2014;Mangayi & Ngcobo, 2015;Mangayi, 2017). The theological reflection from lived experience and Biblical study in community uncover several characteristics of the good city.…”

Faith communities, social exclusion, homelessness and disability: Transforming the margins in the City of Tshwane

“…Few scholars have reflected on this matter, especially in the City of Tshwane where there is a serious lack of literature in this field. Swart (2008) focused on the issue of social exclusion from a religious perspective, De Beer (2012) and Mashau (2014) added the issue of homelessness and land to the discourse. Whilst all three make a call for a church's involvement in a transformative way, they do not explicitly pay special attention to the issue of homeless persons with disability and their exclusion by the church; a matter which this article addresses in the light of Acts 3:1-10, a passage that deals with the crippled beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful.…”

Seek the shalom of the city

“…International migration is not only increasing rapidly (Castles 2000:273), but also wreaking havoc in the global arena socially, economically, politically and religiously. It brings with it challenges such as spatial and economic contestations (De Beer 2008:183-184), and social exclusion and marginalisation, among others (see Mangayi 2014;cf. Mashau and Mangoedi 2015:2).…”