Imagined Entrepreneurs in Neoliberal South Africa: Informality and Spatial Justice in Post-Apartheid Cities

Abstract

Despite a comparatively stable political situation and economic growth, South Africa has faced a number of challenges that have polarized society since democratization in early 1990s. Although one cannot ignore South Africa’s history of Apartheid and its negative legacy, wealth and resources have not been distributed appropriately, due to the neoliberalism of South Africa. In neoliberal projects, people are required to become entrepreneurs, who take responsibility for their own welfare. Although the government has promoted entrepreneurship and self-help, this strategy entails many difficulties when you consider the reality of South African society. Indeed, I assume economic activities are one of the most affected groups in this situation. Although the size of the informal economy of South Africa is comparatively small, recent growth in the informal economy has been remarkable in the form of traders as well as informal workers within the formal sector. However, people working in informal conditions are often eliminated from the new urban spaces that are being shaped in commercially-oriented forms. This paper concludes that by seeking “the right to the city” (David Harvey) and “spatial justice” (Edward W. Soja), there can be some hope for people who currently struggle to acquire living spaces in South Africa.