Southern African Cities at a Glance—An Introduction

Abstract

There is no one description that categorically explains the socio-economic and spatial attributes of Southern African cities. This stems from the fact that Southern African cities are a mixed bag of diverse and dynamic forces that contributed immensely to their formation. These forces which range from social, economic, political and spatial forces have evolved over time and in the process, formed defined features of modern-day cities. It would be a misnomer to skip the reality that the colonial-apartheid epochs were indeed influential in the formation and sustenance of structural systems which have defied time and still maintain a lasting memory of yester-year. While the blue-prints of the Germans, British and Portuguese are still visible in countries like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, it is the exclusive nature of these cities that still stand defiantly despite multiple intervention by various governments to eradicate them. In South Africa, the apartheid system’s impact and its recurring impact of spatial inequality still evoke memories of negativity. It is from this perspective that this chapter intends to provide an overview of these African cities in order to illustrate how spatial inequality especially the creation of the “European city” (as O’Connor classifies them) greatly contributed to exclusivity in cities of southern Africa.