The Perceived Value of the “More Than” Process for Social Cohesion: A Case Study from Touws River, Western Cape, South Africa

Touws River, a once prosperous town for the rail line between Cape Town and Johannesburg that ran through it, suffered financial and social decline after the railway closed in the 1980s. The MoreThan#MeerAs project, a project aimed at facilitating social cohesion, was started in the town in 2021. The MoreThan#MeerAs NGO reframes perceptions by encouraging connection and creativity through inclusion. The aim of this paper is to describe the reflections of participants in this community development project on the history of the town and hopes for its future. The study was qualitative, adopting a phenomenological design, the sample made up of 23 participants. Semi-structured focus group discussions provided data. The participants, all members of the community, reported struggling with poor service delivery and a lack of jobs. Despite these challenges, they did express hope, longed for community and wanted to make a difference. The MoreThan#MeerAs project gave the participants courage to challenge their circumstances. The findings suggest substantial financial, social and structural investment is needed to secure a future for Touws River and similar towns. For this to happen, multiple stakeholders need to be involved.