Democracy Deferred: Working-Class Women, and Transport Injustice in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

There have been various reflections on the state of democracy and socio-economic rights since the end of formal apartheid in 1994, which was thirty years ago. This article focuses on KwaZulu-Natal and is based on in-depth interviews with women. The article aims to address the lack of understanding of the challenges faced by working-class women, who were expected to benefit the most from democracy, in South Africa. The findings reveal that the women interviewed in the article have to take care of their families and households by looking after children, partners, and other household members. Accessing and using transportation is an additional burden for these women as they face violence and sexual abuse when using different modes of transport. To add insult to injury, all modes of transport are expensive and inaccessible in the context where the women earn low wages. The findings imply that the South African and KZN governments need to address the transportation problem to alleviate the social and economic burden on the women interviewed for this research.