Report on phase 1 of the Langa turning 100: looking back and forward through the lens of social, economic and political history project: technical report

This Report deals with the first phase of the Langa Turning 100: Looking back and Forward through the lens of Social, Economic and Political History project that wasfunded by the HSRC. The report is divided into two sections, each with their own subs-sections. Section One, the Introduction, includes the rationale for the study, objectives and methodology. Section Two deals with the Project Implementation. The Appendices include a preliminary literary review, a review of available archival material, five transcripts of interviews conducted with residents of Langa to illustrate the data gathered in the study and a report on stakeholder mapping exercise. Townships in South Africa are often perceived in a negative light, stereotyped as crime hot spots, dangerous and sometimes zoned as 'no-go-areas'. Created under apartheid legislation, townships were designated to be occupied by the non-white community, in isolation from the broader economy but serving as labour reservoirs for this economy. This historical experience has left these communities battling with high levels of poverty and unemployment.