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The Documentary: Africa's urban future: South Africa

Africa’s Urban Future: South Africa

24/10/2023 GMT

Africa's urban future: South Africa

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Africa's urban future: South Africa

The opportunities and challenges of Africa's rapid urbanisation

Mike Wooldridge, who reported from South Africa as apartheid collapsed and Nelson Mandela was released, joins forces with South African journalist Milton Nkosi to see whether the high hopes of that watershed political period have been fulfilled. Thirty years on, have living conditions for all in one of Africa’s most urbanised nations improved?

Apartheid may now be long buried politically but in and around South Africa’s main cities it has left a visible legacy. Those entrenched historical problems could be about to get worse as cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town continue to grow rapidly, as a result of both migration and the natural population growth. Persistent power cuts and creaking infrastructure are major challenges to the ever-quickening pace of urbanisation. 

Can an ambitious new plan for Stellenbosch, the place where apartheid was reportedly conceived, help to break down the post-apartheid legacy of urban planning?

Presenter: Mike Wooldridge and Milton Nkosi
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans Productions series for BBC World Service

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