Book critical review

“Making freedom”

Making freedom: Apartheid, squatter politics and the struggle for home

Anne-Maria Makhulu 2015

This book was driven by the underlying similarities between that Apartheid and Post-Apartheid South Africa in which black people continued to be criminalised for the circumstances that they are living under, which were the result of forced removal and being robbed of their land. In Making freedom Makhulu reconnoitres some traditions of squatting and illegal settlement that exists on the outskirts of Cape Town during and at the end of the Apartheid in South Africa as an ethnography to expose the struggles and difficulties that black people face in making freedom. Land is believed to allow us to build homes and since colonialism black people were robed off their land, they have been always trying to get pieces of it to build homes and having home was believed and still believed to be fundamental hence making freedom is associated to the struggle of homes. In this book Makhulu underlines laws and regulations that restricted black people from feeling free.

Makhulu pointed the passing of the Native Urban Areas Act, no 21 of 1923 and the stricter controls on the black men’s movement the separation from their families (p.42) and its results in the expansion of Crossroad and other informal settlement across South Africa. The failure of government to recognise black families was a problem that Makhulu could not discuss in this book although I have noticed that it was discovered. This is in the story of Naledi and Stembiso, the couple moved together to Stembiso’s workplace and Naledi experienced difficulties that she was not expected to be with her husband, “Naledi recalled hiding usually under the bed, during the day time, for fear of being apprehended by company staff or police” (p.43). Makhulu has noticed this as it is also expected in a western family to have a “nuclear family” although they didn’t allow black couples to stay together. However, my point is the way and structure of black families. Housing allocation has been a problem that drives people to informal settlements many from the small houses mainly in townships. black families are usually extended families and it is impossible to accommodate everyone in a simple four rooms that even the democratic government provides to black families. This has been exposed when Naledi and Stembiso share their story, “even so the house was crowded, and before long Naledi’s niece and sister had joined the family-the latter staying home to care for the children while Naledi worked” (p.43).

I would like us to look closer to the issue of facilities that the Crossroad offered in attraction of many young people from townships as it is critical. Any government as informal settlement is not ideal it can work for government of people to engage with youth about what they need as Makhulu encountered it “it accommodated young love, satisfied domestic fantasies, and provided for families set free from the strictures of the townships and hostels” (p.45). Makhulu discovered in her ethnography the social construction of marriage that resulted from the apartheid laws and situation of blacks at the time and during the post- apartheid. Many women tended to look for men who are “legally” staying and with descent incomes “if a woman wanted a family life she had to choose her husband from the ‘qualified’ [legal] men” (p.45) and I argue that it was not that black women are not capable to work for themselves but as they were themselves entitled by the government to work in the domestic services. From Makhulu’s ethnography I see the gender construction through the classification of jobs as they were to work in the domestic services and men in the industries “they were allowed to move, albeit restrictively, between the reserves and the urban areas” (44).

Makhulu did not tell about sexualities, but as an anthropologist, I must argue that although same sex was never promoted. I say it because there must be some difficulties if men are in the hostels and not allowed to be visited. During this ethnography, minority sexualities were not a recognised phenomenon in our society hence it is not included. As the research was to see difficulties men face in the absence of their women Makhulu did not ask how they satisfy their sexual needs in the hostels. And at the first place during the ethnography there was no assumption or understanding that some men might be in sexual relationship with other men and the ethnography rather shows the way that sexuality has been understood. This all is an argument that I constructed looking at the story of Lungile, not that he committed a same sex but throughout his story I have figured that there was no, not even a single person who assumed there were men or women who were seeing same sex partners and this shows heterosexuality dominance “as well as accommodation in what were then termed “single-sex hostels” in the black townships” (p.44). Makhulu suggests that as an anthropologist should’ve known of a sex issue but she might have been restricted to mention it in the interviews as it was a taboo in the society. This is revealed by her use of inverted commas for single-sex and she understood that it is problematic and she ran away by even attributing it to the society “in what were then termed”, this together with inverted commas tells that it is not her intention or she doesn’t necessary agree with the term “single-sex” because sex is way different from gender as they assumed.

Informal settlements such as crossroads resulted from the abuse and discrimination of black people by the apartheid government. People escaped from strict rules in the townships to stay in peace in the crossroads. Makhulu named the book “making freedom” because having home and live in peace with your family means freedom. When people escape to make homes in the bush they are making freedom for themselves. “but the point was that you could come to Crossroads to hide from the authorities” (p.6).

The insight was given by a key informant Mr Ndima whose engagement gives the nature of squatter struggle and form of politics in the squatter camps. Gender inequality in this country may be the result of structural violence that was created through pass laws and labour laws mentioned and discussed in this book. Women followed their husbands to the cities and the pressure forced men to look for bushes and making of homes for their families which automatically given men duty to meet and discuss the ways in which the land is managed and this is supported by the fact that one women said, they choose a family life by marrying man who can obtain land and ability to build home. Being said, this alone result into gender equality that exists now which was not fully recognised by the members of the society at the time of ethnography. “and the male elders I had encountered earlier in the day” (p.5).

In this book, I also found that poverty, employment and economic power interfered in the love life and kin relations of people. “if a woman wanted a family life she had to choose her husband from the ‘qualified’ [legal] men” (p.45). if a woman must choose a man who can organise materials and a permission to stay over the man that she loves then love life and marriages are the victims of an apartheid legacy. This is evident to take place even in the rural areas where men who fail to take a quest for job in the industries are discouraged by the entire society “My mother robs me, she takes my money; My father does not like me, he only likes cattle; My brother does not want me, my sister does not care; The day after tomorrow I ride off to Benoni” (P.32). The song “eBenoni” suggests the perceptions and general ideas on what men are required of by their families and the society in the rural areas as that place is known for its reciprocity generous and Ubuntu, “critically, however, homes were also understood as places of reciprocity and care” (p.33). Apartheid destroyed homes,” apartheid proved particularly effective in gnawing away at the foundations of homes” (p.33).

This book also shows an impact that may also be viewed as a legacy of apartheid in the rural areas at which old women dominates in creating warm space for their families.

The impact of apartheid laws to generations and a cycle of poverty in black South Africans. Exploitation of mine workers and other black employees as well as apartheid legislations that restricted black families from educating their children structurally repeated itself and may be the reason for Marikana massacre and Fees Must Fall and Rhodes Must Fall revolutions. Radicalism and praising of the late revolutionist and freedom fighters tells that Young people in South Africa are tired and lost hope in all the reactions that took place recently in making freedom and equality in South Africa. In this book, it is proven when a parent explained the negative of the demolish of their shacks on the children’s education “Our worry is our children’s future. We are not fighting, we are asking. The children write exams in September. If they demolish (shacks) in June, what happens to their education?” (p.39) and the failure of companies to provide educational needs to children of their employees can be blamed as well.

I seek to link the similarities between the challenges we have today such as protests in higher education institutions, labour strikes and social unrest that point to the issue of land distribution that was not fully addressed even after we have gained democracy (p.10), because we have learned about the massacres similar to Marikana and organisations similar to Opposition to Urban Tolling Association and protest similar to Fees Must Fall that have been mentioned in this book as well as the effectiveness of contribution of squatter settlers in the political organisations despite stigmatisation (p.38). I would like to recognise that the stigma against squatters hinders the social cohesion and equality and result into social unrest in South Africa.    

       

  

  

Bibliography

Makhulu, A.M., 2015. Making freedom: Apartheid, squatter politics, and the struggle for home: Duke University Press.