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Environmental Health Problems in Hout Bay: The Challenge of Generalising Trust in South Africa*

2005; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 31; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03057070500109540

1465-3893

Jan Froestad,

Abstract There is a fundamental need in post-apartheid South Africa to build new relations of trust between previously segmented communities, within both state and society and along the vertical axis of state–society interaction. Drawing on observations from the health sector, particularly in relation to environmental health problems in Hout Bay, the article argues that processes of marginalisation and segmentation, domination and patronage continue to undermine cross-community trust, and that neither ‘republican top-down institution building’ nor ‘civic bottom-up’ approaches to relations of trust are as yet in evidence. Notes Thanks to the many interview informants who so generously shared their experiences and knowledge with me, especially the residents of Imizamo Yethu. I am greatly indebted to Renate Cochrane and Lauren Robins for their kind assistance throughout the project as well as to the colleagues and PhD students participating in the ‘Administration of Trust Relations between State and Society in South Africa: Democratisation and Professionalisation within Agriculture, Education/Science and Health’ project, jointly organised by the School of Government at UWC and the Department of Administration and Organisation Theory, University of Bergen, and financed by the Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Program for Development Research and Education (NUFU). Thanks also to Jim Cochrane of UCT for his insightful comments on an earlier draft of this article. Finally, my gratitude goes to the referees for their advice, critiques and encouragement, as well as to the JSAS editors for a number of refinements to the language. 1 South Peninsula Administration, Environmental Health, Noordhoek Division, Letter to other municipal departments, 6 March 2001. 2 C. Offe, ‘How Can We Trust Our Fellow Citizens?’, in M.E. Warren (ed.), Democracy and Trust (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 69. 3 H. Lasswell and A. Kaplan, Power and Society (London, Yale University Press, 1950). 4 R. Hirschman, ‘Against Parsimony: Three Easy Ways of Complicating Some Categories of Economic Discourse’, American Economic Review, 74, 2 (1984), pp. 89–96. 5 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, p. 65. 6 B. Rothstein and D. Stolle, ‘How Political Institutions Create and Destroy Social Capital: An Institutional Theory of Trust’ (unpublished paper presented at Collegium Budapest, Project on Honesty and Trust: Theory and Experience in the Light of Post-Socialist Experience, Workshop 2: Formal and Informal Co-operation, 22–23 November 2002), p. 2. 7 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, pp. 79–80. 8 R.D. Putnam, Making Democracy Work. Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1993). 9 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, pp. 73–5. 10 Rothstein and Stolle, ‘How Political Institutions Create and Destroy Social Capital’, pp. 12–13, 18. 11 S. Rokkan, ‘Geography, Religion, and Social Class: Crosscutting Cleavages in Norwegian Politics’, in S. Rokkan (ed.), Party Systems and Voter Alignments (New York, Free Press, 1967); S. Rokkan, ‘Dimensions of State Formation and Nation Building: A Possible Paradigm for Research on Variations in Europe’, in C. Tilly (ed.), The Formation of National States in Europe (New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1975). 12 N. Bobbio, ‘Public and Private: The Great Dichotomy’, in N. Bobbio (ed.), Democracy and Dictatorship (Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1989). 13 J.A. Seip, ‘Modellenes tyranni’, Studier i Historisk Metode, 10 (1975). 14 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, p. 54. 15 P. Bachrach and M.S. Baratz, ‘Decisions and Nondecisions: An Analytical Framework’, American Political Science Review, 57 (1963), pp. 632–42. 16 P. Bachrach and M.S. Baratz, ‘Decisions and Nondecisions: An Analytical Framework’, American Political Science Review, 57 (1963), pp. 632–42. 17 J.F. Medard, ‘The Underdeveloped State in Tropical Africa: Political Clientelism or Neo-Patrimonialism?’, in C. Clapham (ed.), Private Patronage and Public Power (London, Frances Pinter, 1982). 18 Rothstein and Stolle, ‘How Political Institutions Create and Destroy Social Capital’, pp. 17–18. 19 Putnam, Making Democracy Work, pp. 143–7. 20 P. Sztompka, ‘Trust and Emerging Democracy’, International Sociology, 11, 1 (1996), p. 45. 21 G. Therborn, ‘Pillarization and Popular Movements. Two Variants of Welfare State Capitalism: the Netherlands and Sweden’, in F.G. Castles (ed.), The Comparative History of Public Policy (Oxford, Polity Press, 1989), p. 202. 22 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, pp. 54–5. 23 C. Dancaster, ‘The Hout Bay Harbour Community. An Environmental Analysis’ (University of Cape Town [UCT], Department of Sociology, 307F, 1993), C. Greene, ‘The Origins and Developments of Informal Settlements in the Hout Bay Area 1940–1986’ (BA Honours thesis, Economic History, UCT, 1991); H. Navid, ‘A Sociographical Survey of a South African Fishing Village’ (MA thesis, UCT, 1944); J. Schrire, ‘Some Preliminary Notes on the Fishing Industry in Hout Bay: Past and Present (African History II Paper, UCT, 1978); L. van Sittert, ‘“Begrei in die Anbag” – Farmers, Fish and Fishermen in the Hout Bay Valley c.1880–1956’ (BA Honours thesis, History Department, UCT, 1985). 24 Greene, ‘The Origins and Development of Informal Settlements’. 25 C. Murray and C. O'Regan (eds), No Place to Rest: Forced Removals and the Law in South Africa (Cape Town, Oxford University Press, 1990). 26 Interview with police officers, Hout Bay Police Station, April 2001. 27 South Peninsula Administration, Environmental Health Department, Noordhoek division, Letter to other municipal departments, 6 March 2001. 28 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, p. 69. 29 Hout Bay Community Health Forum (hereafter CHF), Annual General Meeting [AGM] Report, 20 November 2001. 30 Interview of second elected Chair of the Hout Bay CHF, February 2001. 31 Hout Bay CHF, AGM report, 20 September 2001. 32 Navid, ‘A Sociographic Survey’, p. 2. 33 R. Lees, Fishing for Fortunes (Cape Town, publisher not given, 1969), quoted in van Sittert ‘Begrei in die Anbag’, p. 128. 34 Van Sittert, ‘Begrei in die Anbag’. 35 Interview, April 2001. 36 Interview with officer in the Engineering Department, SPM, April 2001. 37 Offe, ‘How Can We Trust?’, p. 85. 38 Interview with officer at the Roads Department, SPM, March 2001. 39 Interview with member of the ANC committee, Imizamu Yethu, March 2001. 40 Interview with resident in Imizamo Yethu, March 2001. 41 Interview, April 2001. 42 Interview with resident of Imizamu Yethu, March 2001. 43 J. Tarkowski, ‘Patrons and Clients in a Planned Economy’ (unpublished paper presented at the Fifth Round Table of the IPSA Research Committee on the Comparative Study of Local Government and Politics, Kalisz, Poland, 28 May–3 June 1979). 44 African National Congress, Reconstruction and Development Programme (Pretoria, Government Printer, 1995); Department of Health, A Policy for the Development of a District Health System for South Africa (Pretoria, Government Printer, 1995); Department of Health, Towards a National Health System (Draft Document, Pretoria, 1995); Department of Health, Restructuring the National Health System for Universal Primary Health Care (Pretoria, Government Printer, 1996); Department of Health, Health Sector Strategic Framework 1999–2004 (Pretoria, Government Printer, 1999). 45 The Province of Western Cape, Department of Health, ‘Provincial Health Plan of the Western Cape’ (August 1995), p. 27. 46 Minutes of the Southern District Health Forum (South Peninsula District Health Forum, 27 July 1996). 47 E. Levendal, A Study to Explore Perceptions of the Current and Future Role of Community Health Committees and the Consequences of the Role for Capacity Development Programmes for Community Health Committee Members in the Cape Metropolitan Health Region of the Western Cape Province (The Public Health Programme, University of the Western Cape, 1999). 48 Hout Bay CHF, AGM Report, 20 November 2001, p. 2. 49 Levendal, A Study to Explore Perceptions of the Current and Future Role of Community Health Committees, p. 48. 50 SPM, ‘Challenges Facing the South Peninsula Municipality’ (paper by André Olliver, Director of Strategic Support Services, October 1998). 51 SPM, Proceedings of the First Integrated Development Framework Workshop held at Worcester 30th October 1998 to 1st November 1998; SPM, Public Participation in Local Government in the South Peninsula Municipal Area 1998–1999 (compiled by Jane Hudson, 1999). 52 ‘Preliminary Report on the Public Participation Process as Implemented by the South Peninsula Municipality’ (Foundation for Contemporary Research, March 1999), p. 1. 53 ‘Preliminary Report on the Public Participation Process as Implemented by the South Peninsula Municipality’ (Foundation for Contemporary Research, March 1999), p. 2. 54 SPM database of civic organisations affiliated with the South Peninsula Public Participation Forum. 55 Interview with the first Chair of the Hout Bay CHF, March 2001. 56 Levendal, A Study to Explore, p. 49. 57 Cape Argus, 1960, quoted in Greene, ‘The Origins and Development of Informal Settlements’, p. 9. 58 Greene, ‘The Origins and Development of Informal Settlements’. 59 Cape Argus, 13 March 1996. 60 Interview with the first chair of the Hout Bay CHF, March 2001. 61 60 Interview with the first chair of the Hout Bay CHF, March 2001. 62 Interview with Elise Levendal, March 2001. 63 Interview with Elise Levendal, March 2001. 64 C. de Beer, The South African Disease. Apartheid Health and Health Services (Yeoville, SARS, 1984); H.C.J. van Rensburg, ‘South African Health Care in Change’, South African Journal of Sociology, 22, 1 (1991), pp. 1–10; H.C.J. van Rensburg, A. Fourie and E. Pretorius, Health Care in South Africa. Structure and Dynamics (Pretoria, Academia, 1992). 65 Interview with senior officer, Engineering Department, SPM, April 2001. 66 Interview with senior environmental health officer at the Noordhoek Division, South Peninsula Administration, March 2001. 67 Interview with division head, Community Development, SPM, March 2001. 68 Interview with senior officer, Environmental Health division, SPM, April 2001. 69 Interview with environmental health officer, SPM, April 2001. 70 Interview with manager, Health Support Services division, SPM, March 2001. 71 Interview with environmental health officer, SPM, April 2001. 72 Hout Bay CHF, Report to 2001 AGM. 73 S.J. Terreblanche, ‘The Ideological Journey of South Africa: From the RDP to the GEAR Macro-Economic Plan’, in Religion in Public Life. Multi-Event 1999 Conference Proceedings, Cape Town February 12–21, Transforming Public Life: Religion in the Making of Public Policy & Cultural Values (Cape Town, 2000). 74 F. Cheru, ‘Africa and the New World Order: Rethinking Development Planning in the Age of Globalization’, in A. Adedeji (ed.), South Africa and Africa – Within or Apart? (London, Zed Press, 1996). 75 R. Hardin, One for All: The Logic of Group Conflict (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1995). 76 Rothstein and Stolle, ‘How Political Institutions Create and Destroy Social Capital’, pp. 12–13. 77 P. Baldwin, The Politics of Social Solidarity: Class Basis of the European Welfare State, 1875–1975 (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1990). 78 Theoria (May 1992). 79 M. Levi, ‘A State of Trust’, in V. Braithwaite and M. Levi (eds.), Trust and Governance (New York, Russell Sage, 1998). 80 M. Moerings, ‘Protest in the Netherlands: Developments in a Pillarised Society’, Contemporary Crisis, 7 (1983), pp. 95–112. 81 Therborn, ‘Pillarization and Popular Movements’. 82 Therborn, ‘Pillarization and Popular Movements’. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJan Froestad Thanks to the many interview informants who so generously shared their experiences and knowledge with me, especially the residents of Imizamo Yethu. I am greatly indebted to Renate Cochrane and Lauren Robins for their kind assistance throughout the project as well as to the colleagues and PhD students participating in the ‘Administration of Trust Relations between State and Society in South Africa: Democratisation and Professionalisation within Agriculture, Education/Science and Health’ project, jointly organised by the School of Government at UWC and the Department of Administration and Organisation Theory, University of Bergen, and financed by the Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Program for Development Research and Education (NUFU). Thanks also to Jim Cochrane of UCT for his insightful comments on an earlier draft of this article. Finally, my gratitude goes to the referees for their advice, critiques and encouragement, as well as to the JSAS editors for a number of refinements to the language.