5.4 Results
5.4.2 System Justification
Respondents rationalised their position in society by accommodating the status quo, engaging in legitimising what exists and validating current circumstances in terms of resource discrepancies and the high walls of their neighbours etc. Some expressed a wish to live ‘there’
(in a gated community) if they could afford it. They are aware of the ‘hard work’ and resources required to obtain and maintain that kind of lifestyle. They would love to live like that if they
‘deserved it’. Some expressed unhappiness at comparative living standards - there as opposed to here (Embo) but were not envious of the actual houses per se. None of the respondents flagged ‘design’ as being an important issue in their lives and did not express a value for
‘architecturally designed units’ which are highly prized among residents in estates (as opposed to specified houses).
It is private land, it is their home, they have money that we do not have, and because they are rich they can do anything with their money....That’s why they have their walls
It doesn’t matter, I don’t care, it is private land they can do what they want I am not crying, look I have built here (in Embo)
98 It is simple, they have money and we don’t
And because we are not rich and we are not educated, so black people were squashed together People who live there are people who have money, we do not have money, and we are so poor I wouldn’t mind living there if I had enough money to live there and if I deserved to live there The developments are not bad because it has brought employment for some people of Embo The whites are different, they do things differently, they visit differently, and they go away (on holiday)
Respondents expressed horror at the way people have to live in a gated community. They validated why their way of life is better, and why it is ok for ‘them’ (people in estates) to live like that but certainly not for people living in Embo. The fact that you have to check yourself in and out (through the entrance) by choice was beyond comprehension to some of the older respondents. Reference was made to the ‘dompas’ system during apartheid when black people were forced to carry identification at all times and were submitted to curfews. This system of gated living seem very reminiscent of this system to one of the respondents and he found it abhorrent, another purposefully compared Cotswold to a jail. There was significant consensus among residents regarding these comments. Conceptually and in reality that ‘type of living’
seemed to signify a loss of freedom and peace of mind.
They don’t have freedom there
People go and hide in there, you can’t go in without a car, and you need a pass to go in! No no I don’t like it, you need passes to go in. It is like a jail, it is like a jail, it is like a jail.
At Cotswolds and Le Domaine to go to (out) to town you have to check yourself out through the main gate and security. You can’t just go out; you are captured by the security. You have to check out of the main gate. It is like the ‘dompas’ (pass book) during apartheid, when they had pass laws
I don’t know anyone who lives there and it is not easy to visit anyone there because they have so many rules
We have peace of mind; we are safe they are not I don’t want to live like them
99 One respondent said with such incredulity -
You can’t just walk through the gates; you have to take a car to get there
Respondents were very clear on the reasons why people live in gated estates; they recognise and understand the rationale behind such a choice. They validate the legitimacy of gated estates acknowledge that ‘those people’ want to protect themselves from crime, because they are afraid. They also recognise that the walls are there to keep people out.
It is the way they protect themselves that’s why they have those walls
They put those big walls because they have to protect their families from crime They are building those walls to stop the crime and protect themselves
They have built the big wall to keep the skebengus (bad people) out, so they can’t get inside (The place) it has changed, they have tidied up the place), they have put the electric fence to make it secure
It is nice for them, but not for me. I don’t know anyone who stays there and I don’t care People go there to work
One respondent felt that it was a way to stop criminals from coming in as well as the people from Embo, and more specifically black people. There was agreement among some of the respondents to this comment. Conceptually this seemed to intimate a link between black people from Embo and the issue of crime.
White people built the big walls to protect themselves from crime and from the people from Embo and they are stopping black people from coming in
(ii) Acceptance and Adaptation
There was acceptance of the status quo and adaptation to current circumstances by many of the respondents, although there was some anger and disappointment at their living conditions and lack of service delivery. Overall most respondents indicated that despite living on the doorstep of an upmarket community they are happy where they are in Embo. Respondents’
100 expression satisfaction with the fact that they have some service delivery, they have food and they have access to transport. They indicated that they don’t even notice how ‘they’ (their wealthy neighbours) live and they don’t have a problem with circumstances as they are. They have adapted to their situation, accept that they have wealthy neighbours and accept life in Embo because ‘this is just the way things are’.
We don’t have a problem with it. We like their buildings but we don’t like to live there.
I don’t even notice (how they are living)
No I don’t envy them. It doesn’t worry me (how they live)
It doesn’t matter (that they live there); I don’t have a problem with it I have made my own place here and I am happy here
We are well here; it is a good place to stay
It is a good area to live because we have water, electricity and sanitation They brought electricity and lights and a road, they bring food in
Yes people of Embo some are educated and it is a safe place to stay
Embo fifteen years ago was very poor, there were not many houses, there were no tar roads, and public transport was very bad. It is better now
It is better because the municipality has opened the feeding scheme for us. The children are not going hungry anymore
It’s ok, we live well here
There’s nothing that we don’t have
Some respondents articulated a longing for the houses in Cotswold, but expressed a desire to have those houses in Embo. They like the structures but not the place as there is any freedom in a gated community, but there is a lack of restrictions in Embo. Living in Embo is ‘better’
because the lifestyle ‘matches’ the resources they have (which is limited), and if a person is unemployed s/he would receive assistance in Embo (but not in a gated community). Living in a gated community requires resources.
101 We like the buildings (at Cotswold), but we would like them here (in Embo)
We have freedom
But if you are living there and you don’t have work you won’t be supported (helped). You can’t live there without money
I am not happy but there is nothing I can do about it because I don’t have money. I have accepted it
There was a positive ‘spin’ to some of the respondents’ responses as they pointed to potential employment opportunities in gated communities. Work was seen as important to more of the younger respondents. Work brings resources and makes life ‘easier’. Additionally gated communities are perceived as limited in terms of space and hinder independence.
As long as you have work, life is easy I can afford to be here (Embo)
It seems like it is unfair. Some disadvantaged people look at this and think it might be unfair – but other people see it as a good thing because it ‘produces work’
The people go there by foot or by vehicle and they get work there.
The young people go and work there
We are just surviving, we are not worrying (paying attention to) about what we don’t have.
I don’t have a problem (with them) because I can’t afford to be there. They haven’t got any space, here I have space