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Episode details

World Service,24 Oct 2023,26 mins

Africa's urban future: South Africa

The Documentary

Available for over a year

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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