cities

City’s unemployment rate is about 30% (compared to Johannesburg’s average of 25%) and the
monthly income for most households is less than R12,800. Two-thirds (66%) are formally
employed and a fifth (40%) are informally employed. Other sources of household income
include government grants, such as pensions (25%), family support or remittances (14%) and
rent from a dwelling, flat, or garage (10%).
To assess social cohesion and local governance, residents were asked about how they
interacted with other people and which organisations made the most difference to their
quality of life.
Social cohesion: How would you describe your interaction with other people who live in
Cosmo City?
I don’t interact and don’t really want to
I don’t interact but I do want to
I do interact but want to do more
I do interact as much as I want to – I do
13%
23.8%
20.8%
42.5%
Local governance: Which, if any, of these organisations makes the most difference to your quality
of life in your neighbourhood?
Street committee
Private security
CPF
Self protection groups
None
Block committee
Residents’ association
Other
Church of other religions 0.8%
1.5% 8.5%
8.8%
0.8%
0.8%
19.0% 27.8%32.3%
The results suggest unequivocally that people in Cosmo City feel part of their communities
and that strong bonds have developed at local neighbourhood level. Street committees have
the greatest impact on respondents’ quality of life, while private security has a surprisingly
high relevance, particularly for the more affluent households.
Social cohesion rests on active citizenship, and sharing in public life and in public space, while
research suggests a correlation between perceptions of crime and the growing retreat from
public space. Therefore, safety and reduced crime and violence create the conditions for (and
precede) social cohesion.
150 State of South African Cities Report 2016