INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

majority. Marc claimed that Johannesburg, with its history as a gold mining town, had
always been a city that attracted migrants from all around the region.
Townships and Early Experiences
Although the geography of the children’s places of origin reflected great diversity,
the settings in which they were born and initially raised had much in common. While a
few of the children may have lived for some time in urban settings like Hillbrow, the
majority of them happened to come from townships. At the time a child is introduced to
5Cees, he or she might not have known any other way of life except for what was
experienced and observed on a daily basis inside these areas. It is therefore important to
review the social dynamics of the townships also discussed in Chapter 2, to see how
initial experiences at 5Cees serve as an abrupt transition to a child’s life.
Townships, as they are most commonly known, are also sometimes referred to as
squatter camps or informal settlements. During the apartheid era, these were the districts
that were formally designated for occupation by the country’s black population. After the
end of apartheid, townships remain predominantly black and continue to reflect the
country’s racial divisions in economic standing and social dynamics. These areas are
often densely populated and severely underdeveloped. In many cases, these districts often
lack sufficient infrastructure including sewage, water, and electricity, despite being
adjacent to shopping malls, suburbs, and other developed areas.
Because of the historic and systematic underdevelopment of these areas, they breed
many of the conditions associated with high OVC rates. All of Pastor Mike’s
recollections of how children were placed at 5Cees seemed to be set in nearby townships.
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