ABSTRACT
The previous chapter explored the institutional and geographic respatialization of Cape Town, looking at the deracialization and decentralization of local government. From this discussion we saw that local government in Cape Town (and throughout South Africa) is much more transparent, democratic and rational than it was under apartheid, with the potential to redistribute resources and wealth more equitably. However, the actual process of local government reform in Cape Town was such that wealthy ratepayer associations and local capital controlled much of the decision making and in doing so constructed physical and institutional boundaries that severely restricted the ability of the local state to implement the kind of redistributional agenda that had been originally envisioned by progressive elements of the ANC and other democratic movement organizations.
