Social Networks and Intraurban Residential Mobility Among Black Africans in Post-Apartheid Cape Town

Sangeeta Parashar, University of Maryland

Apartheid laws in South Africa have resulted in residential segregation by race and class, with migration and social networks emerging as necessary and self-perpetuating survival strategies for many poor households. Using a 1995 household survey of metropolitan Cape Town’s Black population, this study examines how human capital and social networks shape intraurban mobility in Cape Town. Results indicate that homeowners, households with a high percent of employed adults, and household heads involved in semi-skilled or skilled labor plan to move. On the other hand, households contemplating a move were not members of social organizations. Explanations are advanced, and implications and policy issues, particularly in relation to South Africa’s housing policy and social stratification, are discussed.