Township economies in the GCR

The provincial government and municipal governments in Gauteng are pursuing policies with the intent to ‘modernise’, ‘formalise’ and ‘re-industrialise’ township economies in the province. Yet, it is not always clear how these terms are understood and the implications of government interventions on township economic development. The first part of the project investigated the uses, understandings and key debates of the term "township economies" in the context of the GCR, which culminated in an Occasional Paper. The second part of the project aims to investigate the translation of township economies policies on the ground and the effects of interventions.

The project produced several significant research and knowledge dissemination outputs. In July 2024, a Map of the Month was developed to spatially represent unemployment patterns across Gauteng, providing a visual tool for understanding the geography of unemployment. The project also resulted in the publication of an Occasional Paper titled “The Uses, Meanings and Debates of the Term ‘Township Economies’ in the Gauteng Context” in September 2024, contributing to ongoing academic and policy discussions on township economies. In addition, project findings and insights were shared through presentations delivered at a range of academic, policy, and stakeholder engagement platforms throughout the duration of the project, helping to broaden the reach and impact of the research.

Outputs

Occasional Paper

Modiba, M. (2024) ‘Township economies’: Uses, meanings and key debates in the Gauteng context. GCRO Occasional Paper #22. https://doi.org/10.36634/DQBN1239.

Map of the month

Modiba, M., Ndlovu, T., Musiyandaka, D., Khanyile, S. and Semu, T. (2024). Unemployment in Gauteng. Map of the Month. Gauteng City-Region Observatory. July 2024. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36634/AJFY1899.

Matjomane, M., Cheruiyot, K., Katumba, S. (2018) ‘Mapping unemployment’. GCRO Map of the Month. 31 August http://www.gcro.ac.za/outputs/map-of-the-month/detail/mapping-unemployment/

Presentations

Mamokete Modiba (November 2025). ‘Conceptualising townships’, Township Procurement Workshop, Wits Club, 11 November 2025.

Mamokete Modiba (February 2025). 'Township Economies: Uses, Meanings and Key Debates in the Gauteng Context', Public Procurement Workshop, Wits Club, 18 February 2025.

Mamokete Modiba (October 2024). 'Township economies: Uses, meanings and key debates in the Gauteng context', Faces of the City Seminar, Zoom online. 8 October 2024.

Mamokete Modiba (October 2024). 'Township economic development interventions: Opportunities & challenges', Democratic Alliance Township Economy Roundtable, Disoufeng Pub and Restaurant, Meadowlands, Soweto, 7 October 2024.

Mamokete Modiba (September 2024). 'Township economies': Uses, meanings and key debates in the Gauteng context, Presentation to the Strategy and Corporate Planning Department, City of Ekurhuleni. Microsoft Teams, 26 September 2024.

Mamokete Modiba (2024). 'Informal Cities & the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Cities of the Global South', University of KwaZulu Natal e-PPMOSA International Research Summer School, Online, 7 July 2024.

Mamokete Modiba (December 2023) ‘GCR Townships in the context of the economic crisis', Public Sector Economists Forum, Microsoft Teams, 7 December 2023.

Mamokete Modiba (August 2020) ‘Interrogating the concept of “township economies” in the Gauteng context’, Southern African City Studies Conference, Online, 31 August 2020.

Mamokete Modiba (July 2020) ‘Interrogating the concept of “township economies” in the Gauteng context’, GCRO Internal Review Workshop, 1 July 2020.

Mamokete Modiba (December 2018) ‘Township Economies in the GCR’, City of Ekurhuleni Strategy and Corporate Planning Department Strategic Planning Session, Kempton Park. 12 December 2018.

Media

Mamokete Matjomane was cited in an article on News24 (5 October 2020) on restriction of foreign nationals by the Gauteng Township Economy Development Bill to participate in designated sectors in the township spaces. Available: https://www.news24.com/news24/giftedarticle/OUUPRCmYpfjdK9tj0nqz.

Mamokete Matjomane was cited on Bloomberg (27 November 2020) on Lockdowns in South Africa Freed Township Entrepreneurs to Thrive - Bloomberg.

Mamokete Matjomane was interviewed on the Open News (Channel 120 on Open View) to comment on the Gauteng Township Economy Development Bill banning foreign nationals from opening business in townships on 6 October 2020.

Last updated: 03 June 2026.