South Africa is an example of a relatively successful political
transition. Nevertheless, the first democratic elections in 1994 did not
change the systemic and structural inequalities, the socioeconomic
legacies of discrimination or the alienation of the different population
groups. At the centre of this study is the transformation potential of
two formerly white neighbourhoods in Johannesburg - Norwood and Orange
Grove. Both neighbourhoods have experienced considerable demographic
changes and the various population groups differ in terms of their
expectations and their willingness to adjust to the changes provoked by
the transition. At the local level, patterns of discrimination and
oppression continue. Spaces, opportunities and leverage of social
networks engaged in the community are influenced by the resources people
are able to access. Moreover, cooperation is contested in a context of
pervasive inequality because there is no incentive for privileged groups
to change arrangements that benefit them. In this context of conflicting
interests and unequal access to power and resources, decentralisation
and the promotion of participatory structures in local communities are a
problem and the reliance on local networks as agents of development is
questionable.