Despite the structural contraints, South Africa's youth hold the key to rebuilding our cities

IN KHAYELITSHA, a youth-led redesign of a major transport hub in 2024 reduced commuting times by 15% for more than 5 000 residents, according to the African Centre for Cities’ Future Streets report.

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The project created 200 jobs and showed how practical interventions led by young people can reshape urban spaces for efficiency and inclusion. Although modest in scale, it offered insights that speak directly to South Africas most pressing development priorities.

The structural constraints facing South Africa's cities are deeply rooted in history. The 1950 Group Areas Act institutionalised a spatial framework that placed the majority of citizens in townships and rural areas distant from economic centres.

Today, more than 80% of South Africans still live far from where jobs and services are concentrated. The economic effects remain evident: in townships such as Soweto, unemployment is above 40% while in core urban areas it is under 7%.

The World Bank’s 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief records that Gauteng’s per capita income is nearly double that of Limpopo, illustrating how geography continues to shape economic outcomes. Added to this legacy are increasing climate pressures. National Treasury has projected a 65-billion cubic metre water shortfall by 2030, and PwC estimates that flood-related losses already exceed R10 billion annually.

Despite these constraints, young South Africans are demonstrating new approaches. In Cape Town, digital mapping of informal settlements has improved water access for 10 000 residents.

In smaller towns such as Makhanda, youth groups have also played a role in supporting local trading spaces and community renewal, showing that innovation is not limited to South Africa's largest cities. These experiences align with international precedents.