Johannes Bhanye

Johannes Bhanye
University of Cape Town | UCT · African Climate & Development Initiative

Doctor of Philosophy
Southern Urbanism, Migration, Climate Change, Participatory and Ethnographic Research

About

63
Publications
15,878
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Introduction
Dr Johannes Bhanye is an Urban Planner and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences, an M.Sc. in Social Ecology, and a B.Sc. in Urban and Regional Planning both from the University of Zimbabwe. He is a former Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) at the University of Zimbabwe.
Education
January 2018 - December 2021
University of Zimbabwe
Field of study
  • Migration and Land Settlement
September 2014 - December 2015
University of Zimbabwe
Field of study
  • Social Sciences
August 2010 - September 2014
University of Zimbabwe
Field of study
  • Urban Planning

Publications

Publications (63)
Chapter
In recent years, governments worldwide have been exploring ways to enhance their interactions with citizens, improve public participation, increase transparency, and ensure accountability in delivering public services. Civic tech, encompassing various digital tools and platforms, has emerged as a transformative force in facilitating government–citi...
Chapter
This chapter explores the impact of civic tech innovation on public service delivery within the framework of digital democracy. It does so by investigating how digital tools and platforms enable citizens to engage in civic participation, contribute to policy-making processes, and hold governments accountable. The research synthesises existing liter...
Article
Full-text available
This paper critically examines how urban planning influences food security in the rapidly urbanizing landscapes of Africa, focusing on Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. These countries, with their distinct urban challenges and developmental contexts , provide a comparative framework for understanding the pivotal role of urban planning in address...
Article
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This paper critically examines how urban planning influences food security in the rapidly urbanizing landscapes of Africa, focusing on Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. These countries, with their distinct urban challenges and developmental contexts , provide a comparative framework for understanding the pivotal role of urban planning in address...
Article
Full-text available
This ethnographic study investigates the perceptions of place and migration aspirations among young migrants within the Malawian diaspora in Lydiate, an informal settlement in Zimbabwe. Unlike traditional conceptions of diaspora that emphasize long-term settlement and place attachment, this study introduces the concept of a ‘radical sense of place,...
Article
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This paper employs a feminist political ecology and an intersectionality framework to examine the multiple dimensions of localwomen's vulnerability and adaptation to climate change impacts in selected locations in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province,South Africa. We focus particularly on assessing the sustainability of the gendered adaptive strategies e...
Article
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This article examines the surge in military coups across Africa, focusing on the history, causes, consequences, and potential prevention strategies. With Africa now witnessing the largest number of global coups attempts since 1950, the continent faces a critical threat to democratic aspirations. Political instability, economic challenges, and ethni...
Chapter
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Rapid urbanisation has become one of the greatest threats to urban health, particularly among low-income urban areas in the Global South. One of the key aspects of urban health is access to water and sanitation for all as stated in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to clean drink...
Chapter
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In this chapter, we explore the progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, which is to build resilient infrastructure and promote and foster innovation in relation to urban public health. The chapter takes a multifocal view of the relationship between infrastructure and urban public health. The conceptual and global perspective is...
Chapter
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As the aviation industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability of African airports to adapt and innovate has become even more critical. This chapter presents the travellers’ airport experiences in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. It also presents practical solutions to improve passengers’ airport experiences in the post-COVID-19 pandem...
Article
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This paper presents insights on conducting urban research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the adoption of digital ethnography as an innovative and flexible approach. Drawing from an expanding body of literature on fieldwork among 'hard-to-reach' populations during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we share our experiences from a study...
Article
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Zimbabwe implemented the Fast-Track Land Reform Program (FTLRP) in the year 2000. This program has had far-reaching implications on urban development, especially on urban land markets in cities and towns. This paper highlights the implications of the land reform program on urban land markets, using Harare as a case study. The paper is based on docu...
Chapter
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South Africa is a major destination for migrants and refugees from various African countries seeking better economic opportunities, safety and stability. Migrants often face numerous challenges, including poor working conditions, limited access to social services and food insecurity. Access to adequate and nutritious food is a fundamental human rig...
Chapter
Rapid urbanization poses a significant threat to public health, particularly the spread of communicable diseases. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for effective measures to mitigate disease transmission in urban settings. This chapter explores innovative strategies and interventions to reduce the spread of communicable diseases...
Chapter
This chapter explores the food systems of migrants in foreign cities and the social and spatial segregation that affects their access to healthy and culturally appropriate food. Drawing on a review of the literature on migrants and food systems, the chapter examines how migrants’ food choices and practices are shaped by factors such as language bar...
Chapter
Extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change, posing significant risks to public health. This chapter focuses on the vulnerability and resilience of marginalised communities to extreme weather events and related health inequalities. Based on a desktop review study, the chapter explores the factors co...
Article
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Housing is a fundamental human need, yet access remains a significant challenge in Africa, particularly for low-income families. Rapid urbanization exacerbates this issue, highlighting the need for innovative and sustainable housing strategies that can support urban growth and improve living conditions for these families. This study employs a rapid...
Article
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The African continent is confronted with interconnected challenges of water, energy, and food insecurity, particularly affecting marginalized urban residents. Decentralized Water-Energy-Food (WEF) systems have emerged as potential solutions to alleviate these issues exacerbated by climate change. Despite scholarly acknowledgment of constraints rela...
Article
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Fieldwork challenges involving hard-to-reach populations and with which many novice researchers grapple are apparent. However, literature on the issues related to female researchers’ experiences with hard-to-reach populations like undocumented foreign migrants is scarce. This article reflects on local female researchers’ fieldwork experiences durin...
Research
Full-text available
Within the past few years, pandemics like HIV/AIDS, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 have become common worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out recently, profoundly impacted the world. As part of containing this pandemic, lockdowns which put a moratorium on human mobility and associational life became a dominant measure. Yet these mobilities and...
Article
Full-text available
Applying an exploratory case study design, the study analyses urban mobility along the Main North 1 Road. We argue that urban mobility in Maseru, Lesotho is compromised by a complex web of issues including inconsistent urban transport policies, inadequate road infrastructure, and land use activities along some roads. Data were collected from primar...
Article
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This policy paper presents the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants in the informal economy of Bloemfontein downtown area, South Africa. Data was collected using qualitative rapid ethnographic methods in the Bloemfontein downtown area. In the context of this study, the term migrants pertains to individuals of international ori...
Chapter
Full-text available
This policy paper presents the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants in the informal economy of Bloemfontein downtown area, South Africa. Data was collected using qualitative rapid ethnographic methods in the Bloemfontein downtown area. In the context of this study, the term migrants pertains to individuals of international ori...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Drawing on the case study of Caledonia peri-urban settlement in Zimbabwe, this study presents the complex struggles and responses undertaken by settlers to assert their access, utilization, and rights to land for settlement. Employing qualitative methodologies including 50 in-depth interviews, participant observations, key informant interviews, and...
Article
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How do migrants on the margins trade, access, and hold land for settlement? This ethnographic inquiry based on a case study of Malawian migrants in peri-urban Zimbabwe revealed the practice of 'Nimble peri-urban land transactions'-encompassing not only the extralegal and informal aspects of land transactions but also emphasising flexibility, agilit...
Article
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This paper examines the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic and related bans on associational life had on the food security of migrants residing in informal settlements. Through ethnographic fieldwork at Lydiate informal settlement in the Norton peri-urban area, Zimbabwe-where Malawian migrants have established a unique home-the study reveals the tr...
Chapter
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This chapter examines the various transactional and supplementary strategies adopted by migrants on the margins to access much-coveted land. Situated in transnational theory, the study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Lydiate, a peri-urban informal settlement of Norton town, a secondary city in Zimbabwe. The study revealed that left alone, mar...
Chapter
This chapter examines the dual burden of health risks associated with food and housing insecurity and explores strategies to address these challenges. Drawing on a review of the literature, the chapter identifies the mechanisms through which food insecurity and housing insecurity impact health outcomes, including chronic stress, poor nutrition, and...
Book
This book focuses on the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on the welfare of the urban poor in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe. The authors look through the lenses of the urban health penalty, the right to the city, complexity theory, and distributive justice theory. These four theories help situate the COVID-19...
Article
Full-text available
Africa has long been a continent of great promise and potential, with aspirations for democratic governance, constitutionalism, and the protection of human rights. However, these aspirations have been under threat in recent years, and the continent has witnessed a worrying surge in military coups and the rise of military regimes. A military coup, s...
Chapter
The aim and scope of the book are introduced in this chapter. This chapter provides an introductory and synopsis of the COVID-19 pandemic and how the global responses, especially lockdowns, have affected the urban poor. The central argument and broad theme guiding this book are that the policy interventions implemented to curb the COVID-19 pandemic...
Chapter
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant impact on global public health and the world’s economies. Across the globe, governments imposed mandatory lockdowns as a containment measure against the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, mandatory lockdowns negatively influenced the lived experiences of the most vulnerable in the citie...
Preprint
Full-text available
This paper examines the complex dynamics of women and girls as primary custodians of household water supply, sanitation, and health in the face of escalating water stress in low-income regions, with a specific focus on Chegutu, Zimbabwe, a secondary urban area grappling with water scarcity. Employing the innovative Participatory Action Research (PA...
Preprint
Full-text available
This article presents insights on conducting urban research during the COVID-19 pandemic, embracing new and agile directions in research - digital ethnography. The paper builds on a growing body of literature on conducting fieldwork among ‘hard-to-reach’ populations during difficult times of the extended COVID-19 pandemic. We narrated our digital e...
Article
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Human mobility has grown into one of the most emotive and controversial subjects of contemporary society. While the concepts of diaspora and transnationalism have served as prominent research lenses through which to study migrants at destination, the complex nature of irregular migrants’ life at destination has left these classical theoretical lens...
Chapter
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The environment has become one of the most critical research areas in the twenty-first century. Along with this trend, Environmental Communication (EC) is also becoming popular. EC is the pragmatic and constitutive vehicle for the understanding of the environment as well as the relationships humans have with the natural world. Further, it is the sy...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The rapid urbanisation and population growth in African cities pose significant challenges to food security and sustainable development. Urban planning and urban food systems can play a crucial role in addressing these challenges and promoting sustainable development. The circular economy presents an opportunity to enhance the sustainability of urb...
Preprint
Full-text available
How do marginalised migrants access, hold and trade land for settlement? This ethnographic inquiry based on a case study of Malawian migrants in peri-urban Zimbabwe revealed the practice of ‘Nimble peri-urban land purchase transactions’ - the flexible, informal, and extralegal means through which marginalised migrants secure land in a dynamic peri-...
Article
Full-text available
Drawing on the case study of Caledonia peri-urban settlement in Zimbabwe, this study presents the complex struggles and responses undertaken by settlers to assert their access, utilization, and rights to land for settlement. Employing qualitative methodologies including 50 in-depth interviews, participant observations, key informant interviews, and...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose-Compared to younger and older generation migrants, middle-aged migrants in the diaspora seem to be more conflicted regarding their belonging. This paper aims to explore how middle-aged migrants in the diaspora define themselves in space and time. Design/methodology/approach-The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork done among Malawian m...
Technical Report
Full-text available
Overview Lesotho is a lower-middle-income country in South Africa with limited arable land that constitutes approximately 10% of the country’s rugged and mountainous terrain. The limited arable land has also meant that there are contestations and conflicts regarding agriculture activities and housing development, intensifying land and housing short...
Preprint
Full-text available
The African continent faces three distinct yet kindred problems: water, energy, and food security. Among the most vulnerable to water, energy, and food security are African cities’ poorest and most marginalised residents. Decentralised Water-Energy-Food (WEF) systems have been proposed to mitigate some of the damaging effects of climate change on e...
Article
Full-text available
Within the past few years, pandemics like HIV/AIDS, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 have become common worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out recently, profoundly impacted the world. As part of containing this pandemic, lock-downs which put a moratorium on human mobility and associational life became a dominant measure. Yet these mobilities an...
Article
Full-text available
This paper explores the 'emerging forms of spatialised and socialised authority' adopted by tenure-insecure peri-urbanites to secure coveted land in African peri-urban spaces. The paper demonstrates that tenure-insecure peri-urbanites are increasingly utilising various formal and informal institutions-'emerging forms of spatialised and socialised a...
Article
Full-text available
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) aids ecosystem conservation and management. While recognising the importance of Western science and knowledge, we argue that TEK practices are not appreciated resulting in continued and accelerated degradation of ecosystem services. This is prevalent among rural communities who are disadvantaged as their livel...
Article
Full-text available
Social media has revolutionized the way Africans communicate and socialize. People now create, share, exchange, and modify their ideas in virtual communities. This chapter critically presents the benefits and pitfalls of social media in Africa, demonstrating that social media is a double-edged sword. On the positive side, social media has connected...
Article
Full-text available
In the face of global disasters, social media has become a primary source of information. Social media refers to websites and applications that allow people to share content quickly, efficiently, and in real time such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This study examines the role of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. On the one...
Chapter
Full-text available
Social media has revolutionized the way Africans communicate and socialize. People now create, share, exchange, and modify their ideas in virtual communities. This chapter critically presents the benefits and pitfalls of social media in Africa, demonstrating that social media is a double-edged sword. On the positive side, social media has connected...
Chapter
Full-text available
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the role of religion and ritual in facilitating access to and security over land among migrants in peri-urban Zimbabwe. The chapter is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out among Malawians settled in Lydiate, an informal settlement in Zimbabwe’s Norton peri-urban area. The study shows that though they...
Chapter
Full-text available
While the discourse on human migration, and more specifically its drivers, processes, and consequences, has increasingly taken center stage in both academic and policy arenas, the future of migration and peri-urbanity remains scarcely documented. This chapter wades into this mystery by examining the agency, aspirations, and perceptions of migrants...
Chapter
The final chapter, From Crisis to Action: Emerging Perspectives and the Morphing of a Sustainable Urban Future post-COVID-19 Pandemic, concludes the book, exploring the changing landscape of urban sustainability in the wake of the pandemic. The chapter presents how the pandemic affected urban systems, particularly the urban poor, and highlights inn...
Chapter
This chapter presents the theoretical underpinnings of this book. The discussion presented in the chapter focuses on the urban health penalty, right to the city, complexity theory, and distributive justice theory. These four theories situate the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the urban poor in the theoretical foundations, which raise issues o...
Chapter
This chapter focuses on the Government of Zimbabwe’s policy interventions to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic was a complex issue that required a concerted effort from different stakeholders to curb the impacts and reduce the vulnerabilities, especially among the urban poor. In this chapter, we perc...
Chapter
This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the socioeconomic profile of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, highlighting vulnerabilities of the urban poor over time. The chapter begins by exploring the geohistorical background of Harare and how, like other cities in the Global South and southern Africa in particular, it is an outcome of co...
Article
Full-text available
The notion of “home” amongst the diaspora is complex, with some scholars asserting that home in the diaspora is not singular or exclusionary but that migrants are torn between multiple “homes.” Other scholars highlight that it is not always the case that migrants in the diaspora have a multiple, plurilocal, constructed perception of home. It can al...
Article
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There is growing evidence that green industrial planning approaches have become the sensible alternative in the modern era, emphasising sustainability. This article reviews the influence of classical 'green' theories on contemporary industrial planning practices (eco-industrialisation in the age of climate change). The article adopts a qualitative...
Article
Full-text available
Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe is used as a case study to explore the potential of secondary cities in addressing urban challenges. This study is significant considering that while African cities are rapidly urbanizing, narratives in African urbanism focus more on large cities and metros. Adopting a qualitative research approach, data for this study were col...
Article
Full-text available
Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe is used as a case study to explore the potential of secondary cities in addressing urban challenges. This study is significant considering that while African cities are rapidly urbanizing, narratives in African urbanism focus more on large cities and metros. Adopting a qualitative research approach, data for this study were col...
Chapter
Full-text available
While the discourse on human migration, and more specifically its drivers, processes, and consequences, has increasingly taken center stage in both academic and policy arenas, the future of migration and peri-urbanity remains scarcely documented. This chapter wades into this mystery by examining the agency, aspirations, and perceptions of migrants...
Article
Full-text available
The scholarly discourse on migrants and land access in peri-urban spaces is advancing theoretically and empirically. This paper contributes to this important discourse by examining the structures and networks used by migrants of international descent in accessing and securing the much coveted land in peri-urban spaces of destination countries. The...
Article
Full-text available
This paper discusses strategies utilized by migrants/squatters in accessing land for settlement and livelihoods in places where the state and the indigenes are not sympathetic to their needs. Although of significant policy and theoretical significance, this area has not received attention from scholarship, its dominant focus being on understanding...

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