Episode 31: Agonism and Strife in Johannesburg - Dr Li Pernegger Author "The Agonistic City"

Talking Transformation

Last month saw the publication of a new book that looks at the challenges and conflicts that have accompanied Johannesburg’s post-democratic growth and development. The book, titled “The Agonistic City? State-society Strife in Johannesburg” questions the realities and potential of the state's agonistic practices in response to service delivery issues as diverse and complex as the water conflict in Orange Farm, informal trading in the Joburg CBD, and the billing crisis. Each of these examples has challenged the city to respond to these many grievances lodged by its citizens across the spectrum of communities: from the privileged, to the marginalised.

Author, Dr. Li Pernegger is ideally placed to reflect on these issues having spent almost 15 years working within the City of Johannesburg administration between 1989 and 2006: a period of massive change in South Africa and the municipalities of the pre- and post democratic dispensation. She has observed some of these issues first-hand and as they happened. Through her doctoral research, her past roles working with municipalities for local and national governments in SA and the UK, and her current role, as advisor to National Treasury’s Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) she has considered these events within the academic environment and with the benefit of hindsight as a practitioner.

As a former colleague of Li, I am really looking forward to understanding her main conclusions and what the lessons for other cities and municipal administrations could be. I was delighted when she accepted the invitation to join us on the TTPod to reflect on the journey and to give a preview of what you can look forward to from the book.

It was great to chat to Li and revisit a city I still think of as home.

Recorded December 16th 2020