Cite as:
Meth P, 2011, "Crime management and urban governance: everyday interconnections in South Africa" Environment and Planning A 43(3) 742 – 760
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Crime management and urban governance: everyday interconnections in South Africa

Paula Meth

Received 20 January 2010; in revised form 29 September 2010

Abstract. Interconnections between crime prevention and local governance practices are increasingly evident through the involvement of local partnerships and local government in crime prevention. The microlocal workings and the political implications of these interconnections have, however, received far less attention. This paper uses a case study from South Africa to understand the microlocal experiences of the interconnections between what is described here as ‘crime management’ and local governance. It is argued that the extent of interconnection is beyond that captured by the concept of ‘partnership’, as multiple governance structures, including local political parties, engage in crime management. Furthermore, the paper illustrates how local governance is dominated by crime management and that this domination is explicitly tied to the party political ‘ambitions’ of the dominant ANC party. The interconnection is theorised as the criminalisation of governance within a context of state-building.

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