Motala Heights A: Survey Findings

by Sarah Cooper-Knock

Dedicated to the loving memory of Bongo Dlamini and to all those living in Motala Heights A, with thanks for the time we shared.

Methodology

The aim of this study is to provide information regarding the housing
needs of this informal settlement and how these needs were being
pursued, through institutionalised politics, social movements, and
individual strategies.

This survey was administered to a randomly-selected sample of 30
residents in August 2008. The sample was drawn from a population group
that included all adult members of the ‘Motala Heights A’ informal
settlement. The number of adults per shack and their respective genders
were collected and fed into SPSS. The program was then used to randomly
select a sample of 15 males and 15 females from the population group.
Interviews were structured, with a mix of open and closed questions.
Respondents were free to choose the language in which they wished to
respond. The majority of participants chose Zulu, although a minority
responded in English or Xhosa. Where the interview was conducted in a
language other than English, questions and answers were translated for
the interviewer by a translator. To control for his effect on the interview,
the translator (who was known to the community) was present at all
interviews.

Undoubtedly, the process of conducting a questionnaire; the form and
content of its questions; interactions between the interviewer, translator
and respondent; and the subsequent analysis will have shaped the findings
contained below. That said, it is hoped that this survey can convey
something of the voice of residents within Motala Heights A. With this in
mind, the narrative that follows attempts to minimize any analysis of the
primary data and gives space instead to direct quotes from respondents.