The Diamond Railroad Divide: How Colonial Railways Shaped South Africa’s Inequality

Cape Town, South Africa – The railways built by British colonizers in the 1870s to transport diamonds from Kimberley to Cape Town created an economic corridor that continues to shape opportunity today. Historical maps reveal a clear pattern: Black townships were systematically excluded from railway development under the 1913 Natives Land Act, cementing geographic inequality that persists more than a century later.

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Modern Economic Corridors Mirror Colonial Patterns

Today’s urban planning continues to favor the same historic routes. The Atlantic Corridor in Cape Town, following the old diamond railway, now receives 73% of new infrastructure investment, while Khayelitsha, home to 400,000 Black residents, gets just 6%.

According to a 2025 World Bank study, residents commuting from townships to jobs along these corridors spend an average of 3.1 hours daily, highlighting the enduring impact of colonial-era neglect.

Who Really Benefits?

Affluent districts like Sea Point market their “historic railway charm” as a luxury lifestyle amenity. In contrast, areas like Nomzamo remain poorly connected, with limited transport infrastructure—a direct legacy of British land and apartheid-era policies. What some planners label as “urban sprawl” is actually systemic neglect, perpetuating inequality and restricting economic mobility.

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The Takeaway

The diamond railway legacy demonstrates how infrastructure decisions made over a century ago continue to dictate who has access to opportunity in South Africa. Without deliberate intervention to invest in historically excluded townships, the gap between affluent corridors and marginalized communities will only widen.