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Urban Violence in Colonial Africa: a Case for South African Exceptionalism
Journal of Southern African Studies, Volume 34, Number 3, September 2008 Urban Violence in Colonial Africa: A Case for South African Exceptionalism Gary Kynoch (Dalhousie University) In an attempt to move beyond the parochial character of the otherwise rich historiography of urban South Africa, this article compares the level of violent crime, gang conflict and vigilantism in the segregated townships and mining compounds surrounding South African cities, particularly Johannesburg, in the period to 1960, with that of African neighbourhoods in colonial cities elsewhere on the continent. The evidence suggests that concepts of South African exceptionalism need to take account of the extraordinary degree of urban violence that distinguished South Africa from its colonial contemporaries. A brutalising mining environment, combined with racial ordinances that criminalised Africans and coloureds and exposed vast numbers of men to prison and prison gangs, produced a culture of urban violence unique in colonial Africa. Wives and young girls were raped in the streets and on their way home from work. Some were even raped in their own homes in front of their families who were too terrified to report to the police for fear of victimisation. The gangsters ruled the townships at the point of knife or pistol. They robbed the people in the trains to and from work, in the bus queues, and in their homes. They assaulted innocent victims in the street and terrorised one area after another. (Non-European Affairs Committee Report to the Johannesburg City Council, 1954)1 Colonial ‘pacification’ campaigns in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Africa clearly demonstrated European military superiority, and for several decades thereafter colonial states maintained an effective monopoly on armed force. -
Organised Crime on the Cape Flats 35
Andre Standing i Organised crime A study from the Cape Flats BY ANDRE STANDING This publication was made possible through the generous funding of the Open Sociey Foundation i ii Contents www.issafrica.org @ 2006, Institute for Security Studies All rights reserved Copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in the Institute for Security Studies, and no part may be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission, in writing, of both the author and the publishers. The opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute, its Trustees, members of the ISS Council, or donors. Authors contribute to ISS publications in their personal capacity. ISBN: 1-920114-09-2 First published by the Institute for Security Studies PO Box 1787, Brooklyn Square 0075 Pretoria, South Africa Cover photo: Benny Gool/Oryx Media Productions/africanpictures.net Cover: Page Arts cc Printers: Tandym Print Andre Standing iii Acknowledgements This book was commissioned by the Institute for Security Studies through a grant provided by the Open Society Foundation. I have been fortunate to work from the Cape Town office of the ISS for the past few years. The director of the ISS in Cape Town, Peter Gastrow, has been exceptionally supportive and, dare I say it, patient in waiting for the final publication. Friends and colleagues at the ISS who have helped provide a warm and stimulating work environment include Nobuntu Mtwa, Pilisa Gaushe, Charles Goredema, Annette Hubschle, Trucia Reddy, Andile Sokomani, Mpho Mashaba, Nozuko Maphazi and Hennie van Vuuren. In writing this book I have been extremely fortunate to have help and guidance from John Lea, who I owe much to over the years. -
From Ninevite to Comtsotsi: Township Gangs, Divided Communities and Urban Violence in Twentieth Century South Africa
4 UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED SOCIAL RESEARCH SEMINAR PAPER TO BE PRESENTED IN THE RICHARD WARD BUILDING SEVENTH FLOOR, SEMINAR ROOM 7003 AT 4PM ON THE 18 MAY 1998. TITLE: From Ninevite to Comtsotsi: Township Gangs, Divided Communities and Urban Violence in Twentieth Century South Africa BY: G. Kynoch NO: 436 FROM NINEVITE TO COMTSOTSI: TOWNSHIP GANGS, DIVIDED COMMUNITIES AND URBAN VIOLENCE IN TWENTIETH CENTURY SOUTH AFRICA Gary Kynoch Department of History Dalhousie University Visiting Research Associate Institute for Advanced Social Research University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3, Wits 2050 South Africa E-mail: [email protected] DRAFT 'please do not cite without the author's permission FROM NINEVITE TO COMTSOTSI: TOWNSHIP GANGS, DIVIDED COMMUNITIES AND URBAN VIOLENCE IN TWENTIETH CENTURY SOUTH AFRICA Despite the unprecedented level of public concern with violent crime in the "new South Africa", surprisingly little effort has been made to explore the historical roots of urban gangsterism. Since their establishment, the segregated black residential areas commonly referred to as townships have proved a fertile breeding ground for criminal gangs. Moving beyond the standard approaches which characterise gangs as either social bandits or destructive predators, this paper suggests that gang/community relations were fluid and ambiguous and that to understand why gangs have been (and remain) such a prevalent presence in the townships we need to appreciate the fragmented nature of township society and the ways in which gangs reflected, exploited and exacerbated urban fault lines. Finally, a comparison between criminal violence on the Rand in the 1940-1980 period and the more recent political conflict between supporters of the ANC and Jnkatha will attempt to demonstrate how divided communities are vulnerable to gang violence. -
A Critical Analysis of Gangsterism in South African Correctional Centres: the Case of Barberton Management Area
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GANGSTERISM IN SOUTH AFRICAN CORRECTIONAL CENTRES: THE CASE OF BARBERTON MANAGEMENT AREA by SARAH LETTIE NEL submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MAGISTER TECHNOLOGIAE in the subject CORRECTIONAL SERVICES MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: DR P MUTHAPHULI FEBRUARY 2017 DECLARATION Name: SARAH LETTIE NEL Student number: 36885320 Degree: MASTER OF TECHNOLOGIAE Exact wording of the title of the dissertation as appearing on the copies submitted for examination: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GANGSTERISM IN SOUTH AFRICAN CORRECTIONAL CENTRES: THE CASE OF BARBERTON MANAGEMENT AREA I declare that the this dissertation is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ________________________ _____________________ SIGNATURE DATE Dedicated to my late sister, Helena Jacobs (nee Botes) (Liekie) who was gifted, but passed away at a young age. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere thanks and appreciation to: Our Heavenly Father for giving me the wisdom, guidance and courage to further my studies. Dr. Phumudzo Muthapuli, my mentor and supervisor, for your professional guidance and patience. Correctional Services Area Commissioner Barberton: Mr. B.K. Fakude and Staff Support Mr. S.A. Nkosi for granting me permission to conduct the research. Thank you to my colleagues, friends, participants in my research, and family members for all your support, interest and motivation. My family deserves to be mentioned by name, -
Thesis Law 2017 Kinnes Irvin.Pdf
CONTESTED GOVERNANCE: POLICE AND GANG INTERACTIONS Thesis by Irvin Kinnes Town KNNIRV001 Cape of In fulfilment of PhD: Criminology Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law University of Cape Town University June, 2017 Supervisor: Professor Clifford Shearing Co-Supervisor: Professor Elrena van der Spuy The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgementTown of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Cape Published by the University ofof Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University CONTESTED GOVERNANCE KINNES ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For their patience and professional guidance throughout this long journey, I wish to acknowledge my supervisors: Clifford Shearing, without whom none of this would be possible, and Elrena van der Spuy, for her constant support and motivation. Thank you for not giving up on me. For their collegiality and support, I wish to thank my fellow PhD colleagues: Julie Berg, Suzall Timm, Woohyun Helena Chan, Moliehi Shale, Tom Herbstein, Laura Drivdal, Sophie Nakueira, Ben de Vos and Tariro Mutongwiza. To the people who have taken the time to read some of my early drafts, John J. Williams, Monique Marks, Don Pinnock, Gail Super, Sarah Henkeman, Roshila Nair, Fairuz Mullagee, Benita Moolman and Ricky Rontsch, thank you. To Elaine Atkins for all her administrative support and advice. To Lindiz van Zilla and Melissa Meyer who edited my manuscript and to all those close friends and colleagues in Manenberg and elsewhere who always supported and encouraged me. -
Downloaded for Personal Non‐Commercial Research Or Study, Without Prior Permission Or Charge
Dziewanski, Dariusz (2018) Beyond the street : gang entry and exit on the Cape flats. PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/30904 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. BEYOND THE STREET: GANG ENTRY AND EXIT ON THE CAPE FLATS DARIUSZ DZIEWANSKI Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Development Studies 2018 Department of Development Studies School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London 1 ABSTRACT This project analysed the life histories of ex-members of Cape Flats gangs, focusing on their entry into, and exit from, gang life. Their participation in gangsterism shows us how gang members embody violent street culture and reproduce a street habitus generated by the poverty, racism, and segregation that structures the lives of many Capetonians. But in leaving gangs, they also show how aspects of Bourdieusian criminology (street capital, street field, and street habitus) can be applied to move beyond typical readings of street- based social reproduction. -
The Crisis of Cultural Memory in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
African Studies Quarterly | Volume 4, Issue 3 | Fall 2000 The Crisis of Cultural Memory in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart F. ABIOLA IRELE If there is any single work that can be considered central to the evolving canon of modern African literature, it is, without question, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The novel owes this distinction to the innovative significance it assumed as soon as it was published, a significance that was manifested in at least two respects. In the first place, the novel provided an image of an African society, reconstituted as a living entity and in its historic circumstance: an image of a coherent social structure forming the institutional fabric of a universe of meanings and values. Because this image of Africa was quite unprecedented in literature, it also carried considerable ideological weight in the specific context of the novel's writing and reception. For it cannot be doubted that the comprehensive scope of Achebe's depiction of a particularized African community engaged in its own social processes, carried out entirely on its own terms, with all the internal tensions this entailed, challenged the simplified representation that the West offered itself of Africa as a formless area of life, as "an area of darkness" devoid of human significance.1 Thus, beyond what might be considered its ethnographic interest, which gave the work an immediate and ambiguous appeal--a point to which we shall return--Achebe's novel articulated a new vision of the African world and gave expression to a new sense of the African experience that was more penetrating than what had been available before its appearance. -
Meaning and Purpose in the Occupations of Gang-Involved Young Men in Cape Town
Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2310-3833/2016/v46n1a11 ISSN On-line 2310-3833 South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2016; 46 (1): 53-58. Meaning and purpose in the occupations of gang-involved young men in Cape Town Lisa Wegner, BSc OT (Wits), MSc OT (UCT), PhD (UCT) Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of the Western Cape Ayesha Behardien, BSc OT (UWC)** Cleo Loubser, BSc OT (UWC)** Widaad Ryklief, BSc OT (UWC)** Desiree Smith, BSc OT (UWC)** **Students in the Department of Occupational Therapy, University of the Western Cape at the time the research was conducted Introduction: Involvement in gangs negatively influences the lives of many young men living in Cape Town, South Africa. There is a need to better understand young men’s motives and reasons for belonging to gangs as efforts to reduce gang involvement have shown little success. Methodology: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to explore the meaning and purpose of engaging in occupations related to being a gang member, and the influence on other occupations. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants who were purposively selected from a Special Youth Care Centre in Cape Town. Findings: Five themes emerged: Why am I where I am?; To strengthen the camp; Attraction to gangs; It’s difficult but it’s life; and Threshold to manhood. The participants’ involvement in gangs meant social support, material resources including drugs and money, independence, thrills and excitement. The purpose of engaging in gang-related occupations was to strengthen the gang, gain belonging, ABSTRACT prove manhood and for survival. -
Revolutionaries, Barbarians Or War Machines? Gangs in Nicaragua and South Africa
REVOLUTIONARIES, BARBARIANS OR WAR MACHINES? GANGS IN NICARAGUA AND SOUTH AFRICA STEFFEN JENSEN AND DENNIS RODGERS mages of urban gangs as the embodiment of a modern-day barbarism Iare commonplace, particularly in policy-making circles,1 among law enforcement officials,2 as well as large swathes of the general population.3 More often than not fuelled and underpinned by the sensationalist media depictions of the phenomenon,4 such portraits tend to represent gangsters either as evil and deranged sociopaths,5 or as the exemplification of the ever- growing spread of anomic and senseless violence in a world that is increasingly characterised by the loss of traditional socio-political reference points.6 In his classic anti-colonial manifesto The Wretched of the Earth Franz Fanon famously proposed an alternative vision, however. Although he acknowledged that the gangster was often ‘a thief, a scoundrel or a reprobate’, he also contended that when the gangster’s violence was directed against colonial authority, it became imbued with popular legitimacy through a process of ‘automatic’ identification, and the gangster as a result ‘lights the way for the people’.7 The post-colonial transition notwithstanding, this view of gangs as proto- revolutionary vanguards has continued to inform the analyses of many gang researchers over the past few decades.8 During the course of our own research on gangs in respectively a poor neighbourhood in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, and a coloured township in Cape Town, South Africa, we have found considerable empirical resonance between Fanon’s vision and the real-life discourses of many of the gangsters that we have interviewed and spent time with. -
Chinua Achebe and James Baldwin
ESSAY After Decolonization, After Civil Rights: Chinua Achebe and James Baldwin Bill Schwarz Queen Mary University of London Abstract The escalation of systematic, if random, violence in the contemporary world frames the concerns of the article, which seeks to read Baldwin for the present. It works by a measure of indirection, arriving at Baldwin after a detour which introduces Chinua Achebe. The Baldwin–Achebe relationship is familiar fare. However, here I explore not the shared congruence between their first novels, but rather focus on their later works, in which the reflexes of terror lie close to the surface. I use Achebe’s final novel, Anthills of the Savanah, as a way into Baldwin’s “difficult” last book, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, suggesting that both these works can speak directly to our own historical present. Both Baldwin and Achebe, I argue, chose to assume the role of witness to the evolving mani- festations of catastrophe, which they came to believe enveloped the final years of their lives. In order to seek redemption they each determined to craft a prose—the product of a very particular historical conjuncture—which could bring out into the open the prevailing undercurrents of violence and terror. Keywords: James Baldwin, Chinua Achebe, decolonization, U.S. civil rights, literature, terror, redemption We have lost the twentieth century; are we bent on seeing that our children also lose the twenty-first? God forbid. Chinua Achebe, 1983.1 Fanaticism. The One Way, One Truth, One Life menace. The Terror that lives completely alone. Chinua Achebe, 1993.2 To counter “racial terror” we require “a ruthless cunning, an impenetrable style, and an ability to carry death, like a bluebird, on the shoulder.” James Baldwin, 1985.3 James Baldwin Review, Volume 1, 2015 © The Authors. -
The Impact of Organised Crime on Social Control by the State: a Study of Manenberg in Cape Town, South Africa
THE IMPACT OF ORGANISED CRIME ON SOCIAL CONTROL BY THE STATE: A STUDY OF MANENBERG IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA DERICA LAMBRECHTS DISSERTATION PRESENTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR: PROF. PIERRE DU TOIT CO-SUPERVISOR: DR NICOLA DE JAGER March 2013 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION By submitting this dissertation electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. March 2013 Copyright © 2013 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT This study set out to research the influence of a local non-state actor on the role and authority of the state, in the domestic environment. Accordingly, the research problem focused on the impact of a domestic actor on the association between the state and the society. This study only focused on the state at the level of local government and the impact of one specific actor, organised criminal groups, on social control by the state. Thus, state-society relations were discussed in this context. In order to guide this study, the main and two supportive research questions were stated as follows: What is the impact of organised crime on the social control by the state? What are the power dynamics between local governance, criminal agents and society? Has the state become criminalised at the level of local government, as a result of the activities of organised crime, and if so, to what extent? The state thus functioned as the dependent variable and organised criminal groups as the independent variable. -
Prison Privatisation in South Africa Issues, Challenges
Untitled Document 2011/04/07 10:41 AM PRISON PRIVATISATION IN SOUTH AFRICA ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES KC Goyer ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 IMPRISONMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA Prison Prison in the new South Africa Overcrowding Gangs Recidivism Escapes Public health The Department of Correctional Services and criminal justice CHAPTER 3 PRISON PRIVATISATION Privatisation Types of prison privatisation Ten issues in the privatisation debate Additional issues in the privatisation debate CHAPTER 4 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES United States Australia United Kingdom CHAPTER 5 PRIVATE PRISONS IN SOUTH AFRICA Prison policy and the development of private prisons The Correctional Services Act of 1998 Ikhwezi Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts CHAPTER 6 file:///Users/mbadenhorst/Documents/websites/iss/pubs/Monographs/No64/Mono64Full.html Page 1 of 54 Untitled Document 2011/04/07 10:41 AM CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS END NOTES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research and publication of this monograph has been funded by the European Union and USAID, the Ford Foundation, Standard Bank and the US Embassy as part of the Criminal Justice Monitor project. The research would not have been complete without the generous assistance of: The Department of Correctional Services. The Department of Public Works. The managing directors of Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts and of South African Custodial Services. The management and staff at the new private Bloemfontein prison. Various dedicated and helpful academics and prison researchers in South Africa. Judge J. J. Fagan, Inspecting Judge for prisons. PREFACE There is little doubt that the most serious problem facing those responsible for South Africa’s prison system is overcrowding. South Africa’s prisons were designed to accommodate 100,668 inmates.