The urban townships of South Africa have been contested terrain since their
inception. Different groups have struggled to control territory, various
resources and political activities within the confines of the locations and, all
too frequently, violence has been an integral part of these struggles. Groups
as varied in composition and ideology as squatter movements, well-organized
criminal outfits, student groups, vigilantes, traditional courts (makgotlas),
migrant gangs, youth gangs, municipal political groups and national political
movements – with much overlapping between these categories – have all at
one time or another sought to impose their will on township residents and
have regarded violence as an essential element in their campaigns.While much attention has been deservedly devoted to the violence
employed by the state as a means of subjugating, dividing and controlling
township residents, the different ways in which black urban groups struggled
to assert control over their environments have received relatively little
scrutiny. These processes cannot be regarded in isolation from the state's
quest for control, but neither should they be subsumed by the larger focus
on a revolutionary struggle. Rather, I would argue that a more informed
understanding of the conditions and challenges faced by black urbanites
requires study of the nature of localized power and violence within the
townships. African groups pursued agendas which served their own interests
and had a considerable impact on social relations and perceptions of power
and authority, both within the locations and in the broader context of
national/racial politics.
Comparing the Criminal Behavior of Youth Gangs and At-Risk Youths