Menu Close

Articles on South African townships

Displaying all articles

Children watch as police work behind a cordon where a young victim of a gang shooting lies dead on the ground. Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images

Study paints a grim picture of what young gangsters think about violence and manhood

Findings show that in the face of marginalisation and social exclusion, youth in gangs think that they have no options except violence to prove that they are ‘real’ men in their communities.
Makeshift shops have mushroomed as people try to make ends meet amid South Africa’s excessive unemployment. Hobermunemployment. an Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Stereotypes about young jobless South Africans are wrong: what they’re really up to

Many unemployed young people are engaged in a variety of economic activities. These may not necessarily be recognised as a form of self employment or informal employment.
Demolition of uninhabited shacks in Bloekombos, Kraaifontein, Cape Town, August 6, 2020. The land, which was to be developed as a community facility for neighbouring communities, has been illegally occupied by people who have been demarcating plots and building informal settlements. Rodger Bosch/AFP

Can social housing help South Africa overcome its legacy of apartheid?

Despite millions of free homes built since 1994, spatial inequality in South Africa remains high. A study evaluating a programme to boost rentals in well-located areas found mixed results, however.

Top contributors

More