Articles on South African townships

Displaying all articles

Members of “March and March” and “Operation Dudula” chant anti-migrant slogans during a protest march in Durban, South Africa, in May 2026. Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images

South Africa’s anti‑migrant campaigns use the language of democracy: why that’s dangerous

Organisations behind the wave of xenophobia use the language of participation, community and people’s power to justify marginalisation.
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.
Abuses by police and the army point to the need for citizens to be involved in security and other crisis response measures EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook

What South Africa needs to forge a resilient social compact for Covid‑19

Ramaphosa’s call for a new social compact will fall on deaf ears unless there are some fundamental changes to the way in which the pandemic is being managed.

Top contributors

More