Manenberg, South Africa - On the Margins of Democracy -
Christian Vium
2006 | Justification South Africa is one of the most violent societies in the world. In the aftermath of apartheid young ”coloured” people on the margins of the new democracy desperately seek identity in an environment governed by continued social and economic exclusion.
Manenberg, a coloured township outside Cape Town in the Western Cape, was constructed as a social experiment by the apartheid government during the 1960s as part of the group areas act, a political project based on ideas of racial separation. People of other race than white were forcibly removed from their homes, neighbours, and environment in the centre of town to the windblown steppes 25 kilometers away.
Today, 12 years after the dismantlement of apartheid and the official transition to democracy, the consequences of such overtly racial policies cast long shadows into the narrow streets of Manenberg - into the minds of every individual and into the society at large.
Manenberg is one of the most problematic areas when it comes to unemployment, crime, and abuse among young people in South Africa. The conditions of life are traumatizing and violence and crime plays a central role in day to day life. The young men in Manenberg and similar townships grow up to a life without future. According to recent statistics 60% of the young men are unemployed. The society has no need for them. They are useless surplus. The commonly heard lament is that coloured people were not ‘white enough’ under apartheid and are not ‘black enough’ in the new democracy. The sense of this complaint is that coloured people continue to feel socially excluded, even under democracy.
The frustration and apathy among the young people of Manenberg affects the local society and results in an extreme rate of deadly crime, domestic and sexual violence, drug abuse and gangsterism.
In a country practising symbolic and structural violence through social exclusion, the alternatives are few for the young men of Manenberg. They continue to live in the periphery of a society heavily informed by the heritage of apartheid. Violence breads violence, and the situation is worsening day by day.
If a democracy is a political – and social - ideology that highlights the rights of every individual in the society, and aims at providing equal rights to education and social welfare, South Africa still has a very long way to go . During March 2006 I spend four weeks in Manenberg, visiting my fiancée, Karen Waltorp, who was conducting 5 months of fieldwork in the area. It was due to her work and connections in the area that these pictures could be taken. What follows is a selection of images which we find represent Manenberg and its young inhabitants. Contacts:
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Description | Click on the image to enlarge it | Manenberg township outside Cape Town in South Africa.
Overview of Manenberg from the N2 highway.
Manenberg is situated around 20 kilometers from the centre of Cape Town. In the background the Table Mountains throne majestically. |  | Dreaming about something else Young man looking out over his court in Manenberg. For the youth of Manenberg the prospects for the future are limited. Most of them end up in gangs and crime – a small proportion find jobs as unskilled labourers in the factories in the industrial suburbs of Cape Town. |  | Fuck You Street scene. Manenberg. |  | Youth hanging out in Manenberg Most of the time is spent hanging out in the streets. Due to lack of space and large. Young people meet and flirt in the courts and on streetcorners. Because of the intense gang activity in Manenberg, most people identify with so-called ”turfs” controlled by smaller local gangs affiliated to larger gangs that oversee drugtrade and more organised crime.
The woman in front is holding a bag filled with marijuana, a favourite passtime stimulant among the young people. |  | Getting High Young gangmembers smoking ”tik” or crystal metamphetamine. Afternoon in Manenberg. Like all forms of speed, the principal effect of ”tik” is stimulation. Users get affected for varying periods of time, but in general it is a long-acting drug, far more so than crack-cocaine. It is commonly smoked in glasspipes known as ”lollipops”. Crystal methamphetamine removes inhibitions, sharpens senses, and fuels aggression. ”tik” was introduced in Manenberg around 2000 and has become hugely popular among boys and girls due to its low price and its availability.
|  | Manenberg High Classroom, Manenberg High Secondary School.
Education is a major problem in Manenberg. Very few young people finish secondary school. The schoolfees are high, and for the inhabitants of Manenberg it is difficult to send their children to good schools. The good schools are situated in white neighbourhoods, and far to expense for most coloured to ever attend.
The extreme drop-out rates in Manenberg are closely linked to gang activity. Gangs start recruting youngster from the age of 11, but most become active by the age of 14. Furthermore, the chances of getting a well-payed, qualified job as a coloured are limited.
Why spend time and money on something that doesn’t permit you to earn a proper living, when you can join a gang and make fast money to buy the right clothes and impress the girls? |  | What next? Young man contemplating life in Manenberg. He is currently working in a factory, and maybe this will keep him away from the gangs. |  | Future Generation
This girl faces many challenges in the coming years. Violence towards women is a major problem in Manenberg. |  |
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