Western Cape Gangs in South Africa have historically been targeted by the state through a combination of security measures and development strategies, often resembling counterinsurgency tactics aimed at maintaining control over marginalized communities. Gangs rose to prominence in
South Africa as a result of the
Group Areas Act, which evicted “non-white” South Africans from their homes and resettled them in rural and underdeveloped areas far from urban and economic centres. This caused an increase in
poverty and
unemployment in Black and
Coloured communities, most notably amongst those in the
Cape Province (modern day
Western Cape,
Northern Cape and
Eastern Cape) where Coloureds were and are still the largest racial group. In the 1960s and 1970s, Coloured residents of
Cape Town started forming gangs in the
Cape Flats and other non-white areas. This is due to the breakdown of social control of the inner city, which caused severe unemployment, poverty and
social marginalization. Former multi-racial suburbs of Cape Town, such as
District Six, were either purged of unlawful residents or demolished. The
Globe is often cited as the first gang in Cape Town but it started as a neighbourhood watch in District Six. In 2013, 12% of the 2,580 murders in the
Western Cape were gang-related, which was an 86% increase from 2012. Children as young as the age of 14 were arrested on gang-related murder charges. In 2019, 900 people were murdered in the first half of the year in communities in the
Cape Flats in the
Western Cape; by 2022 it was reported that the
Black Axes gang had started operating in Cape Town.
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal is home to the number gangs and section organizations. In the province of
KwaZulu-Natal gangs have put themselves in a situation where they are regarded more as neighbourhoods rather than gangs.
Townships were built by the
Apartheid government as part of the
Group Areas Act of 1950 which later gave birth to section organizations. Among these section organizations are
hostels, that gained popularity during
IFP-
ANC conflicts for political power during the 1980s-2000s. One of the most infamous hostels is the Glebelands Hostel situated in
Umlazi and
KwaMashu Hostel also known as eziMpohlweni in
KwaMashu. The oldest hostels date back to the early 1900s such as Dalton Hostel in the
Durban CBD built in 1934. Some
Hostels around
Gauteng are also occupied by people from
KwaZulu-Natal due to the displacement of people according to their political alliance during the conflicts.
Rest of South Africa In
Johannesburg in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, many
Black African communities were relocated and resettled, in
Soweto in the
Meadowlands and
Diepkloof. By the early 1960s, gang violence had escalated, which was counteracted by more policing and patrolling of non-white areas. == Typology ==