Langa Minutinae A photographic peek at Cape Town’s oldest township
Established in 1901, Langa bustles between the now closed Athlone Power Station
crimes of poverty are rampant; drugs, unemployment, mindless street crime and
and Cape Town’s International Airport. Bounded in the South by the N2 highway and
even murder can be a constant companion on the streets. No–one is exempt. On the
the north by the web of railway lines that service the city’s northern suburbs and Cape
other side of the coin, township life is full of companionship, fun and social interaction.
Flats, Langa was designated for black habitation long before apartheid legislated such
Taverns heave with customers in the evenings and weekends. Unlicensed shebeens
separation.
sell beer and spirits on many streets and the hubbub of kwaito (South Africa’s unique brand of hip–hop) and soccer commentary blares from many doorways.
Translated from the original Xhosa language, Langa means Sun. However, the name of the township is believed to have been derived from the name of Langalibalele, a
Many have left the townships for middle class suburbs as incomes and the desire for
tribal chief and renowned rainmaker who in 1873 was imprisoned on Robben Island
upward mobility kicked–in. A surprising number return, the sterility of suburbia driving
for rebelling against the then government. Today, Langa is the oldest township in Cape former residents to make their way back to the township’s companionship, jive and Town and while it is probably the most peaceful of its ilk, it was the source of much
buzz.
anti–apartheid activism in decades past. In closing, I must record my thanks to Bulelane Kula*, guide and authority on Langa for Currently home to around 200,000 inhabitants from all walks of life, the township
showing me his township, introducing me to his friends and calming ruffled feathers
has several zones. The largest is Joe Slovo, after the late Mkonto we Sizwe (Spear
when my photographic enthusiasm became a bit too intrusive.
of the nation – the armed wing of the ANC and the South African Communist Party) and ANC leader. Joe Slovo is home to thousands of informal, shack dwellers, some of whom are currently being relocated, to clear the area for the city’s N2 Gateway Housing Project. In recent times, the latter has been fraught with as much anger and disappointment as it has political activism, with residents the hapless victims of ongoing political in–fighting and failed service delivery. Since the country’s 2009 elections, the wind of political change has blown through the Cape; a new provincial government is in place and proclaims its commitment to realistic promises and
Paul Perton
housing delivery.
Rooi Els • June 2009
Township life is at once hard and desirable in equal counts. Where housing and
* Bulelane works for Cape Town City Council and is based at the Guga S’Thebe community centre in Langa. His telephone number for tour bookings (please remember time differences when calling from outside South Africa) is: +27 (0) 73 447 9983.
money are in short supply, the residents make ends meet with surprisingly little complaint and a ready smile. But don’t be fooled; this can be a thin veneer. The
2
Monday morning
3
After several days of non–stop rain, this pair seem more than happy to be able to play in the street again
4
Winter branches, Bhunga Avenue
5
Street trader
6
JZ (Jacob Zuma), now State President, grins over Langa’s main road junction In the background, Athlone’s chimneys and cooling towers and behind them, Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain
7
Hostel
8
Mom by day magosha (prostitute) by night
9
Hostel graffiti
10
Painting outside fast food shop in Lerotholi Street
11
Some did, but most opted for another five years of the ANC
12
In Brinton Street a father tries to convince his daughter that a visit to the dokotela won’t hurt
13
Final resting place with a view; Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain dominate the skyline, with the Lion’s Head in the distance
14
Langa Station
15
Langa Station
16
Passengers taking the bus service to their home towns and villages in the Eastern Cape (almost 1000km away) are offered a variety of pad kos (road food), including slabs of braaied beef rubbed with chile powder and South Africa’s ubiquitous boerewors
17
18
The South African Police Services has not covered itself in glory in recent years and crime has become everyone’s problem A purposed Victims Support Unit is a vital part of a new initiative
Langa Station
19
Tiger’s Place is probably the largest tavern in Langa. It seems to be open around the clock, with access either through the butcher’s shop in front, or a dedicated entrance at the side. Beer flows, washing down freshly grilled meat; readily available from the shop at the front. Fires glow in the semi–darkness and it is the work of seconds to grill a chunk of meat, or a length of boerewors (South Africa‘s favourite sausage). For Tiger, meat and beer is a winning combination.
20
Tiger’s Place
21
Pool table – Tiger’s Place
22
Bus stop
23
24
Muti seller Muti is a traditional herbal medicine; usually infusions made with dried bark, herbs, pods or fruit
Furniture seller and dokotela rub shoulders
25
Spaza (basic necessities) shop on Merriman Street
26
Robert Sobukwe Square
27
28
Langa Station Jozi or iGoli (City of Gold) is the universal African names for Johannesburg, the country’s business and financial centre
Morning sun catches a building on Robert Sobukwe Square
29
Married quarters in Langa’s former men–only hostel
30
909
31
Frozen sheep heads await the cleaver
32
“Taxi? I parked it under the stairs.”
33
Mural for Tastic Rice – a staple
34
Ndabeni Street
35
Barbed wire protects the Sally Army
36
Fast food – Langa style
37
Jabavi Street
38
Morning sun at Guga S’Thebe – note the ever present twin cooling towers of the nearby Athlone Power Station
39
Weathered YOTV (YOuth TV) mural close to the entrance to Langa
40
Monday; bin day
41
Mural at Guga S’Thebe
42
2 Tea Electronics Services
43
Entrepreneurialism abounds in most townships – Langa is no exception
44
Winter clothing market
45
All of the photographs in this book were shot using a Canon PowerShot G10. They were selected from almost 200 images taken on Monday 8 June 2009. The images were imported into Aperture running on a MacPro, where candidates were identified and the bulk of cropping, adjustment and correction work was done. A few images were imported into Photoshop for perspective correction. No other editing has been done to any of these images. I laid out the pages in Adobe’s excellent InDesign CS4, wrote all of the copy as well as the captions. Conversion to PDF format was similarly handled in InDesign.
Paul Perton Rooi Els • June 2009
46