Nyanga, Cape Town
Encyclopedia
Nyanga is a township
in Cape Town
, South Africa
. Its name in Xhosa
means ‘moon
’ and it is one of the oldest black
townships in Cape Town. It was established as a result of the migrant labor system. In the early fifties black migrants were forced to settle in Nyanga as Langa
became too small. Nyanga is one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of Cape Town
. In 2001 its unemployment was estimated at around 56% and HIV/AIDS is a huge community issue.
Nyanga is situated 26 kilometres from Cape Town along N2
highway, close to the Cape Town International Airport
and next to the townships of Gugulethu and Crossroads
.
as first language in schools. Nyanga became notorious for its black on black faction fighting that was allegedly perpetrated by police in the early eighties. The local authorities (izibonda) grouped themselves according to their background and used that as their criteria when allocating land. These cultural differences were allegedly used by the police to stir up violence, and elements of the community were infiltrated by the apartheid regime. This led to emergence of the notoriously violent group called "the witdoeke" (the white scarfs). As a result of these fights Tambo square was formed.
In the early eighties the youth targeted heavy drinking and shebeen
s as obstacles to political change. They destroyed shebeens with petrol bombs and stones forcing many operators to close down. The police took a demolished building that had been a shebeen and developed it into to a police station. Nyanga is made up by nine townships (Lusaka, KTC, Old Location, Maumau, Zwelitsha, Maholweni"Hostels", Black City, White City and Barcelona, Kanana & Europe. Today Nyanga is a vibrant community which is working hard to alleviate poverty and to create job opportunities. Once rated as having the highest crime rate in Cape Town Nyanga has improved.
Township (South Africa)
In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites . Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Its name in Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
means ‘moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
’ and it is one of the oldest black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
townships in Cape Town. It was established as a result of the migrant labor system. In the early fifties black migrants were forced to settle in Nyanga as Langa
Langa, Cape Town
Langa is a suburb found in Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1927 interms of the 1923 Urban Areas Act. Similar to Nyanga, Langa is one of the many areas in South Africa that were designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. It is the oldest of such suburbs in Cape Town and...
became too small. Nyanga is one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. In 2001 its unemployment was estimated at around 56% and HIV/AIDS is a huge community issue.
Nyanga is situated 26 kilometres from Cape Town along N2
N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
highway, close to the Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport is the primary airport serving the city of Cape Town, and is the second busiest airport in South Africa and third busiest in Africa. Located approximately from the city centre, the airport was opened in 1954 to replace Cape Town's previous airport in the suburb of...
and next to the townships of Gugulethu and Crossroads
Crossroads (Cape Town)
Crossroads is a high-density township in Cape Town, South Africa.It is situated near Cape Town International Airport and borders Nyanga, Philippi, Heideveld, Gugulethu and Mitchells Plain....
.
History
Residents of Nyanga were active in joining a national call to protest against the apartheid laws passed in 1960. Later they were active in the 1976 student uprisings against the use of AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
as first language in schools. Nyanga became notorious for its black on black faction fighting that was allegedly perpetrated by police in the early eighties. The local authorities (izibonda) grouped themselves according to their background and used that as their criteria when allocating land. These cultural differences were allegedly used by the police to stir up violence, and elements of the community were infiltrated by the apartheid regime. This led to emergence of the notoriously violent group called "the witdoeke" (the white scarfs). As a result of these fights Tambo square was formed.
In the early eighties the youth targeted heavy drinking and shebeen
Shebeen
A shebeen was originally an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages were sold without a licence.The term has spread far from its origins in Ireland, to Scotland, Canada, the United States, England,...
s as obstacles to political change. They destroyed shebeens with petrol bombs and stones forcing many operators to close down. The police took a demolished building that had been a shebeen and developed it into to a police station. Nyanga is made up by nine townships (Lusaka, KTC, Old Location, Maumau, Zwelitsha, Maholweni"Hostels", Black City, White City and Barcelona, Kanana & Europe. Today Nyanga is a vibrant community which is working hard to alleviate poverty and to create job opportunities. Once rated as having the highest crime rate in Cape Town Nyanga has improved.