South Africa's Number Gangs


  • Photographer
    Robin Hammond
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    Robin Hammond
  • Date of Photograph
    20 January 2010
  • Technical Info
    Canon 5D mkII

Some parts of South Africa are so steeped in violence, it has become a way of life, a culture that holds a dangerous allure for today's youth. Gangs have replaced families for many young people in poor neighborhoods. Gangsters and the drugs they peddle are responsible for about 80 percent of crime. In the townships of South Africa it is no longer race that divides people but allegiances to powerful crews - the 26’s, the 27’s, the 28’s. Numbers that are tattooed onto bodies and painted onto walls, fences, bridges marking territories and splitting the nations poorest communities.

Story

Some parts of South Africa are so steeped in violence, it has become a way of life, a culture that holds a dangerous allure for today's youth. With nearly half a million Aids orphans and a shockingly high rate of single mothers, gangs have replaced families for many young people in poor neighborhoods.
Violence is a part of gang culture and essential for initiation. The rape, murder, and drugs blighting the country can often be attributed to gangsters.
According to Cape Town's Metro police chief there are around 150 gangs in the city, with an estimated 100,000 members. Gangsters and the drugs they peddle are responsible for about 80 percent of crime in the area.
Joining a gang is easy – leaving is not. "When you join the gang you can never leave - do you understand? These tattoos, these numbers in ink, they are here forever man," said a 32-year-old career gangster, a member of South Africa's notorious 28s prison gang.
In the townships of South Africa it is no longer race that divides people but allegiances to powerful crews - the 26’s, the 27’s, the 28’s. Numbers that not only cover bodies but also walls, fences, bridges marking territories and splitting the nations poorest communities.

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