The relation between hostels and the political violence on the Reef from July 1990 to December 1993 : a case study of Merafe and Meadowlands hostels in Soweto.
Date
1995
Authors
Xeketwane, Babylon Mgcinaka
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Abstract
This thesis set out to investigate the relation between
hostels and the political violence on the Reef between July
1990 and December 1993 which claimed 4756 lives. This
relation is anchored in a broader discussion of firstly,
political violence in South Africa generally, and secondly of
the hostel system. This contextualisation frames the
investigation of two Sowetan hostels Meadowlands and Merafe.
These two hostels were among those that became focal points
of political violence on the Reef during the period under
review. The thesis argues that the political violence and
conflict on the Reef between 1990 and 1993 constituted a "war"
in which these and other hostels played a crucial part. The
Inkatha Freedom Party colonised these institutions, ejected
non-Zulu and ANC supporters and transformed the hostels from
migrants camps into "fortresses of fear" from which many
attacks on township residents were launched. The thesis
attempts to understand this process through an in-depth
investigation of Meadowlands and Merafe hostels as case
studies. It attempts to draw a sociological profile of these
two hostels. This has involved examining these hostels as
social institutions, the social relations and culture
operating within them, and their place in the social structure
of the surrounding community. The thesis has included an
investigation of the social characteristics of hostel
residents such as their ethnic identity, age, gender identity,
marital, employment status, political affiliation and work
history. These multiple identities are components in
attempting to explain the participation of many hostel
residents in political violence. Through a series of in-depth
interviews the thesis has attempted to map their different
experiences and understandings of political violence in
relation to their broader aspirations, beliefs and world
views. It is asserted that any investigation of the relation
between hostels and political violence requires this attempt
to map a 'view from below' which goes deeper than official
statistics and media accounts.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Master of Arts. Johannesburg
1995.
Keywords
Violence -- South Africa, Violence -- South Africa -- Meadowlands, Violence -- South Africa -- Merafe, Tourist camps, hostels, etc. -- South Africa, South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1989-1994
Citation
Xeketwane, Babylon Mgcinaka (1995) The relation between hostels and the political violence on the Reef from July 1990 to December 1993 : a case study of Merafe and Meadowlands hostels in Soweto, University of the Witwatersrand, johannesburg,<http://hdl.handle.net/10539/22759>