Violence in Khayelitsha: finding a way out

Abstract

Khayelitsha in the Western Cape remains a violent place, with a murder rate well above the national average. Vanessa Barolsky tries to make sense of how existing, dense social networks and forms of organisation can be applied to overcome violence, inequality and poverty.

The Khayelitsha study forms part of a 32-month international comparative study on the role of social cohesion (or social solidarity) in understanding the link between inequality, poverty and urban violence. It focuses on two cities in the Global South, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, and forms part of the Safe and Inclusive Cities programme of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada.

Over the next three years, research teams in cities across Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will work to address the knowledge gaps in our understanding of the relationship between violence, inequality and poverty, as well as analyse the effectiveness of violence reduction strategies.