Undressing Durban

About the Book

2007-07-05T07:17:00.001-07:00

The School of Sociology and Social Studies on the Howard College and Pietermaritzburg campuses has started a writing initiative support group (WISA) to help academics to write, publish, become research active and produce local resources for teaching. The group was formed in April 2006 and since then one of its major milestones is publishing a book titled Undressing Durban edited by Dr Rob Pattman and Dr Sultan Khan. Undressing Durban was first published to provide insight and a critical orientation to Durban for the international delegates attending the World Congress of Sociology in July 2006.

This version of Undressing Durban comprises articles from 54 contributors, most of whom are junior academics and postgraduate students in the Social Sciences (though there are also senior academics and undergraduate students among the contributors). The contributors were encouraged to write about topics with a Durban connection which 'excited' them, and the articles engage with readers as intelligent and critical laypeople (not as academic specialists) employing a variety of evocative styles. Some papers are more conventionally academic, some impassioned and rhetorical, some are self reflective and autobiographical, some focus on the 'voices' of 'minorities' and one deals with 'racial', gender and global inequalities in the form of a play set in Durban.

Rather than 'dressing up' Durban, as in familiar tourist images, Undressing Durban investigates how the city is experienced by very different and unequally divided groups of people living there. Undressing Durban not only highlights the vast material inequalities between various groups in Durban, but also investigates the cultures and identities they construct in their everyday lives.

It looks at street children and street traders and the problems they experience and the cultures they produce, unequal service provision in housing and transport, deteriorating residential spaces in the city centre, the living conditions, resistances and policing of shack dwellers, moral panics and 'race', student identities in the newly merged University and in mixed 'race' schools, mixed 'race' couples, 'outsiders'' experiences of Durban, loving and hating Jacob Zuma, entertainment, sport, beaches, nightlife and the cultural meanings attached to all of these, crime and paranoia about crime, prisons, corporal punishment in schools, coloured 'gangs' from the viewpoints of their 'members', Indian culture, Indian cinema and Indian heterogeneity, black African identities and culture in Durban, the vulnerabilities and agency of women sex workers, HIV positive young mothers, HIV/AIDS support groups, academic freedom and the problems of being junior academics and support workers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Undressing Durban is available at Adams Campus Bookstore at a special rate for students.

Table of Contents & Abstracts

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*Click any title for the abstract*

Section 1: Introducing Durban
If it's Durbs it's poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists
     Woody Aroun
Theatre of Dreams: Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban
     Bernard Dubbeld
Old Wine in New Bottles: Striving for the impossible in Durban
     Elias Cebekhulu & Evan Mantzaris

Section 2: Outsiders in Durban (and Durbanites as outsiders)
I'm an African not a Coloured
     Wesley Oakes
Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban
     One Selohilwe
A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban
     Marie Saramandif
Growing up in Durban and going on holiday to Europe
     Sheritha Grindlay
Foreign Migrants in the Inner City of Durban
     Biniam Misgun

Section 3: Mixed 'race' heterosexual partners in Durban
But, what will your children be?
     Serrenta Naidoo
Our mothers don't mind, so why should you?
     Anne Holloway
'Guess Who's Coming for Dinner' and other Suburban Tales of Horror
     Megan Kleyn

Section 4: Sport, Entertainment and Relaxation
The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront
     Biniam Misgun & Wesley Oakes
Nightlife in Durban and 'racial' divisions
     Shabashni Moodley
Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces
     Lawrence Gordon & Stephen Gordon

Section 5: Transport and Residential Spaces in Durban
Public Transport Challenges in Durban—Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010
     Sultan Khan
Durban's Albert Park Residential Area—a hundred Years on
     Mokong Simon Mapadimeng

Section 6: Shack Dwellers
'If you don't die first': Fire, water and women in the shack settlements in Durban
     Shannon Walsh
Life and Death in Banana City
     Evan Mantzaris & Elias Cebekhulu
Struggles and Triumphs of Shack Dwellers
     Fazel Khan

Section 7: Living on the streets and in hostels in Durban
The Voices of Street children in Durban Shelters
     Jackson Kariuki
Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children
     Shanta Singh
Down but not out in Central Durban: 'Streetwisdom' and survival in a post-apartheid city
     Geoff Waters
Scenes from an Urban Underworld
     Thorin Roberts

Section 8: Fear of crime and moral panics
Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban
     Ravi Baghel & Anna Mayr
Normalizing life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets
     Ercument Celik & Azad Essa
Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa
     Ralph Callebert
Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation
     Richard Ballard
The Security Challenge for Durban's Tourist Authority
     Sabrina Grosse Kettler

Section 9: Gangsters
The 'Devil' himself walks through the streets of Durban
     Elias Cebekhulu & Evan Mantzaris
Coloured 'gangs' as communities in Newlands East
     Wesley Oakes
Two women researching (male) 'gangsters' in Newlands East
     Subashini Govender & One Selohilwe

Section 10: Punishments
Overcrowding in a Durban prison
     Shanta Singh
Corporal punishment in a Durban school
     Lee-Ann Inderpal

Section 11: Indian identities and culture
Drawing the curtain: Indian cinema in the Grey Street Complex
     Ebrahim Essa
The Gujarati trading class within the Indian Community—Shaped and styled by historical contradictions
     Kalpana Hiralal
Living a double life: home and University
     Sandhisha Jay Narain
The Minority Report: Undressing 'Indians' in Durban
     Kathryn Pillay

Section 12: Black African Identities and culture
Black Solidarity and black divisions
     Sibusiso Mpama
Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City
     Mxolisi Ngcongo & Humphrey Glass
Global Cultural Consumption and Aesthetic Choices of Clothing within Durban
     Claudia Martinez-Mullen
Invoking 'culture' and sexuality: Black girls in mixed 'race' schools in Durban
     Rob Pattman
Loving and hating Jacob Zuma
     Wangari Muthuki & Rob Pattman
who am I?
     Tshque Harcharan

Section 13: HIV/AIDS
Voices of HIV positive young mothers
     Nirmala Gopal
The Tree at Operation Bobbi Bear
     Hema Hargovan
Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233
     Wangari Muthuki

Section 14: University of KwaZulu-Natal
The Significance Students attach to 'Race' at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
     Rob Pattman
Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal
     Ntokozo Zulu
Relinquishing my authority as teacher
     Kibbie Naidoo
Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff
     Mokong Simon Mapadimeng & Sthembiso Bhengu
The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN
     Shaun Ruggunan
The Importance of Communicating Freely
     Nithaya Chetty

Section 15: Women sex workers in Durban
Dehumanising street sex workers in Durban
     Faith ka-Manzi
The Women of Durban's Dockside Sex Industry
     Henry Trotter

Section 16: Local and global inequalities and challenging these
Wonderwoman vs the World Bank
     Ari Sitas

Review by Imraan Buccus

2007-07-05T07:15:00.001-07:00

Getting to the heart of the city

The new book that undresses Durban illustrates how the city is experienced by the different, unequally divided groups of people living here

WE ARRIVE (in Durban). We haven't slept in a while, come out into the sunshine, drive to the city, see hills.

Wow! No one said there were hills here - we thought there was only crime.

We drive to a house. It has an electric fence and a remote-controlled gate.

Inside there is a board that says this is the GSP refugee camp, there is a pool and palm trees beyond.

We don't have accommodation, so this is where we will wait until we find a place to stay. Old friends, new place, high walls - it's all unreal, but need to sleep now.

We wake up. The sun is setting. Should we check out the nightlife?

"Are you crazy?" our friends, who got here last week, ask us. "You can't go out after 5.30pm."

So begins a chapter in a new book entitled Undressing Durban (edited by UKZN sociologists Sultan Khan and Rob Pattman) and launched at the Time of the Writer Festival in Durban. The book looks at Durban through many lenses and engages with readers as intelligent and critical laypeople, not as academic specialists, employing a variety of evocative styles.

Durban is a fascinating and plural city with a co-dominance of African, Asian and European cultures.

Fractured

But Durban is also in South Africa, and South Africa is a brutalised and fractured society, still recovering from centuries of domination and prejudice, so while there may now be a co-dominance of cultures, most things are still seen through the lenses of the white middle-class minority. And this book attempts to change that.

The way "insiders", "outsiders", poor blacks and Indians, gangsters, sex workers and street children experience Durban is vastly different from the way Durban's city fathers promote the city. And different from the way typical middle-class people experience the city.

Such a complex and multi-dimensional construction of Durban would mean that a book, especially one edited by sociologists, would make for interesting reading.

Rather than dressing up Durban in the images familiar to tourists, Undressing Durban illustrates different experiences of the city, highlighting vast material inequalities between various groups, and investigates the cultures and identities they construct in their everyday lives.

One can read about "Coloured gangs" from the perspective of their members, about Indian culture, and the paranoia about crime in a sociologically fascinating city.

Interestingly, the book surfaces information that readers in Durban may not be aware of. Durban has pockets of wealth and poverty, and informally racialised spaces sitting next to each other.

While Durban has much in common with other cities in post-apartheid South Africa, what gives it its specific character is its particular mix of cultures and races (partly derived from its position as a major sea port on the East Coast).

What also makes Durban different from other cities in South Africa is the close proximity of different groups marked by huge disparities in resources and life chances.

For example, exclusively black areas such as Amaoti, in Inanda, compete internationally for the lowest ranking on the Human Development Index, whereas Umhlanga, an overwhelmingly white area, just next door to Amaoti, competes with California in terms of the index.

Engagement

The city's attempts at "hiding away" street children when conferences take place in Durban mean that delegates do not get to experience the real Durban - and only experience Durban as tourists, precluding engagement with various groups of people living here.

When visitors to Durban live in beachfront hotels, whisked from one conference venue to another, they do not experience the Durban that also has poverty, street children and a lack of housing.

Thus, when Durban is "undressed", the paraphernalia on marketing the city as first class falls away, and what emerges quite starkly is the fact that a great deal more needs to be done to deal with the social issues in the city.

One soon realises that the city cannot be taken for granted and be masked behind tourism images.

Undressing Durban is a compelling read, not for those seeking a perverted insight into the city, but for those wanting to nurture their social imagination through the lenses of writers with first-hand experience of this urban space.

What ultimately emerges from this fascinating read is the idea that human development goes beyond beautiful gardens, buildings and golden sand on the beachfront.

-----
Imraan Buccus is a political researcher and is undertaking a PhD in issues of poverty and civil society.

Originally published in The Mercury - April 04, 2007 Edition 1

Review by Mavuso Dingani

2007-07-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

It’s more than just a book, it’s an idea—an original, punchy, and thoughtful one at that. It has succeeded in undressing and stripping naked the gory underside of the people and the place—Durbanites in Durban. What right today has a collection of buildings and people to call itself a city in the global south, if it does not have, for example, its own fair share of the world oldest ‘professionals’ or gangsters who live and die beyond the law? Or the mosaic of colourful cultures co-existing and of course, sometimes reluctant to share the same space? In the age of global capital, the city has its poor, who are excluded from the technological revolution, living on the edge of survival. Yes, that’s Durban for you; it has it all that and more, and deserves to be called a city in the global south.

That is exactly what the recently published Undressing Durban is about.

Undressing Durban was a mammoth undertaking to put together. The book runs almost up to 500 pages, contains 52 articles grouped into 16 sections, written by 54 contributors from no less than 12 countries from five continents. But it is more than just the sum total of its articles, it transcends them all because individually none of the articles can quite articulate the complexity of a city such as Durban.

Undressing Durban was the brainchild of its editors, Sultan Khan and Rob Pattman, both UKZN sociology lecturers. Their idea was to invite academics, students and members of the community to submit articles from their research field or interest pieces on their experiences of and in Durban. It is challenging to review a book as varied as Undressing Durban, that touches on a lot of diverse and often seemingly unrelated experiences and social phenomena. It is also difficult because one runs the risk of overemphasizing one aspect over another. To put it simply, the reviewer may well tend to focus on aspects that are in his/her interests overlooking other issues that are just as equally important. One may well be accused of being selective.

The book’s articles fall into six broad categories: ‘race’ relations, poverty, crime, identity, HIV and AIDS, and the sex industry in Durban.

The articles in the category of ‘race’ relations can equally qualify as the best in the whole book, because they provide some of the most moving and frank narratives. They are a gold mine for future research on self perceptions on the issues of ‘race’ and ‘race’ relations. But sadly their very ‘narrativeness’, the idea of just simply telling a story about one self, can also degenerate into a lack self-reflection, a lack of being grounded in the historicity of ‘race’ relations, and thus the ‘here and now’ over-determines all perceptions. As the editors point out in their introduction, that “the ‘Rainbow Nation’ has become a powerful fantasy which glosses over the perpetuation of apartheid-like relations, inequalities and identities in post-apartheid South Africa.” (pg18).

This becomes obvious when the book is read as a whole because ‘race’ seems to permeate throughout most of the articles, and when ‘race’ is not specifically stated its very absence somehow shows how much of a salient feature it is in Durban. Thus ‘race’ which was very much a defining feature pre-1994, its no a surprise then that almost every of socio-economic feature that relates to power, poverty, sex, disease and space is still burdened by this powerful ‘illusion’ that we call ‘‘race’’1. In fact it was Marx himself (1852) who pointed out in the Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte that “the tradition of all past generations weighs like an alp upon the brain of the living.”

And so it is that the traditions of past generations still weighs upon us when you read the articles by One Silohilwe, Marie Saramandif, Shiretha Grindlay, and Sabashni Moodley of ‘race’ relations in Durban. They are about displacement, a feeling of outsideness, of the right to define oneself independent of essentialist discourses, the pitfalls of ‘race’ categorization and exclusion at UKZN and the city at large. I identify and empathise with them, feeling as an outsider too and having sometimes made my own blunders negotiating the minefields of Durban’s ‘race’ relations. Again notwithstanding the clearness, moving, and brilliant storytelling that each of these articles provide, which I cannot again overemphasize, there seems something that is left unsaid. Or rather it’s the typical Freudian tenet ‘they do not know that they know it’. The writers unknowingly either praise inclusion into white space where it exists and lament exclusion where it manifests itself.

None it seems, never talk (praise or lament it) of being excluded in black African spaces, except for one who is surprisingly black herself. Of course, this is certainly no fault of their own considering that historically white economic and cultural capital is so powerful that one naturally wants to be included in white spaces—myself too. Trendy hip nightclubs in Durban are in formally all white areas, where it is safe and cool to be seen. Furthermore, if one has a sport other than soccer, one naturally finds herself with more than average white playmates. Cutting edge art and cultural events are also located in predominantly white environs. Not too mention the ‘middle class-ness’, which all students and young professionals aspire to, is generally associated with whiteness.

Thus, the unreflective nature of the articles is that they do not question why their world is so. Why shouldn’t it be the case that art and cultural events be equally divided across all racialised spaces in Durban? In fact why should they be places where one population group (‘race’) predominates in a free South Africa 13 years after democracy. Thus ‘race’, and the editors indirectly alluded to this point, should be viewed through the lens of access, access to resources either economic or cultural. However, there is hope they are all still students, and I am sure sometime in the future they will see these contradiction.

There are many articles on poverty and this should not surprise anyone considering that South Africa ranks 11 out of 125 countries listed in the United Nations’ Human Development Report 20062. The Shannon Walsh article on shack dwellers shows the wretchedness of their lives and, for example, that “ (in) Kennedy Road, an informal settlement comprising nearly 7 000 residents, women spend hours queuing for water at a single tap that serves 700 [people].” She highlights the perils of accidental fires that can rage through the settlement killing several people. Coincidentally, today 30 April 2007, two people from the same settlement were killed from a raging fire.

However, as Undressing Durban also shows, people are not passive victims of circumstances beyond their control but also active agents attempting to subjugate and tame the forces that make their lives a living hell. The shack dwellers are also fighting back. Several other articles, eg by Fazel Khan and Evan Mantzaris, show them fighting back against the authorities as they demand land and housing, water, electricity and sanitation. It should be an indictment to society. They are fighting for the right to live like us.

For some writers though, shack dwellers are not the worst affected by the gross inequalities that plague our city. In fact, having a shack that you can call home is a blessing in itself because they are others less fortunate who live on the streets of Durban or in its crowded shelters. Shanta Singh and Jackson Kariuki have done research on Durban’s street children, some as young as 10, battling daily to find food and a safe place sleep. The two articles smash our stereotypes of street Kids as delinquents, as thieves targeting women and the elderly, as glue inhalers and so forth. Many are that, that’s for sure. But the writers also show the other side. That the children have dreams of educating themselves, of bettering their life situation. We are also shown their sense of camaraderie as fellow travellers in Durban’s unforgiving streets.

Geoff Water and Thorin Roberts have researched people living Durban in shelters for the homeless. We see how a man can survive on R20 a day, which is enough for a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Incidentally I have met a few and befriended one such sort at my favourite watering hole. These guys are pretty decent and many have trades (mechanics, fitters, boilermakers etc) and had served well for the former regimes defence forces – they were not all ‘Prime Evil’. However, in the changing economic landscape of the post-apartheid era, job losses and retrenchments of workers occurred and there was no alternative but the streets. The articles show people who have been left out of the ‘Rainbow Miracle’. The difference is that they are white. The importance of the two articles is that they talk about the plight of people that everyone is quick to denigrate—Afrikaner, white and male.

How could one talk about 2010, immigration, amakwerekwere, Durban’s CBD, middle class gated communities, and South Africa in general without crime coming up as a topic? Crime is such a divisive topic that the writers in the book seem to tread on it as if it where a ground strewn with eggs. The authors all more or less articulate the right ‘left’ sentiment, which I of course believe too, But wouldn’t it have been refreshing to have had one article clamouring for the death penalty, castration, or hand chopping? In moments when my suppressed rightwing leanings escape from the deepest recesses of my soul, triggered by a mugging, or being held at knife point without a cent in my pocket; anticipating—where the hell is he gonna knife me, I feel like crying—BRING IT BACK!

As a young black male I have experienced that look of fear directed against me and it is rather disturbing. One Thursday evening I was shopping in Musgrave Centre. Late as always, I found myself hurrying to get to a bookshop before it closed shop. I strode towards my destination, oblivious to all around me. Little did I notice a middle aged white woman in front eyeing my rapid approach. As I approached the door of the bookshop, she broke into her a run towards the nearest security guard. Nothing happened though she didn’t say anything to the guard, glad to have escaped yet another mugging. I was also thankful too that she didn’t do anything afterwards. But it left me feeling like a criminal. I actually felt guilty that I had done something wrong.

The book also discusses the sex trade in the city. It talks about the women involved, their lives, how they conduct their business and the trappings of the trade. Henry Trotter’s article is a good investigative piece that unravels the best, worst and most gory underside of the sex trade. One can’t help but admire these young women, who are generally functionally illiterate, but are able to drive hard bargains against the most sophisticated sailors who have travelled the world over. But Faith Ka-Manzi’s article on the same topic reminds us that it is still a risky and dangerous business.

It is impossible to discuss all the interesting articles in this book. For instance, there is Wesley Oakes’ rather revealing article entitled “I am not coloured, I am an African”, which explores the fluidity of identity, belonging, and how the way others see us, reveals what they are. Or Ari Sitas’ play at the end that wraps up the whole book. Set in the more rural areas of the Durban Metropolitan, the play weaves a cauldron of globalization, poverty, government inaction and the poor people who pay the price for it all – and the taste is bitter. But then that’s Durban for you, it’s a bitter sweet taste. And Undressing Durban goes a long way in proving it so.

By Mavuso Dingani: 2 May 2007

Originally posted on the Centre for Civil Society website.

Bernard Dubbeld

2007-07-04T04:18:00.001-07:00

Bernard Dubbeld is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology and History at the University of Chicago. Before that, he received his BA (Honours) in Philosophy and Masters in History at UKZN. His PhD focuses on the relationship between masculinity and the effects of the decline of wage work in KwaZulu-Natal, and considers how people create communities and forge social bonds as mechanisms of survival and social reproduction.

In his chapter, Theatre of Dreams, Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban, Bernard takes the reader on a tour of Durban. It provides a fascinating cultural geography in and around the city, moving from downtown Durban to the suburban spaces near and further away from the city.

Reference:
Dubbeld, Bernard. 'Theatre of Dreams, Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 68-73.

Azad Essa

2007-07-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Azad Essa was brought up in the States—Durban's Clare Estate—balancing Hindi cinema, cricket and the Famous Five. A graduate of the Global Studies Programme, Azad now slaves away at the Industrial Organisational and Labour Studies Research Unit at UKZN as a researcher (in between freelance journalism and film-making). Azad remains elusive to the city. Durban hasn't quite understood what to make of him just yet.

In their chapter, Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets, Azad and Ercüment Çelik draw from their frustrations (as local & international students) with crime and fear as ‘an obstacle towards having fun in this city.’ They write about how Durban's city centre is seen as a no go area by ‘the average middle class Durbanites,’ especially whites. While Indians may ‘man’ their businesses, there are few Indian pedestrians. Constructions of Durban city as dangerous are shared more widely at night: the city virtually shuts down. The paper raises questions about how to open up the city to everyone and reclaim the streets at night. It offers imaginative suggestions.

Reference:
Çelik, Ercüment, and Essa, Azad. 'Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 235-242.

Ari Sitas

2007-07-01T02:33:00.001-07:00

Ari Sitas is a writer and sociologist. He is the Head of School of Sociology and Social Studies at UKZN.

In his chapter, Wonderwoman vs the World Bank, Ari treats us to a witty and biting play about gender, class, ‘race’, wealth, fax machines and ‘poverty contests’ set in and around Durban (and Geneva). This revolves around a woman—Wonderwoman—living in a rural area near Durban, and her experiences of and responses to local and global inequalities, and her triumphs.

Reference:
Sitas, Ari. 'Wonderwoman vs the World Bank', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 454-491.

Anne Holloway

2007-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Anne Holloway has been a high school English teacher in Durban for the past nine years. Before that, she was a faculty officer at the University of Natal (now UKZN).

In her chapter, Our mothers don’t mind, so why should you?, Anne—a white South African married to a black Eritrean Biniam Misgun—reflects upon being stared at with her partner. She does not know whether they are being stared at because they are a mixed couple or because people are not quite sure how to classify her partner who does not look locally black. Elderly white women look at her as if she is ‘degrading’ herself; young black women save their disgust for Biniam (perhaps because he is seen as rejecting them). Hostility may not only be due to their inter-raciality, but by a perception of Biniam as a black ‘outsider’. Indeed, when Biniam became the target of ‘racial’ violence, he was with Anne in a popular shopping centre. Anne's piece offers a sensitive portrayal of Durban's 'racial' fault/lines.

Reference:
Holloway, Anne. 'Our mothers don’t mind, so why should you?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 108-111.

Anna Mayr

2007-06-30T04:04:00.001-07:00

Anna Mayr is currently studying in the Global Studies Programme, a master of social sciences, jointly offered by Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany, UKZN and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Looking back at her semester in Durban, she remembers the city as a rich field for observations on aspects of globalisation, identities, perspectives and opinions, leading to never ending discussions at the coffee shop.

In their chapter, Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban, Anna and Ravi Baghel show that crime—or rather talk about crime—is one of the main things to hit outsiders when they arrive in South Africa. The writers provide an account of their experiences as international students: not of crime, but of crime discourse. They discuss the dramatic impact of the fear of crime on their lives, as conveyed in conversations with South Africans and reflected in the security arrangements in their neighbourhood. They consider how this made them feel like prisoners in their home. They were eventually brave enough to go downtown to experience aspects of Durban which they would have otherwise missed out on. Their piece also draws attention to the ways fear of crime restricts the movements of women; they refer to women venturing into public spaces in Durban only if accompanied by their fellow male students.

Reference:
Baghel, Ravi, and Mayr, Anna. 'Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 228-234.

Wonderwoman vs the World Bank

2007-05-17T15:29:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Wonderwoman vs the World Bank, Ari Sitas treats us to a witty and biting play about gender, class, ‘race’, wealth, fax machines and ‘poverty contests’ set in and around Durban (and Geneva). This revolves around a woman—Wonderwoman—living in a rural area near Durban, and her experiences of and responses to local and global inequalities, and her triumphs.

Reference:
Sitas, Ari. 'Wonderwoman vs the World Bank', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 454-491.

The Women of Durban's Dockside Sex Industry

2007-05-17T15:28:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, The Women of Durban's Dockside Sex Industry, Henry Trotter looks at the lives of dockside sex workers who solicit at a nightclub catering to foreign sailors. He considers their experiences as sex workers and how they deal with stigmatization, family concerns, chemical abuse, moral dilemmas, diseases, and violence. He assesses their fears/frustration and their dreams/longings for what they hope to achieve through this work. One set of conclusions Henry offers is that dockside women are relatively empowered compared to their streetwalking & brothel-working counterparts. Hailing from upcountry locales, they successfully live "double lives" that protect them from family and communal reprisals. Their clients—foreign transients—pose no threat to their identities (ie. they have no social power outside the dockside world). Soliciting from a safe nightclub, they retain the right to refuse men they don't like. And because they're the knowledgeable locals in the transaction, they choose the location of sex, greatly enhancing their power to insist on condom-use.

Reference:
Trotter, Henry. 'The Women of Durban's Dockside Sex Industry', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 441-452.

Dehumanising street sex workers in Durban

2007-05-17T15:28:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Dehumanising street sex workers in Durban, Faith ka-Manzi focuses on the stigmatisation and abuse of Durban's street sex workers. Not only are they subject to physical and sexual abuse by certain men on the streets, but they receive little or no protection from the police. Assumptions about sex workers as bad and immoral are also shared by members of the police and these may lead to them not taking seriously the claims of sex workers of being raped or abused, as if such women have only themselves to blame. Furthermore the criminalisation of sex work makes reporting of abuses particularly difficult. Faith works with women sex workers on the streets in Durban, treating them as human beings, offering them emotional and physical support. Her piece is a powerful account of their dehumanisation by others, their vulnerabilities and lack of voice.

Reference:
ka-Manzi, Faith. 'Dehumanising street sex workers in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 438-440.

The Importance of Communicating Freely

2007-05-17T15:27:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, The Importance of Communicating Freely, Nithaya Chetty raises concerns about lack of openness and academic freedom at UKZN. He refers to a recent Senate resolution that staff exercise due care when communicating with the media so as not to ‘bring the university into disrepute.’ Nithaya argues that what counts as bringing the university into disrepute needs to be specifically and narrowly defined in terms of racism, dishonesty, etc. His worry is that the emphasis on ‘confidentiality’ within the university may lead to important issues, like transformation or equity, being ‘limited only to normal structures within the University’ and debated in a context of ‘fear of retribution.’ Nithaya refers to concerns expressed by the Freedom of Expression Institute about the ‘severe decline’ in ‘free expression and academic freedom’ at UKZN. Ironically it could be argued that it is this which is bringing the university into disrepute.

Reference:
Chetty, Nithaya. 'The Importance of Communicating Freely', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 433-436.

The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN

2007-05-17T15:26:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN, Shaun Ruggunan expresses concern about the failure of the University to be sufficiently business-like in its treatment of junior academics. He focuses on his own experiences negotiating academic hierarchies—thrown in the deep end and expected to swim without any kind of orientation. He would like to see the university adopt some of the values of business to ensure the rights of junior academics are recognised and respected. Currently how junior academics are treated—whether mentored, encouraged, ignored or abused—depends on the predispositions of senior academics with in/formal responsibility for them. The idealised notion of ‘collegiality’—under threat from the economisation of relations—may be used or abused to maintain problematic and unequal power structures. Shaun draws attention to the ways ‘extreme and nuanced power relations’ operate at lower levels in the university hierarchy.

Reference:
Ruggunan, Shaun. 'The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 424-432.

Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff

2007-05-17T15:26:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff, Simon Mapadimeng and Sthembiso Bhengu outline restructuring processes in South African higher education and UKZN, focusing on their devastating impact on cleaners and ground staff. They argue that the ideals of the merger (between the old University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal) to create a non-racialised university and to broaden access to people from all ‘races’, were seriously compromised as it became a tool for neo-liberal ideology. Such restructuring, they argue, has generated huge inequities in pay and conditions between a top-heavy administration and other workers. The authors draw on interviews with support staff who have been retrenched as a result of the merger and with cleaners still in the university’s employment. The entrenched workers claim that they were pressured to take severance packages, of which they received little information and turned out to be much less than expected. The employed cleaners complain about low wages and lack of promotion opportunities. Both groups complain bitterly about the collapse of their pension fund in which, with the authority of the university, their savings had been invested.

Reference:
Mapadimeng, Mokong Simon, and Bhengu, Sthembiso. 'Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 413-423.

Relinquishing my authority as teacher

2007-05-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Relinquishing my authority as teacher, Kibbie Naidoo argues for student-centred teaching pedagogies that shift power from teacher to students. This makes the teacher a co-learner and validates student experience and knowledge as crucial bases for education. Kibbie describes how she tried to do this with political activists and trade unionists—adult learners—attending an Access course for admission to a university degree course. They were surprised to enter a classroom where all the usual signifiers of teacher authority—strategically placed tables and chairs, teacher at the ‘front’—were absent. In fact there were no chairs and tables, only cushions. Kibbie reflects on how she tried to act as co-learner, discussing the issues students broached when generating knowledge themselves. The students appreciated working as a group rather than as individuals expected to take down notes or write private essays (as is traditional).

Reference:
Naidoo, Kibbie. 'Developing transformative learning approaches and relinquishing my authority as teacher', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 407-412.

Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal

2007-05-17T15:23:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Ntokozo Zulu writes about the importance of being black to her as a student at UKZN. Coming from a black single-sex high school, she welcomes the opportunity to interact with students of other ‘races’, as well as males. Significantly, she writes about how little she knows about people in her classes from other ‘races’ despite being with them for two years. But she stresses the importance of lecturers encouraging ‘racial’ mixing in group work. Ntokozo also discusses the concerns of black students who come from relatively resource-poor high school backgrounds: struggles with varsity fees and problems of reading and writing with speed and fluency in English.

Reference:
Zulu, Ntokozo. 'Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 405-406.

The Significance Students Attach to ‘Race’ at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

2007-05-17T15:23:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, The Significance Students Attach to ‘Race’ at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Rob Pattman argues that the university is not a ‘melting pot’. Students tend to congregate and identify with racialised groups. He reports on a project his students conducted on student identities at Howard College, in which ‘race’ emerged as a key group marker. The student researchers also attached much significance to ‘race’ as displayed in their choice of students to work with in teams as well as their choice of subjects to interview. Usually, they were the same 'race'. Rob focuses on the problems his students encountered researching student ‘racial’ identities. Even though the student groups they identified were racialised, the researchers were reluctant to question them about ‘race’ lest they be seen as racist. Referring to some of his students’ positive experiences in working in ‘racially’ mixed teams, Rob argues for pedagogic approaches that encourage students from different ‘races’ to work together.

Reference:
Pattman, Rob. 'The Significance Students Attach to ‘Race’ at the University of KwaZulu-Natal', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 390-404.

Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233

2007-05-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233, Wangari Muthuki writes about an HIV/AIDS support group. She focuses on group dynamics and how members produce—notably through sexualised humour and innuendo—a sense of community and fun that enables them to deal with HIV/AIDS and its stigma. According to members, they could not talk to family and friends about the inter-racial friendships they had established in the group because they would be seen as unusual or strange. One black woman—whose neighbours said she was a ‘prostitute’ because she was friendly to a white man—sustains this illusion rather than reveal that they met at the support group. Wangari notes that black women's voices were more muted than the white men's. One white woman who spoke about her depression was ‘rebuked in good humoured ways’ by the white men, perhaps because this was seen as undermining the group’s focus on living positively with HIV/AIDS and its emphasis on fun and humour as a way of promoting this.

Reference:
Muthuki, Wangari. 'Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 382-388.

The Tree at Operation Bobbi Bear

2007-05-17T15:20:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, The Tree at Operation Bobbi Bear, Hema Hargovan discusses a support group for HIV-positive women & children, and for the physically & sexually abused. This group meets by a tree near the roadside. Hema writes about her experiences visiting the group and reflects on the valuable work they do with no funding from the Government.

Reference:
Hargovan, Hema. 'The Tree at Operation Bobbi Bear', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 378-381.

Voices of HIV positive young mothers

2007-05-17T15:20:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Voices of HIV positive young mothers, Nirmala Gopal writes about the concerns and anxieties of young HIV-positive mothers. They speak about the problems of stigmatisation and the difficulties of disclosure, even to boyfriends, partners and close family. But they are most concerned about the welfare of their children. The women hold to ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ beliefs which attribute illness to personal conflicts and jealousies. These may be particularly attractive because, Nirmala argues, they offer possibilities of cures through the mediation of the sangoma or witchdoctor (in contrast to modern medicine). However, the women understand the ramifications of their HIV status, illustrated in their concern that their children may have to grow up and manage without them.

Reference:
Gopal, Nirmala. 'Voices of HIV positive young mothers', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 372-377.

who am i?

2007-05-17T15:19:00.002-07:00

In the poem, who am i?, Tshque Harcharan muses on Indian identity in Africa.

Reference:
Harcharan, Tshque. 'who am i?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), p. 370.

Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma

2007-05-17T15:19:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma, Rob Pattman and Wangari Muthuki discuss how ‘culture’ was invoked by Zuma (former Deputy President of South Africa), in his 2006 rape trial. They argue that he has become a symbol of dis/identification in powerful and conflicting ways—by males & females, and all races, ethnicities, and statuses. Wangari also reflects on her participation in a women’s rights group monitoring the Zuma trial in support of the complainant. She examines conversations with students at UKZN who supported Zuma, assessing their accounts of the rape trial.

Reference:
Muthuki, Wangari, and Pattman, Rob. 'Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 362-369.

Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban

2007-05-17T15:18:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban, Rob Pattman and Deevia Bhana focus on the ways young people construct their identities. They note the significance accorded by African boys and girls to notions of ‘modernity’ and ‘tradition’, and how they negotiate identities along this axis. They find that young black women are often criticised for identifying as ‘modern’, which is seen as a cultural violation. Their article draws on interviews with 16-17 year old black girls at a formerly Indian school about ‘being young people of their age’. The girls spoke about culture, ‘race’ and sexuality animated ways, signalling the importance of these in their lives. Many girls feel marginalised at school and due to racism from pupils and teachers. But they often invoke ‘culture’ as powerful resources of self-esteem in contexts where they feel subordinated ‘racially’. However, ‘culture’ was also associated negatively as a form of parental policing and control of their sexuality. The article examines how these girls resist this.

Reference:
Pattman, Rob, and Bhana, Deevia. 'Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 343-361.

Global Cultural Consumption and Aesthetic Choices of Clothing within Durban

2007-05-17T15:17:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Global Cultural Consumption and Aesthetic Choices of Clothing within Durban, Claudia Martinez-Mullen investigates the clothing tastes and language preferences of young Zulus. She finds significant polarisation in relation to wearing jeans and their views of English. Those who wear jeans tend to view English positively, whereas those who do not, tend to see English as an oppressive, colonial medium. The former live in formal urban areas, have better paid jobs, more formal education, and are younger than the latter. Moreover, women were less likely than men to wear jeans, and women from poorer backgrounds and with lower levels of formal education were least likely to wear them. She situates the polarisation of young Zulus along these lines in the context of the post-apartheid/globalisation eras.

Reference:
Martinez-Mullen, Claudia. 'Global Cultural Consumption and Aesthetic Choices of Clothing within Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 338-342.

Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City

2007-05-17T15:17:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City, Humphrey Glass and Mxolisi Ngcongo address Zulu identity in light of recent black migrations to Durban. They argue that the ‘equalising impulse of money’ is experienced as a process of homogenisation. ‘Issues of [Zulu] language and culture’ are relegated to the sidelines in the face of this. A ‘tide’ of ‘reinvented Zulu nationalism’ arises in the city as a kind of ‘buffer’ against such homogenisation. But an urban Zulu nationalism is liable to being transformed into a consumer product, appropriated as a cultural artefact for tourist promotion in Durban.

Reference:
Ngcongo, Mxolisi, and Glass, Humphrey. 'Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 334-337.

Black Solidarity and black divisions

2007-05-17T15:16:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Black Solidarity and black divisions, Sibusiso Mpama addresses the importance of being black to him. He recognises strong class differences among blacks: some are seen as ‘less black’ because they enjoyed privileges associated with whites, like attending a ‘Model C’ school and living in a ‘white area.’ He criticises the tendency to stereotype blacks as poor, writing positively about the growing black middle class. However, he says that, despite the burgeoning black middle class, there a growing disparity between ‘the black haves’ (in which he counts himself) and the ‘black have nots’.

Reference:
Mpama, Sibusiso. 'Black Solidarity and black divisions', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 332-333.

The Minority Report: Undressing ‘Indians’ in Durban

2007-05-17T15:16:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, The Minority Report: Undressing ‘Indians’ in Durban, Kathryn Pillay takes issue with popular ways of homogenising and fixing Indian identity. She starts with an extract from a tourist brochure about Durban’s ‘little India’ which presents Indian culture as a mix of the exotic and mystical as if transported straight from India. She emphasises the importance of differentiating 'Indians' in terms of class and other variables. And she critiques stereotypes of Indian masculinity and femininity. Kathryn explains her own reluctance to be classified—not only in stereotypical ways—but also as Indian, since she equates the two. She views the South African 'Indian' identity as an apartheid category.

Reference:
Pillay, Kathryn. 'The Minority Report: Undressing ‘Indians’ in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 319-329.

Living a double life: home and university

2007-05-17T15:15:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Living a double life: home and university, Sandhisha Jay Narain writes with great sensitivity about how ‘race’ and gender intersect in forging her identities as a young Indian woman living at home with her parents and as a student at UKZN. While writing about her different identities, she sees them as complementary, with ‘traditional teachings’ (at home) helping to promote a commitment to the work ethic as a student (at university).

Reference:
Narain, Sandhisha, Jay. 'Living a double life: home and university', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 316-318.

The Gujarati trading class within the Indian Community – Shaped and styled by historical contradictions

2007-05-17T15:15:00.001-07:00

In the chapter,The Gujarati trading class within the Indian Community – Shaped and styled by historical contradictions, Kalpana Hiralal provides a richly nuanced historical account of the people who migrated from India to South Africa. She assesses how differentiated they were in terms of income, wealth and social class. And she investigates the different motivations and experiences of these groups. Kalpana addresses gender differences in migration and participation in the economy. She shows how these historical differences are of contemporary relevance: ‘the difference in origin between the ‘indentured’ – labouring – and the passenger trading class’ provides ‘a basis of an enduring social distinction of great importance in understanding the Indian community in Natal’.

Reference:
Hiralal, Kalpana. 'The Gujarati trading class within the Indian Community – Shaped and styled by historical contradictions', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 309-315.

Drawing the curtain: Indian cinema in the Grey Street Complex

2007-05-17T15:14:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Drawing the curtain: Indian cinema in the Grey Street Complex, Ebrahim Essa provides a wonderfully dry and witty account of Indian life and culture in apartheid-era Durban. He focuses on Indian cinema, the kinds of movies shown, and the experiences of going to watch them. He notes the gendered and generational experiences of smoking: ‘men [in the audience] smoked away actively, the rest passively.’

Reference:
Essa, Ebrahim. 'Drawing the curtain: Indian cinema in the Grey Street Complex', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 302-308.

Corporal punishment in a Durban schoo

2007-05-17T15:14:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Corporal punishment in a Durban school, Lee-Ann Inderpal draws on conversations with Grade 9 students (13–14 year-olds) about corporal punishment in a formerly Indian school. Though illegal in the post-apartheid era, it is common practice at this school. Significantly, it was not she who raised the issue, but the pupils themselves. They raised it in response to questions she posed about their relations with teachers and whether they ever felt ‘picked on’ by them. Normally bullies are associated with students, but these boys and girls spoke with much emotion about being hit by teachers on various parts of the body. Black students felt particularly picked on by Indian teachers, and girls complained of being verbally abused (in sexist ways) as well as being physically hit by male teachers.

Reference:
Inderpal, Lee-Ann. 'Corporal punishment in a Durban school', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 297-300.

Overcrowding in a Durban prison

2007-05-17T15:13:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Overcrowding in a Durban prison, Shanta Singh investigates the impact of severe overcrowding on prisoners in the city's largest maximum security facility. As she points out, prison overcrowding reflects the high rates of crime in a society where so many people experience poverty and where inequalities are so vast. The majority of prisoners hail from poor backgrounds and are particularly susceptible to spreading infectious diseases in such conditions. Her paper draws on deeply unsettling interviews with inmates: she argues that prisoners’ Constitutional rights are regularly violated. Perhaps because prisons are ‘behind closed doors’—and because many view prisons as institutions for retribution in which prisoners should have no rights—the issue of overcrowding has not been taken seriously. But Shanta says that such overcrowding can be a ‘death sentence’.

Reference:
Singh, Shanta. 'Overcrowding in a Durban prison', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 292-296.

Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East

2007-05-17T15:13:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East, One Selohilwe and Subashini Govender interpret research interviews not as simple means or instruments for eliciting information but as social encounters in which relations are forged and identities performed. They focus on Carl, an ex-‘gangster’, examining not only what he said about being a gangster, but, also, the kinds of relations he established with them, the female student interviewers. In a group interview, Subashini and One were surprised at how normal these ‘guys’ were, but they also felt ‘uncomfortable’ because much of the men’s conversation revolved around women as sex objects. This collective performance of a particular kind of masculinity contributed to the sense of solidarity in the group, but made them (as women) feel marginalised and excluded.

Reference:
Govender, Subashini, and Selohilwe, One. 'Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 279-290.

Coloured ‘gangs’ as communities in Newlands East

2007-05-17T15:12:00.003-07:00

In the chapter, Coloured ‘gangs’ as communities in Newlands East, Wesley Oakes writes about his experiences researching and living with ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East. We see how integrated the lives of ‘gangsters’ are with the wider community. Here, they are not depicted as people who prey on their communities, but as providing communal services, even through illegal activities. Wesley illustrates this in his account of a local tuck shop which merges the licit & illicit, where zol is sold alongside bread & sweets. The owner and assistants belong to a gang, have prison records, but are valued by the community for the tuck shop.

Reference:
Oakes, Wesley. 'Coloured ‘gangs’ as communities in Newlands East', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 270-278.

The ‘Devil’ himself walks through the streets of Durban

2007-05-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, The ‘Devil’ himself walks through the streets of Durban, Elias Cebekhulu and Evan Mantzaris depict Durban as a city suffused with crime, ‘a magnet’ which ‘attracts people who have no intention of making a good day’s living.’ The paper comprises a series of graphic sketches about the lifestyles and reputations of gangsters in Durban, the crime economy and the commonality of petty crime, bribery and corruption. It is a descriptive piece about ‘criminals’ and where they hang out and socialise in they city. They argue that this is the harsh reality, recently borne out by the spate of muggings of sociology delegates attending the 2006 International Sociology Conference.

Reference:
Cebekhulu, Elias, and Mantzaris, Evan. 'The ‘Devil’ himself walks through the streets of Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 264-269.

The Security Challenge for Durban’s Tourist Authority

2007-05-17T15:11:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, The Security Challenge for Durban’s Tourist Authority, Sabrina Grosse Kettler focuses on how the tourist industry responds to the fear of crime. The industry seeks to counter the image of Durban as a dangerous city, yet it must also present the reality of crime accurately in order to protect the tourists. Through interviews with hotel managers and tourist agents, Sabrina identifies some of their strategies: emphasising safe havens (malls or private beaches); presenting Durban as ‘just like anywhere in the world’; and even making a virtue of Durban’s bad reputation by presenting poor and dangerous spaces as tourist attractions catered for by organised tours. Sabrina attended an educational campaign at Westville prison aimed at improving young offenders' attitudes toward foreign tourists so as to curtail future crimes against them. She provides a fascinating account of their experiences and feelings about the campaign.

Reference:
Kettler, Sabrina Grosse. 'The Security Challenge for Durban’s Tourist Authority', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 257-262.

Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation

2007-05-17T15:10:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation, Richard Ballard argues that black suburbanites have become the object of a post-apartheid moral panic, motivated by the fears of white neighbours. This fear is centered not so much on crime but on animal killings. Richard says that black neighbours are constructed as the uncivilised Other; these panics are fuelled by the difficulties some whites experience ‘coming to terms with the prospect of sharing their neighbourhoods with previously excluded groups.’ He also points out, however, that not all whites react in the same way to these killings. For some, ‘identity construction is no longer based on the rejection and exclusion of ‘uncivilised’ people but rather on a sense of self which is able to accommodate co-existence with diversity.’

Reference:
Ballard, Richard. 'Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 250-256.

Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa

2007-05-17T15:10:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa, Ralph Callebert reflects on the fixation with talking & writing about crime in South Africa. He argues that one of the problems concerns the way crime is de-historicised, invoked as a symbol for all that is wrong with the post-apartheid era. Ralph does not deny the reality of crime, but his specific interest is in a contemporary ‘moral panic’ that characterises South Africa as a crime ridden country, dramatising the threat to ‘ordinary’ citizens of immoral and amoral Others. ‘Moral panics’ are defined as exaggerated reactions to perceived threats to imagined social norms posed by groups cast in the role of ‘folk devils’. The Others in question are almost always imagined as black males. Ralph suggests that complaining about crime may represent one socially sanctioned way of expressing racist sentiments about blacks.

Reference:
Callebert, Ralph. 'Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 243-249.

Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets

2007-05-17T15:09:00.004-07:00

In the chapter, Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets, Azad Essa and Ercüment Çelik draw from their frustrations (as local & international students) with crime and fear as ‘an obstacle towards having fun in this city.’ They write about how Durban's city centre is seen as a no go area by ‘the average middle class Durbanites,’ especially whites. While Indians may ‘man’ their businesses, there are few Indian pedestrians. Constructions of Durban city as dangerous are shared more widely at night: the city virtually shuts down. The paper raises questions about how to open up the city to everyone and reclaim the streets at night. It offers imaginative suggestions.

Reference:
Çelik, Ercüment, and Essa, Azad. 'Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 235-242.

Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban

2007-05-17T15:09:00.003-07:00

In the chapter, Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban, Anna Mayr and Ravi Baghel show that crime—or rather talk about crime—is one of the main things to hit outsiders when they arrive in South Africa. The writers provide an account of their experiences as international students: not of crime, but of crime discourse. They discuss the dramatic impact of the fear of crime on their lives, as conveyed in conversations with South Africans and reflected in the security arrangements in their neighbourhood. They consider how this made them feel like prisoners in their home. They were eventually brave enough to go downtown to experience aspects of Durban which they would have otherwise missed out on. Their piece also draws attention to the ways fear of crime restricts the movements of women; they refer to women venturing into public spaces in Durban only if accompanied by their fellow male students.

Reference:
Baghel, Ravi, and Mayr, Anna. 'Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 228-234.

Scenes from an Urban Underworld

2007-05-17T15:09:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Scenes from an Urban Underworld, Thorin Roberts focuses on hostel accommodation in Durban. He offers ‘thick descriptions’ of four shelters based on visits in 2002-2003. Thorin draws on a series of conversations with key informants—hostel managers and employees—as well as personal observations, creating a sense of ‘being there’. Not only is his writing style anecdotal and chatty, but in the first person, reflecting upon his own feelings and reactions.

Reference:
Roberts, Thorin. 'Scenes from an Urban Underworld', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 213-226.

Down But Not Out in Central Durban: ‘Streetwisdom’ and survival in a post-apartheid Inner City

2007-05-17T15:08:00.003-07:00

In the chapter, Down But Not Out in Central Durban: ‘Streetwisdom’ and survival in a post-apartheid Inner City, Geoff Waters reports on an ethnographic study he conducted in 2001 on homelessness in Durban. He provides powerful accounts of the identities and experiences of poor adults trying to make ends meet. He notes the kinds of streetwise cultures they develop which enable them to cope with poverty. He asks whether these culures institutionalise their poverty and restrain them or whether they ‘provide them with a basis for self improvement and upward mobility.’ Geoff also examines some of the hostel facilities available to homeless people in Durban. His piece is self reflective, raising important issues about ethnography. His paper also develops some of the implications of his research for city planners.

Reference:
Water, Geoff. 'Down But Not Out in Central Durban: ‘Streetwisdom’ and survival in a post-apartheid Inner City', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 195-212.

Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children

2007-05-17T15:08:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children, Shanta Singh addresses street children in Durban as active agents. Even though they may be engaged in criminal behaviour and are viewed in problematic terms, she argues that they are highly sociable, well organised and rational. And they should be regarded as such.

Reference:
Singh, Shanta. 'Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 190-194.

The Voices of street children in Durban shelters

2007-05-17T15:06:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, The Voices of street children in Durban shelters, Jackson Kariuki presents a powerful account the lives, concerns, anxieties, hopes, desires and aspirations of Durban children living in shelters. This is drawn from his recently completed Masters dissertation on street children and the agencies that deal with them in Durban. He argues that their views need to be solicited by adults and taken into account when planning shelters for them and the regulations which govern these.

Reference:
Kariuki, Jackson. 'The Voices of street children in Durban shelters', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 182-189.

Struggles and Triumphs of Shack Dwellers

2007-05-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Struggles and Triumphs of Shack Dwellers, Fazel Khan addresses the difficulties faced by shack dwellers as they mobilise to protest against their living conditions. He focuses on the authoritarianism of the police against them. He reports on triumphs of the shack dwellers in the courts. And he points to contradictions between the rhetoric of a new democratic South Africa and its disregard for the rights of certain (black) people.

Reference:
Khan, Fazel. 'Struggles and Triumphs of Shack Dwellers', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 173-180.

Life and Death in Banana City

2007-05-17T15:05:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Life and Death in Banana City, Elias Cebekhulu and Evan Mantzaris describe the conditions of shack dwellers. They report on the housing conditions, social life, organisations, employment, activities for children, illnesses and struggles of the residents of Banana City, an area near the UKZN-Westville campus. It is occupied by 4000 or so shack dwellers. They live on university-owned property, and some Vice Chancellors have tried unsuccessfully to evict the ‘squatters’. The paper addresses the struggle of shack dwellers against the university and its attempt to evict three new squatters from its land. This struggle, notably, has received much support from students and staff at the Westville campus, some of whom are helping the children of Banana City with their school fees.

Reference:
Cebekhulu, Elias, and Mantzaris, Evan. 'Life and Death in Banana City', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 166-172.

‘If you don’t die first’: Fire, water and women in the shack settlements of Durban

2007-05-17T15:04:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, ‘If you don’t die first’: Fire, water and women in the shack settlements of Durban, Shannon Walsh keys in on how ‘for many of the poorest of the poor, little seems to have changed since the end of apartheid.’ She focuses on shack dwellers living in euphemistic ‘informal settlements’. These are make-shift dwellings put together with scraps of metal around Durban and other cities in South Africa. She writes about Abahlali baseMjondolo, the shackdwellers’ movement campaigning around the slogan ‘No Land! No House! No Vote!’ The movement has tried to raise public consciousness about the appalling conditions they have to put up with and how the ‘political system has failed [them] so significantly.’

Reference:
Walsh, Shannon. '‘If you don’t die first’: Fire, water and women in the shack settlements of Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 156-165.

Durban’s Albert Park Residential Area – a Hundred Years On

2007-05-17T15:03:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Durban’s Albert Park Residential Area – a Hundred Years On, Simon Mapadimeng provides a brief demographic, economic and cultural history of a residential area in central Durban, focusing on how it has changed with the ending of apartheid. Like many inner-city areas in South Africa which were once mainly or exclusively white, it has now become black. With the flight of capital to the suburbs, it has also become relatively run down.

Reference:
Mapadimeng, Simon. 'Durban’s Albert Park Residential Area – a Hundred Years On', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 151-154.

Public Transport Challenges in Durban – Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010

2007-05-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Public Transport Challenges in Durban – Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010, Sultan Khan addresses the important issue of public transport in Durban. He provides a brief historical account of influences on public transport in South Africa and the current challenges to develop a safe, efficient and integrated public transport system. As Sultan implies in the title, the imminence of the next World Cup (2010) will act as an incentive to develop the public transport network in cities like Durban which will be hosting matches.

Reference:
Khan, Sultan. 'Public Transport Challenges in Durban – Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 144-150.

Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces

2007-05-17T15:02:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces, Lawrence Gordon and Stephen Gordon argue that Durban sport has ‘a distinctive identity’ evolving from its physical and social environment. But their emphasis is on the social and historical constructions of various sports and their appropriation, notably, by English-speaking whites. They examine how identifications by Anglos and dis-identifications by Afrikaners have influenced the ‘Natal style’ of rugby. As a predominantly white & male sport, rugby is a powerful medium through which versions of whiteness and masculinities are produced. Cricket is also addressed historically as a white English activity. They characterise it as a ‘tool of colonisation’ for inculcating supposedly superior English values and as a ‘home-from-home sanctuary’ for Anglos estranged from a white South Africa dominated by their [Afrikaans-speaking] cultural adversaries. As a white sport, rugby has come to be associated with elitism and discrimination by many 'non-whites' who hailed football as ‘the people’s game’.

Reference:
Gordon, Lawrence, and Gordon, Stephen. 'Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 132-142.

Nightlife in Durban and ‘racial’ divisions

2007-05-17T15:02:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Nightlife in Durban and ‘racial’ divisions, Shabashni Moodley argues that nightclubs, like those at the beachfront, are not simply social spaces for people to relax, but ‘microcosms of the larger societal context,’ in which people are divided in terms of ‘race’ and class. She writes that she used to fantasise about nightlife, associating it with meeting, flirting and dancing with people of all backgrounds. Recent experiences in Durban, however, have caused her to view some nightclubs as black, white, Indian or coloured, upmarket or downmarket. She writes about an experience at a mainly white club, examining her discomfort at being the 'token Indian' female. She contrasts this with a less racialised experience in Cape Town, speculating on how and why Durban's student nightclubs so racialised in comparison.

Reference:
Moodley, Shabashni. 'Nightlife in Durban and ‘racial’ divisions', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 126-131.

The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront

2007-05-17T15:01:00.002-07:00

In the chapter, The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront, Wesley Oakes and Binium Misgun argue that the beach is not just a space for people to unwind and be their ‘natural’ selves, but a place where identity work proceeds, with ‘race’ very much to the fore. They investigate the informal post-apartheid racialisation of sand, showing how South Beach—the beach with the best facilities—became black, like the City centre. And just as whites moved away to the suburbs, they also moved from South Beach to the North. They examine how whites & blacks who go to North Beach construct it as safe, clean and white in relation to dirty, dangerous and black South Beach. They argue that these racial constructs intersect with class.

Reference:
Misgun, Biniam, and Oakes, Wesley. 'The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 118-125.

Guess who’s Coming for Dinner?’ and other Suburban Tales of Horror

2007-05-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Guess who’s Coming for Dinner?’ and other Suburban Tales of Horror, Megan Kleyn—a white SA woman with a black SA boyfriend—describes her mother as unequivocally opposed, on ‘racial’ grounds, to the relationship. Megan uses this to illustrate how difficult a mixed relationship can be to sustain, attaching significance to her mother's role in the process. Megan distinguishes three kinds of problematic responses from others to her relationship. 1st: ‘white liberals’ who applaud her relationship as if it signifies the dawning of a Rainbow Nation. 2nd: black men who construct her as a woman who desires black men and try to seduce her. Not only do they racialise her, but they sexualise and reduce her to a white alluring object. 3rd: assorted types who denigrate the relationship.

One implication is that celebrations of mixed relations are not necessarily progressive. They may end up idealising these relationships, even exaggerating levels of integration. However, the extent to which it is acceptable, common or normal is an important gauge of just how much integration has occurred in the post-apartheid context.

Reference:
Kleyn, Megan. 'Guess who’s Coming for Dinner?’ and other Suburban Tales of Horror', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 112-116.

Our mothers don’t mind, so why should you?

2007-05-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Our mothers don’t mind, so why should you?, Anne Holloway—a white South African married to a black Eritrean Biniam Misgun—reflects upon being stared at with her partner. She does not know whether they are being stared at because they are a mixed couple or because people are not quite sure how to classify her partner who does not look locally black. Elderly white women look at her as if she is ‘degrading’ herself; young black women save their disgust for Biniam (perhaps because he is seen as rejecting them). Hostility may not only be due to their inter-raciality, but by a perception of Biniam as a black ‘outsider’. Indeed, when Biniam became the target of ‘racial’ violence, he was with Anne in a popular shopping centre. Anne's piece offers a sensitive portrayal of Durban's 'racial' fault/lines.

Reference:
Holloway, Anne. 'Our mothers don’t mind, so why should you?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 108-111.

But, what will your children be?

2007-05-17T14:59:00.004-07:00

In the chapter, But, what will your children be?, Serrenta Nadioo—a South African Indian woman—writes about family reactions to her relationship with a white Afrikaans-speaking man. She reveals how others express their concerns, often indirectly, and her strategies to deal with these. She sometimes asserts an attitude of indifference to her relatives, but the anger she expresses towards them hints at ambivalence. Similarly, Serrenta says that even though they ‘never had any negative experiences' publicly as a couple, ‘if people have an issue with us they stare, some quite unabashedly.’ She acknowledges the ‘relief’ she felt when living with her partner in London because they blended in and were inconspicuous. The ‘wonderful’ feeling of being ‘normal’ stood in contrast to the continued 'racial' segregation in Durban.

Reference:
Naidoo, Serrenta. 'But, what will your children be?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 102-107.

Foreign Migrants in the Inner City of Durban

2007-05-17T14:59:00.003-07:00

In the chapter, Foreign Migrants in the Inner City of Durban, Binium Misgun explores migrant workers from abroad and their experiences of Durban, focusing on their participation as informal street traders and in other businesses. He draws on his recently completed Masters dissertation, one of the few ethnographic studies of foreign migrant workers participating in the country's informal economy. He provides rich accounts of their lives, identities, relations with significant others, local street traders and the police. He argues that migrant workers experience xenophobia and other problems. In response, they develop strong senses of identity and community with migrant workers from the same countries.

Reference:
Misgun, Biniam. 'Foreign Migrants in the Inner City of Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 92-100.

Growing up in Durban and going on Holiday to Europe

2007-05-17T14:59:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, Growing up in Durban and going on Holiday to Europe, Sheritha Grindlay shows how problematic she is for most South Africans trying to place her ‘racially’. Born in South Africa, Sheritha’s mum is Indian and her dad white. She writes about how alienating the fixation on racial categorisation in South Africa has been for. This is because, growing up, she didn’t fit into any of the categories. She writes about how she feels most at ease publicly when she is with her sister since, with her, she does not stand out. In the second part, she reflects on her experiences of a recent holiday in Europe, especially the relief of not being noticed and stared at for looking ‘racially’ different. Her experiences caused her to consider further Durban's social and ‘racial’ dynamics.

Reference:
Grindlay, Sheritha. 'Growing up in Durban and going on Holiday to Europe', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 88-91.

A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban

2007-05-17T14:58:00.001-07:00

In the chapter, A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban, Marie Saramandif writes about how significant ‘race’ became for her when she moved to Durban from her home in Mauritius. Like most other Mauritians she identifies herself as Creole or mixed, and she is not very sure about her ‘racial’ lineage. ‘Race’, and skin colour are, she says, of little significance in Mauritius. This contrasts to her experiences in Durban. While socialising with people from different ‘races’ she finds that they are either black or white or Indian and never a mixture.

She also finds that with her olive skin, French accent, straight brown hair and medium brown eyes, she presents something of an enigma to South Africans who classify her differently, depending on their own identity. White friends construct her as Southern European (who can get a great summer ‘tan’), black friends think she might be coloured, and Indian friends see her as an 'exotic' Asian, emphasising her lightness (compared with them). By constructing her in these ways, people from different ‘races’ claiming her as one of their own, allowing her to socialise with greater ease with them.

Reference:
Saramandif, Marie. 'A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 85-87.

Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban

2007-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban, One Selohilwe focuses on how coming from another country to pursue her studies in Durban caused her to reflect on constructions of ‘race’ and gender in South Africa. While looking forward to living in a place ‘rich in culture and diversity,’ she finds expectations about how she should behave as a black person quite limiting and alienating. For example, students and lecturers problematise her decision—as a black woman—to mixing with people from other ‘races’, especially males. One's piece provides an honest examination of dealing with foreign social & 'racial' expectations.

Reference:
Selohilwe, One. 'Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 82-84.

I’m an African not a Coloured

2007-05-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, I’m an African not a Coloured, Canadian-born Wesley Oakes writes about being constructed as coloured in South Africa and his desire to be seen, instead, as black or African. Writing about his experiences as an outsider grappling with external identity constructions, his reflections illuminate the often taken-for granted everyday processes through which ‘racial’ identities are produced. Wesley constructs coloured as a less authentic identity than black or African, interpreting the former as an apartheid category.

Reference:
Oakes, Wesley. 'I’m an African not a Coloured', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 78-81.

Old Wine in New Bottles: Striving for the Impossible in Durban

2007-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, Old Wine in New Bottles: Striving for the Impossible in Durban, Elias Cebekhulu and Evan Mantzaris report on the problems of poverty, unemployment, crime and inadequate service provisions which affect people living in inner city Durban as well as the townships and squatter camps around Durban. These are all addressed in more detail in later papers. The division of resources in post-apartheid South Africa is highly inequitable, poverty is still highly racialised (as black) and this is very striking in and around Durban.

Reference:
Cebekhulu, Elias, and Mantzaris, Evan. 'Old Wine in New Bottles: Striving for the Impossible in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 74-76.

Theatre of Dreams: Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban

2007-05-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, Theatre of Dreams: Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban, Bernard Dubbeld takes the reader on a tour of Durban. It provides a fascinating cultural geography in and around the city, moving from downtown Durban to the suburban spaces near and further away from the city.

Reference:
Dubbeld, Bernard. 'Theatre of Dreams: Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 68-73.

If it’s Durbs it’s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists

2007-05-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

In the chapter, If it’s Durbs it’s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists, Woody Aroun provides an insightful and witty introduction to life in Durban. He addresses the readers as tourists coming to Durban for the first time, without ‘dressing up’ Durban in the ways that the tourism industry often does. He focuses on cultural diversity and introduces a number of important social issues such as ‘race’, racism and paranoia by looking at street slang. He also makes suggestions about what to do in Durban if you get bored.

Reference:
Aroun, Woody. 'If it’s Durbs it’s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 64-67.

2007-05-09T02:32:00.000-07:00

Forward
     Mary Evans
Introduction
     Rob Pattman & Sultan Khan

Section 1: Introducing Durban
If it's Durbs it�s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists
     Woody Aroun
Theatre of Dreams: Narrating Consumption, Exclusion and Banality in Durban
     Bernard Dubbeld
Old Wine in New Bottles: Striving for the impossible in Durban
     Elias Cebekhulu & Evan Mantzaris

Section 2: Outsiders in Durban (and Durbanites as outsiders)
I'm an African not a Coloured
     Wesley Oakes
Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban
     One Selohilwe
A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban
     Marie Saramandif
Growing up in Durban and going on holiday to Europe
     Sheritha Grindlay
Foreign Migrants in the Inner City of Durban
     Biniam Misgun

Section 3: Mixed 'race' heterosexual partners in Durban
But, what will your children be?
     Serrenta Naidoo
Our mothers don't mind, so why should you?
     Anne Holloway
'Guess Who's Coming for Dinner' and other Suburban Tales of Horror
     Megan Kleyn

Section 4: Sport, Entertainment and Relaxation
The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront
     Biniam Misgun & Wesley Oakes
Nightlife in Durban and 'racial' divisions
     Shabashni Moodley
Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces
     Lawrence Gordon & Stephen Gordon

Section 5: Transport and Residential Spaces in Durban
Public Transport Challenges in Durban—Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010
     Sultan Khan
Durban's Albert Park Residential Area—a hundred Years on
     Mokong Simon Mapadimeng

Section 6: Shack Dwellers
'If you don't die first': Fire, water and women in the shack settlements in Durban
     Shannon Walsh
Life and Death in Banana City
     Evan Mantzaris & Elias Cebekhulu
Struggles and Triumphs of Shack Dwellers
     Fazel Khan

Section 7: Living on the streets and in hostels in Durban
The Voices of Street children in Durban Shelters
     Jackson Kariuki
Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children
     Shanta Singh
Down but not out in Central Durban: 'Streetwisdom' and survival in a post-apartheid city
     Geoff Waters
Scenes from an Urban Underworld
     Thorin Roberts

Section 8: Fear of crime and moral panics
Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban
     Ravi Baghel & Anna Mayr
Normalizing life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets
     Ercument Celik & Azad Essa
Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa
     Ralph Callebert
Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation
     Richard Ballard
The Security Challenge for Durban's Tourist Authority
     Sabrina Grosse Kettler

Section 9: Gangsters
The 'Devil' himself walks through the streets of Durban
     Elias Cebekhulu & Evan Mantzaris
Coloured 'gangs' as communities in Newlands East
     Wesley Oakes
Two women researching (male) 'gangsters' in Newlands East
     Subashini Govender & One Selohilwe

Section 10: Punishments
Overcrowding in a Durban prison
     Shanta Singh
Corporal punishment in a Durban school
     Lee-Ann Inderpal

Section 11: Indian identities and culture
Drawing the curtain: Indian cinema in the Grey Street Complex
     Ebrahim Essa
The Gujarati trading class within the Indian Community—Shaped and styled by historical contradictions
     Kalpana Hiralal
Living a double life: home and University
     Sandhisha Jay Narain
The Minority Report: Undressing 'Indians' in Durban
     Kathryn Pillay

Section 12: Black African Identities and culture
Black Solidarity and black divisions
     Sibusiso Mpama
Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City
     Mxolisi Ngcongo & Humphrey Glass
Global Cultural Consumption and Aesthetic Choices of Clothing within Durban
     Claudia Martinez-Mullen
Invoking 'culture' and sexuality: Black girls in mixed 'race' schools in Durban
     Rob Pattman
Loving and hating Jacob Zuma and some Implications for education
     Wangari Muthuki & Rob Pattman
who am I?
     Tshque Harcharan

Section 13: HIV/AIDS
Voices of HIV positive young mothers
     Nirmala Gopal
The Tree at Operation Bobbi Bear
     Hema Hargovan
Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233
     Wangari Muthuki

Section 14: University of KwaZulu-Natal
The Significance Students attach to 'Race' at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
     Rob Pattman
Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal
     Ntokozo Zulu
Developing transformative learning approaches and relinquishing my authority as teacher
     Kibbie Naidoo
Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff
     Mokong Simon Mapadimeng & Sthembiso Bhengu
The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN
     Shaun Ruggunan
The Importance of Communicating Freely
     Nithaya Chetty

Section 15: Women sex workers in Durban
Dehumanising street sex workers in Durban
     Faith ka-Manzi
The Women of Durban's Dockside Sex Industry
     Henry Trotter

Section 16: Local and global inequalities and challenging these
Wonderwoman vs the World Bank
     Ari Sitas

Tshque Harcharan

2007-05-09T02:19:00.000-07:00

Tshque Harcharan has had the distinct honour of living in two South Africas—one that unjustly divided the peoples of the country racially and the other that gave the majority dignity and freedom. His writings reflect his experiences during these two periods. He is currently reading for a degree in Mechanical Engineering at UKZN, however poetry is his passion.

In his poem, who am i?, Tshque muses on Indian identity in Africa.

Reference:
Harcharan, Tshque. 'who am i?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), p. 370.

Deevia Bhana

2007-05-09T02:16:00.000-07:00

Deevia Bhana works in Education at UKZN. Her interests include schooling, gender, sexuality, 'race' and HIV/AIDS.

In their chapter, Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban, Deevia and Rob Pattman focus on the ways young people construct their identities. They note the significance accorded by African boys and girls to notions of ‘modernity’ and ‘tradition’, and how they negotiate identities along this axis. They find that young black women are often criticised for identifying as ‘modern’, which is seen as a cultural violation. Their article draws on interviews with 16-17 year old black girls at a formerly Indian school about ‘being young people of their age’. The girls spoke about culture, ‘race’ and sexuality animated ways, signalling the importance of these in their lives. Many girls feel marginalised at school and due to racism from pupils and teachers. But they often invoke ‘culture’ as powerful resources of self-esteem in contexts where they feel subordinated ‘racially’. However, ‘culture’ was also associated negatively as a form of parental policing and control of their sexuality. The article examines how these girls resist this.

Reference:
Pattman, Rob, and Bhana, Deevia. 'Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 343-361.

Review by Artsmart

2007-05-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

Recently launched at the time of the Writers Festival is Undressing Durban, the brainchild of WISA (Writing Initiative to Support Academics) located in the Sociology Dept of UKZN’s Howard College Campus in Durban.

Its publish-on-demand edition was produced as an alternative guidebook to Durban for the 3000-odd delegates to the ISA (Int Sociological Assoc) Congress at Durban’s ICC in July 2006, to address delegates as people keen to engage with Durban beyond the Durban in the tourist brochures.

Hence the title, Undressing Durban, as Durban dresses itself up for tourism (see the rickshaw puller on the cover), presenting Durban as Other, ethnic, exotic, while presenting the lived experience of different (and unequal) groups living in Durban.

Focusing on social groups, identities and relations which make Durban and define its spaces, Undressing Durban addresses its readers as cultural geographers rather than tourists, who are usually presented with the (escapist) generalized fantasies of Africa, viz. sunny beaches, wildlife and beautiful scenery.

Some of the topics covered include deteriorating spaces in the city; moral panics and race; mixed-race couples; Coloured gangs; Indian culture, cinema and heterogeneity; black African identities and culture; sex workers; HIV support groups and inequalities; identities at the newly merged University of KZN.

It is hoped that Undressing Durban will be read by academics and lay people alike and, more importantly, used as a teaching text in universities and senior classes in schools, going some way to balance the culture of Britain and the USA, presented in prescribed textbooks published in Britain and the USA.

The WISA Project Undressing Durban is produced by Madiba Publishers.

Originally posted on www.artsmart.co.za

Ntokozo Zulu

2007-05-08T03:19:00.000-07:00

Ntokozo Zulu is a final year undergraduate student majoring in Geography at UKZN. She lives in KwaMashu Township near Durban, which she says tends to be stigmatised by outsiders as ‘a violent, corrupt, dirty poor and dangerous place to be.’ She says this is ‘far from the truth,’ that KwaMashu is ‘vibrant, buzzing and welcome.’ While she enjoys meeting people at University, she says she sometimes avoids telling people where she comes from ‘because of the comments that follow.’

In her chapter, Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Ntokozo writes about the importance of being black to her as a student at UKZN. Coming from a black single-sex high school, she welcomes the opportunity to interact with students of other ‘races’, as well as males. Significantly, she writes about how little she knows about people in her classes from other ‘races’ despite being with them for two years. But she stresses the importance of lecturers encouraging ‘racial’ mixing in group work. Ntokozo also discusses the concerns of black students who come from relatively resource-poor high school backgrounds: struggles with varsity fees and problems of reading and writing with speed and fluency in English.

Reference:
Zulu, Ntokozo. 'Coming to a Foreign Country: adjusting to the University of KwaZulu-Natal', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 405-406.

Subashini Govender

2007-05-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Subashini Govender is a final year undergraduate student majoring in Sociology and Industrial, Organizational and Labour Studies at UKZN. She describes herself as a dedicated student of Sociology and as a passionate researcher who is making her publishing debut in Undressing Durban. She thinks Durban is a flourishing city with much potential for growth. But she also stresses that there are many issues which need to be undressed and addressed for communities in Durban to reconcile and unity to be achieved.

In their co-authored chapter, Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East, Subashini and One Selohilwe interpret research interviews not as simple means or instruments for eliciting information but as social encounters in which relations are forged and identities performed. They focus on Carl, an ex-‘gangster’, examining not only what he said about being a gangster, but, also, the kinds of relations he established with them, the female student interviewers. In a group interview, Subashini and One were surprised at how normal these ‘guys’ were, but they also felt ‘uncomfortable’ because much of the men’s conversation revolved around women as sex objects. This collective performance of a particular kind of masculinity contributed to the sense of solidarity in the group, but made them (as women) feel marginalised and excluded.

Reference:
Govender, Subashini, and Selohilwe, One. 'Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 279-290.

Stephen Gordon

2007-05-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

Stephen Gordon is the son of Lawrence Gordon, and is currently completing a Masters thesis at the University of Freiburg in Germany as the final stage in a Masters degree in Global Studies for which he has completed course work at universities in KwaZulu-Natal, New Delhi and Freiburg. Having experienced a variety of cultural spaces, he sees the character of Durban sport as reflecting the impact of globalisation.

In their chapter, Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces, Stephen and Lawrence Gordon argue that Durban sport has ‘a distinctive identity’ evolving from its physical and social environment. But their emphasis is on the social and historical constructions of various sports and their appropriation, notably, by English-speaking whites. They examine how identifications by Anglos and dis-identifications by Afrikaners have influenced the ‘Natal style’ of rugby. As a predominantly white & male sport, rugby is a powerful medium through which versions of whiteness and masculinities are produced. Cricket is also addressed historically as a white English activity. They characterise it as a ‘tool of colonisation’ for inculcating supposedly superior English values and as a ‘home-from-home sanctuary’ for Anglos estranged from a white South Africa dominated by their [Afrikaans-speaking] cultural adversaries. As a white sport, rugby has come to be associated with elitism and discrimination by many 'non-whites' who hailed football as ‘the people’s game’.

Reference:
Gordon, Lawrence, and Gordon, Stephen. 'Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 132-142.

Ercüment Çelik

2007-05-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

Ercüment Çelik is a PhD Fellow in the Sociology Department at University of Freiburg, Germany, and Visiting Researcher in Industrial Organisation and Labour Studies at UKZN. His main areas of interest are Organising Informal Workers, Trade Unions and New Social Movements.

In their chapter, Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets, Ercüment and Azad Essa draw from their frustrations (as international & local students) with crime and fear as ‘an obstacle towards having fun in this city.’ They write about how Durban's city centre is seen as a no go area by ‘the average middle class Durbanites,’ especially whites. While Indians may ‘man’ their businesses, there are few Indian pedestrians. Constructions of Durban city as dangerous are shared more widely at night: the city virtually shuts down. The paper raises questions about how to open up the city to everyone and reclaim the streets at night. It offers imaginative suggestions.

Reference:
Çelik, Ercüment, and Essa, Azad. 'Normalising life in Durban: Bringing people back to its streets', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 235-242.

Woody Aroun

2007-05-07T15:48:00.001-07:00

Woody Aroun is a trade unionist with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and currently registered for a B.Soc.Sc degree at UKZN. Amandla!

In his essay, If it’s Durbs it’s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists, Woody Aroun provides an insightful and witty introduction to life in Durban. He addresses the readers as tourists coming to Durban for the first time, without ‘dressing up’ Durban in the ways that the tourism industry often does. He focuses on cultural diversity and introduces a number of important social issues such as ‘race’, racism and paranoia by looking at street slang. He also makes suggestions about what to do in Durban if you get bored.

Reference:
Aroun, Woody. 'If it’s Durbs it’s poison!: an alternative introduction to Durban for tourists', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 64-67.

Wesley Oakes

2007-05-07T15:47:00.001-07:00

Wesley Oakes is a final year undergraduate Sociology student at UKZN. He describes himself as a buffalo soldier. The son of a Jamaican and a Québécoise, his immense passion for Pan-Africanism has led him across the African continent. Before coming to UKZN he was a student of the University of Dar es Salaam. Durban, he says, is an enchanting spell which causes his mind to drift from consciousness to consciousness. It is a city of multiple realities and complex labyrinths that need exploration. A sociologist’s haven; then again, a nightmare. Uhuru na Ujamaa.

In his chapter, I’m an African not a Coloured, Canadian-born Wesley writes about being constructed as coloured in South Africa and his desire to be seen, instead, as black or African. Writing about his experiences as an outsider grappling with external identity constructions, his reflections illuminate the often taken-for granted everyday processes through which ‘racial’ identities are produced. Wesley constructs coloured as a less authentic identity than black or African, interpreting the former as an apartheid category.

In another chapter, The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront, Wesley and Binium Misgun argue that the beach is not just a space for people to unwind and be their ‘natural’ selves, but a place where identity work proceeds, with ‘race’ very much to the fore. They investigate the informal post-apartheid racialisation of sand, showing how South Beach—the beach with the best facilities—became black, like the City centre. And just as whites moved away to the suburbs, they also moved from South Beach to the North. They examine how whites & blacks who go to North Beach construct it as safe, clean and white in relation to dirty, dangerous and black South Beach. They argue that these racial constructs intersect with class.

And in another chapter, Coloured ‘gangs’ as communities in Newlands East, Wesley writes about his experiences researching and living with ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East. We see how integrated the lives of ‘gangsters’ are with the wider community. Here, they are not depicted as people who prey on their communities, but as providing communal services, even through illegal activities. Wesley illustrates this in his account of a local tuck shop which merges the licit & illicit, where zol is sold alongside bread & sweets. The owner and assistants belong to a gang, have prison records, but are valued by the community for the tuck shop.

References:
Oakes, Wesley. 'I’m an African not a Coloured', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 78-81.

Misgun, Biniam, and Oakes, Wesley. 'The white and black sands of the Durban Beachfront', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 118-125.

Oakes, Wesley. 'Coloured ‘gangs’ as communities in Newlands East', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 270-278.

Wangari Muthuki

2007-05-07T15:46:00.002-07:00

Wangari Muthuki was a PhD student at the Gender Studies Programme, UKZN working on a thesis titled ‘One size fits all?: Complexities of antiretroviral treatment and gendered bodies’. She also worked at the Gender AIDS Forum as a project manager. Sadly, she passed away in April 2007.

In their chapter, Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma, Wangari and Rob Pattman discuss how ‘culture’ was invoked by Zuma (former Deputy President of South Africa), in his 2006 rape trial. They argue that he has become a symbol of dis/identification in powerful and conflicting ways—by males & females, and all races, ethnicities, and statuses. Wangari also reflects on her participation in a women’s rights group monitoring the Zuma trial in support of the complainant. She examines conversations with students at UKZN who supported Zuma, assessing their accounts of the rape trial.

In her chapter, Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233, Wangari writes about an HIV/AIDS support group. She focuses on group dynamics and how members produce—notably through sexualised humour and innuendo—a sense of community and fun that enables them to deal with HIV/AIDS and its stigma. According to members, they could not talk to family and friends about the inter-racial friendships they had established in the group because they would be seen as unusual or strange. One black woman—whose neighbours said she was a ‘prostitute’ because she was friendly to a white man—sustains this illusion rather than reveal that they met at the support group. Wangari notes that black women's voices were more muted than the white men's. One white woman who spoke about her depression was ‘rebuked in good humoured ways’ by the white men, perhaps because this was seen as undermining the group’s focus on living positively with HIV/AIDS and its emphasis on fun and humour as a way of promoting this.

References:
Muthuki, Wangari, and Pattman, Rob. 'Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 362-369.

Muthuki, Wangari. 'Reflections on the activities of the support group in House Number 233', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 382-388.

The Passing Away of Florence Wangari Muthuki

It is with great grief that we report the passing on of Florence on Thursday 12 April 2007 in the vicinity of Empangeni (northern Zululand). Florence was involved in a tragic car accident while travelling back with her sister Janet from a holiday in Maputo, Mozambique.

Florence joined the Gender Studies graduate programme in 2003 and graduated in 2004 and 2005 with Honours & Masters degrees respectively. Florence was an exceptional PhD student whose graduate publications were not only frequently referenced by fellow students but served as an inspiration that saw her acting as a mentor for the students within her programme and elsewhere. As a graduate student she actively participated in a variety of human rights advocacy programmes which led to her being earmarked for a position at the Gender Aids Forum (GAF). At the time of her death she had recently been promoted to a Research Project Manager at GAF. At GAF she was instrumental in coordinating the organisation’s internal and external media publicity with the aim of advancing women's health rights agenda. Her PhD project, “One size fits all: Complexities of antiretroviral treatment on gendered bodies” stemmed from her active involvement with women’s health rights. Florence’s graduate studies motivated her to present at academic conferences and publish articles/book chapters on sexuality, parental roles and HIV/AIDS support groups. She authored two articles in Undressing Durban, launched during the 2007 Time of the Writer.

In Florence we sadly lost an exemplary student and friend.

- Originally published on the UKZN Notice System - 17 April 2007

Thorin Roberts

2007-05-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

Thorin Roberts teaches Sociology with a particular interest in urban underclasses and cities which he says present a kaleidoscope of human interaction, aspiration and even despair. He describes Durban as a place where dreams, hope and regret are found side by side; from the commercial buildings that dominate the skyline to the car guard on the beachfront waiting for that break ‘which has to present itself eventually’, to the barefooted streetchildren who sniff glue to set their minds free from the horror of their reality. He thinks there is so much to learn from in these sprawling laboratories; and with a little effort and creativity so much scope to truly engage some of the social ills which suffocate the human spirit.

In his chapter, Scenes from an Urban Underworld, Thorin focuses on hostel accommodation in Durban. He offers ‘thick descriptions’ of four shelters based on visits in 2002-2003. Thorin draws on a series of conversations with key informants—hostel managers and employees—as well as personal observations, creating a sense of ‘being there’. Not only is his writing style anecdotal and chatty, but in the first person, reflecting upon his own feelings and reactions.

Reference:
Roberts, Thorin. 'Scenes from an Urban Underworld', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 213-226.

Sultan Khan

2007-05-07T15:45:00.004-07:00

Sultan Khan is lecturer in Sociology at UKZN. He describes Durban as a dynamic urban space which triggers his sociological imagination.

In his chapter, Public Transport Challenges in Durban – Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010, Sultan addresses the important issue of public transport in Durban. He provides a brief historical account of influences on public transport in South Africa and the current challenges to develop a safe, efficient and integrated public transport system. As Sultan implies in the title, the imminence of the next World Cup (2010) will act as an incentive to develop the public transport network in cities like Durban which will be hosting matches.

Reference:
Khan, Sultan. 'Public Transport Challenges in Durban – Travelling the Road to the World Cup 2010', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 144-150.

Sthembiso Bhengu

2007-05-07T15:44:00.006-07:00

Sthembiso Bhengu is a lecturer in the Unit for Industrial, Organizational and Labour Studies at UKZN. He is currently undertaking his PhD research on workers in Dunlop with a particular focus on migrant workers and their extended family networks. Durban, he thinks, represents opulence with dire poverty and desperation.

In their chapter, Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff, Sthembiso and Mokong Simon Mapadimeng outline restructuring processes in South African higher education and UKZN, focusing on their devastating impact on cleaners and ground staff. They argue that the ideals of the merger (between the old University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal) to create a non-racialised university and to broaden access to people from all ‘races’, were seriously compromised as it became a tool for neo-liberal ideology. Such restructuring, they argue, has generated huge inequities in pay and conditions between a top-heavy administration and other workers. The authors draw on interviews with support staff who have been retrenched as a result of the merger and with cleaners still in the university’s employment. The entrenched workers claim that they were pressured to take severance packages, of which they received little information and turned out to be much less than expected. The employed cleaners complain about low wages and lack of promotion opportunities. Both groups complain bitterly about the collapse of their pension fund in which, with the authority of the university, their savings had been invested.

Reference:
Mapadimeng, Mokong Simon, and Bhengu, Sthembiso. 'Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 413-423.

Sibusiso Mpama

2007-05-07T15:44:00.005-07:00

Sibusiso Mpama is a final year undergraduate student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His majors are Political Science and Sociology. He thinks Durbanites are friendlier and more relaxed than people in other South African cities and also likes Durban because its winters are not as cold. He likes the annual Mr. Price Pro and the attractions associated with it, because he thinks it really brings out the ‘multi-racial’, cosmopolitan make up of the city during June/July every year.

In his chapter, Black Solidarity and black divisions, Sibusiso addresses the importance of being black to him. He recognises strong class differences among blacks: some are seen as ‘less black’ because they enjoyed privileges associated with whites, like attending a ‘Model C’ school and living in a ‘white area.’ He criticises the tendency to stereotype blacks as poor, writing positively about the growing black middle class. However, he says that, despite the burgeoning black middle class, there a growing disparity between ‘the black haves’ (in which he counts himself) and the ‘black have nots’.

Reference:
Mpama, Sibusiso. 'Black Solidarity and black divisions', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 332-333.

Sheritha Grindlay

2007-05-07T15:44:00.003-07:00

Sheritha Grindlay has recently graduated with a Bachelors degree in Sociology at UKZN.

In her chapter, Growing up in Durban and going on Holiday to Europe, Sheritha shows how problematic she is for most South Africans trying to place her ‘racially’. Born in South Africa, Sheritha’s mum is Indian and her dad white. She writes about how alienating the fixation on racial categorisation in South Africa has been for. This is because, growing up, she didn’t fit into any of the categories. She writes about how she feels most at ease publicly when she is with her sister since, with her, she does not stand out. In the second part, she reflects on her experiences of a recent holiday in Europe, especially the relief of not being noticed and stared at for looking ‘racially’ different. Her experiences caused her to consider further Durban's social and ‘racial’ dynamics.

Reference:
Grindlay, Sheritha. 'Growing up in Durban and going on Holiday to Europe', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 88-91.

Shaun Ruggunan

2007-05-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

Shaun Ruggunan is a lecturer in the Programme for Industrial, Organisational and Labour Studies at UKZN. He is currently attempting to complete his PhD which investigates the global labour market for seafarers.

In his chapter, The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN, Shaun expresses concern about the failure of the University to be sufficiently business-like in its treatment of junior academics. He focuses on his own experiences negotiating academic hierarchies—thrown in the deep end and expected to swim without any kind of orientation. He would like to see the university adopt some of the values of business to ensure the rights of junior academics are recognised and respected. Currently how junior academics are treated—whether mentored, encouraged, ignored or abused—depends on the predispositions of senior academics with in/formal responsibility for them. The idealised notion of ‘collegiality’—under threat from the economisation of relations—may be used or abused to maintain problematic and unequal power structures. Shaun draws attention to the ways ‘extreme and nuanced power relations’ operate at lower levels in the university hierarchy.

Reference:
Ruggunan, Shaun. 'The Problems of being a Junior Academic at UKZN', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 424-432.

Shanta Singh

2007-05-07T15:43:00.005-07:00

Shanta Singh is a lecturer in Criminology at UKZN. Research is her passion. She is currently conducting research on HIV/AIDS and overcrowding within South African prisons, the Indian Diaspora in the 21st Century, drug use among youth and language and assessment in higher education.

In her chapter, Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children, Shanta addresses street children in Durban as active agents. Even though they may be engaged in criminal behaviour and are viewed in problematic terms, she argues that they are highly sociable, well organised and rational. And they should be regarded as such.

In another chapter, Overcrowding in a Durban prison, Shanta investigates the impact of severe overcrowding on prisoners in the city's largest maximum security facility. As she points out, prison overcrowding reflects the high rates of crime in a society where so many people experience poverty and where inequalities are so vast. The majority of prisoners hail from poor backgrounds and are particularly susceptible to spreading infectious diseases in such conditions. Her paper draws on deeply unsettling interviews with inmates: she argues that prisoners’ Constitutional rights are regularly violated. Perhaps because prisons are ‘behind closed doors’—and because many view prisons as institutions for retribution in which prisoners should have no rights—the issue of overcrowding has not been taken seriously. But Shanta says that such overcrowding can be a ‘death sentence’.

References:
Singh, Shanta. 'Challenging Stereotypes of Street Children', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 190-194.

Singh, Shanta. 'Overcrowding in a Durban prison', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 292-296.

Shannon Walsh

2007-05-07T15:43:00.003-07:00

Shannon Walsh is a filmmaker, researcher, writer and activist. Her primary research uses participatory visual methodologies to support social activism in Canada and South Africa. Shannon is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Civil Society at UKZN. She describes Durban as a bundle of contradictions: oppression, noise, beauty, resistance, silence, anger, unity, frustration, laughter and confrontation, from which she can’t keep away.

In her chapter, ‘If you don’t die first’: Fire, water and women in the shack settlements of Durban, Shannon keys in on how ‘for many of the poorest of the poor, little seems to have changed since the end of apartheid.’ She focuses on shack dwellers living in euphemistic ‘informal settlements’. These are make-shift dwellings put together with scraps of metal around Durban and other cities in South Africa. She writes about Abahlali baseMjondolo, the shackdwellers’ movement campaigning around the slogan ‘No Land! No House! No Vote!’ The movement has tried to raise public consciousness about the appalling conditions they have to put up with and how the ‘political system has failed [them] so significantly.’

Reference:
Walsh, Shannon. '‘If you don’t die first’: Fire, water and women in the shack settlements of Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 156-165.

Shabashni Moodley

2007-05-07T15:43:00.001-07:00

Shabashni Moodley is a Masters Student at the Centre for Industrial Organisational and Labour Studies. Her social conscience and passion for development has framed her current research on Corporate Social Investment in South Africa. She describes Durban as a space that perfectly combines luxury dwellings and informal settlements as neighbours, the serenity of the ocean and crime hysteric streets, and a token show of different ‘race’ groups without the actual practice of ‘racial’ blending.

In her chapter, Nightlife in Durban and ‘racial’ divisions, Shabashni argues that nightclubs, like those at the beachfront, are not simply social spaces for people to relax, but ‘microcosms of the larger societal context,’ in which people are divided in terms of ‘race’ and class. She writes that she used to fantasise about nightlife, associating it with meeting, flirting and dancing with people of all backgrounds. Recent experiences in Durban, however, have caused her to view some nightclubs as black, white, Indian or coloured, upmarket or downmarket. She writes about an experience at a mainly white club, examining her discomfort at being the 'token Indian' female. She contrasts this with a less racialised experience in Cape Town, speculating on how and why Durban's student nightclubs so racialised in comparison.

Reference:
Moodley, Shabashni. 'Nightlife in Durban and ‘racial’ divisions', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 126-131.

Serrenta Naidoo

2007-05-07T15:42:00.001-07:00

Serrenta Naidoo is a has lived in Durban all her life except for two years spent in England. She has just completed her Honours degree in Sociology and hopes to continue to Masters. Her areas of interest are children, especially their identity construction, and gender relations and identities in South Africa. She describes Durban as her heart, her soul and her home, so much so, she says, that she longed to be home for most of the time she was away overseas.

In her chapter, But, what will your children be?, Serrenta—a South African Indian woman—writes about family reactions to her relationship with a white Afrikaans-speaking man. She reveals how others express their concerns, often indirectly, and her strategies to deal with these. She sometimes asserts an attitude of indifference to her relatives, but the anger she expresses towards them hints at ambivalence. Similarly, Serrenta says that even though they ‘never had any negative experiences' publicly as a couple, ‘if people have an issue with us they stare, some quite unabashedly.’ She acknowledges the ‘relief’ she felt when living with her partner in London because they blended in and were inconspicuous. The ‘wonderful’ feeling of being ‘normal’ stood in contrast to the continued 'racial' segregation in Durban.

Reference:
Naidoo, Serrenta. 'But, what will your children be?', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 102-107.

Sandhisha Jay Narain

2007-05-07T15:41:00.002-07:00

Sandhisha Jay Narain is a final year undergraduate student in Sociology at UKZN.

In her chapter, Living a double life: home and university, Sandhisha writes with great sensitivity about how ‘race’ and gender intersect in forging her identities as a young Indian woman living at home with her parents and as a student at UKZN. While writing about her different identities, she sees them as complementary, with ‘traditional teachings’ (at home) helping to promote a commitment to the work ethic as a student (at university).

Reference:
Narain, Sandhisha, Jay. 'Living a double life: home and university', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 316-318.

Sabrina Grosse Kettler

2007-05-07T15:41:00.001-07:00

Sabrina Grosse Kettler is a young German researcher who currently works with the German Organisation for Technical Assistance (GTZ) in the area of Security Sector Reform. She completed her Masters degree in Social Sciences with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the German University of Freiburg in 2006. During her studies, she took a particular interest in concepts of security as well as theories of peace and conflict studies. This could also be the reason for her liking political movies. She describes Durban as one of the rare cities that is beautiful and alive at the same time.

In her chapter, The Security Challenge for Durban’s Tourist Authority, Sabrina focuses on how the tourist industry responds to the fear of crime. The industry seeks to counter the image of Durban as a dangerous city, yet it must also present the reality of crime accurately in order to protect the tourists. Through interviews with hotel managers and tourist agents, Sabrina identifies some of their strategies: emphasising safe havens (malls or private beaches); presenting Durban as ‘just like anywhere in the world’; and even making a virtue of Durban’s bad reputation by presenting poor and dangerous spaces as tourist attractions catered for by organised tours. Sabrina attended an educational campaign at Westville prison aimed at improving young offenders' attitudes toward foreign tourists so as to curtail future crimes against them. She provides a fascinating account of their experiences and feelings about the campaign.

Reference:
Kettler, Sabrina Grosse. 'The Security Challenge for Durban’s Tourist Authority', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 257-262.

Rob Pattman

2007-05-07T15:40:00.004-07:00

Rob Pattman teaches Sociology at UKZN. Research interests include identities, gender, 'race', sexuality, youth, HIV/AIDS and education. He loves the sun, sand and friendliness but not the segregation and inequality in Durban. He has a burning ambition to be the next Vice Chancellor of UKZN.

In their chapter, Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban, Rob and Deevia Bhana focus on the ways young people construct their identities. They note the significance accorded by African boys and girls to notions of ‘modernity’ and ‘tradition’, and how they negotiate identities along this axis. They find that young black women are often criticised for identifying as ‘modern’, which is seen as a cultural violation. Their article draws on interviews with 16-17 year old black girls at a formerly Indian school about ‘being young people of their age’. The girls spoke about culture, ‘race’ and sexuality animated ways, signalling the importance of these in their lives. Many girls feel marginalised at school and due to racism from pupils and teachers. But they often invoke ‘culture’ as powerful resources of self-esteem in contexts where they feel subordinated ‘racially’. However, ‘culture’ was also associated negatively as a form of parental policing and control of their sexuality. The article examines how these girls resist this.

In their chapter, Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma, Rob and Wangari Muthuki discuss how ‘culture’ was invoked by Zuma (former Deputy President of South Africa), in his 2006 rape trial. They argue that he has become a symbol of dis/identification in powerful and conflicting ways—by males & females, and all races, ethnicities, and statuses. Wangari also reflects on her participation in a women’s rights group monitoring the Zuma trial in support of the complainant. She examines conversations with students at UKZN who supported Zuma, assessing their accounts of the rape trial.

And in his chapter, The Significance Students Attach to ‘Race’ at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Rob argues that the university is not a ‘melting pot’. Students tend to congregate and identify with racialised groups. He reports on a project his students conducted on student identities at Howard College, in which ‘race’ emerged as a key group marker. The student researchers also attached much significance to ‘race’ as displayed in their choice of students to work with in teams as well as their choice of subjects to interview. Usually, they were the same 'race'. Rob focuses on the problems his students encountered researching student ‘racial’ identities. Even though the student groups they identified were racialised, the researchers were reluctant to question them about ‘race’ lest they be seen as racist. Referring to some of his students’ positive experiences in working in ‘racially’ mixed teams, Rob argues for pedagogic approaches that encourage students from different ‘races’ to work together.

References:
Pattman, Rob, and Bhana, Deevia. 'Invoking ‘culture’ and sexuality: Black girls in mixed ‘race’ schools in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 343-361.

Muthuki, Wangari, and Pattman, Rob. 'Loving and Hating Jacob Zuma', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 362-369.

Pattman, Rob. 'The Significance Students Attach to ‘Race’ at the University of KwaZulu-Natal', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 390-404.

Richard Ballard

2007-05-07T15:40:00.003-07:00

Richard Ballard is a senior research fellow at the School of Development Studies, UKZN. His research interests are on urban desegregation, whiteness, 'race', refugees, social movements, local democracy and the politics of housing. He has recently co-edited a book called Voices of Protest: Social Movements in Post-Apartheid South Africa (2006, UKZN Press). He was born in Durban and likes it.

In his chapter, Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation, Richard argues that black suburbanites have become the object of a post-apartheid moral panic, motivated by the fears of white neighbours. This fear is centered not so much on crime but on animal killings. Richard says that black neighbours are constructed as the uncivilised Other; these panics are fuelled by the difficulties some whites experience ‘coming to terms with the prospect of sharing their neighbourhoods with previously excluded groups.’ He also points out, however, that not all whites react in the same way to these killings. For some, ‘identity construction is no longer based on the rejection and exclusion of ‘uncivilised’ people but rather on a sense of self which is able to accommodate co-existence with diversity.’

Reference:
Ballard, Richard. 'Defending Animals; Defending Suburbs; Defending Civilisation', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 250-256.

Ravi Baghel

2007-05-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

Ravi Baghel is an upcoming scholar of great promise, currently studying Globalisation as a part of the Global Studies Programme. His journey to his present field of study has been tortuous to say the least. He has studied Hotel Management and did his Bachelors degree in Chinese culture and language. He has worked as chicken salesman, apprentice waiter, debt collector, telephone sales caller, Chinese translator and interpreter, consultant and fixer. His interests include development, Indian foreign policy and cultural flows. His Passion remains South Asia and its people.

In their chapter, Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban, Ravi and Anna Mayr show that crime—or rather talk about crime—is one of the main things to hit outsiders when they arrive in South Africa. The writers provide an account of their experiences as international students: not of crime, but of crime discourse. They discuss the dramatic impact of the fear of crime on their lives, as conveyed in conversations with South Africans and reflected in the security arrangements in their neighbourhood. They consider how this made them feel like prisoners in their home. They were eventually brave enough to go downtown to experience aspects of Durban which they would have otherwise missed out on. Their piece also draws attention to the ways fear of crime restricts the movements of women; they refer to women venturing into public spaces in Durban only if accompanied by their fellow male students.

Reference:
Baghel, Ravi, and Mayr, Anna. 'Glimpses through the Cage of Fear: International Students experience Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 228-234.

Ralph Callebert

2007-05-07T15:39:00.003-07:00

Ralph Callebert is a Belgian Masters student at the Economic History Department at UKZN.

In his chapter, Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa, Ralph reflects on the fixation with talking & writing about crime in South Africa. He argues that one of the problems concerns the way crime is de-historicised, invoked as a symbol for all that is wrong with the post-apartheid era. Ralph does not deny the reality of crime, but his specific interest is in a contemporary ‘moral panic’ that characterises South Africa as a crime ridden country, dramatising the threat to ‘ordinary’ citizens of immoral and amoral Others. ‘Moral panics’ are defined as exaggerated reactions to perceived threats to imagined social norms posed by groups cast in the role of ‘folk devils’. The Others in question are almost always imagined as black males. Ralph suggests that complaining about crime may represent one socially sanctioned way of expressing racist sentiments about blacks.

Reference:
Callebert, Ralph. 'Undressing the crime discourse in South Africa', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 243-249.

One Selohilwe

2007-05-07T15:39:00.001-07:00

One Selohilwe hails from Botswana and is currently studying for her final year at undergraduate level majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She thinks Durban has an exciting cosmopolitan environment with a rich fusion of culture.

In her chapter, Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban, One focuses on how coming from another country to pursue her studies in Durban caused her to reflect on constructions of ‘race’ and gender in South Africa. While looking forward to living in a place ‘rich in culture and diversity,’ she finds expectations about how she should behave as a black person quite limiting and alienating. For example, students and lecturers problematise her decision—as a black woman—to mixing with people from other ‘races’, especially males. One's piece provides an honest examination of dealing with foreign social & 'racial' expectations.

In their co-authored chapter, Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East, One and Subashini Govender interpret research interviews not as simple means or instruments for eliciting information but as social encounters in which relations are forged and identities performed. They focus on Carl, an ex-‘gangster’, examining not only what he said about being a gangster, but, also, the kinds of relations he established with them, the female student interviewers. In a group interview, Subashini and One were surprised at how normal these ‘guys’ were, but they also felt ‘uncomfortable’ because much of the men’s conversation revolved around women as sex objects. This collective performance of a particular kind of masculinity contributed to the sense of solidarity in the group, but made them (as women) feel marginalised and excluded.

References:
Selohilwe, One. 'Being a young black woman from Botswana in Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 82-84.

Govender, Subashini, and Selohilwe, One. 'Two women researching (male) ‘gangsters’ in Newlands East', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 279-290.

Nithaya Chetty

2007-05-07T15:37:00.005-07:00

Nithaya Chetty teaches Physics at UKZN and is a member of Senate.

In his chapter, The Importance of Communicating Freely, Nithaya raises concerns about lack of openness and academic freedom at UKZN. He refers to a recent Senate resolution that staff exercise due care when communicating with the media so as not to ‘bring the university into disrepute.’ Nithaya argues that what counts as bringing the university into disrepute needs to be specifically and narrowly defined in terms of racism, dishonesty, etc. His worry is that the emphasis on ‘confidentiality’ within the university may lead to important issues, like transformation or equity, being ‘limited only to normal structures within the University’ and debated in a context of ‘fear of retribution.’ Nithaya refers to concerns expressed by the Freedom of Expression Institute about the ‘severe decline’ in ‘free expression and academic freedom’ at UKZN. Ironically it could be argued that it is this which is bringing the university into disrepute.

Reference:
Chetty, Nithaya. 'The Importance of Communicating Freely', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 433-436.

Nirmala Gopal

2007-05-07T15:37:00.003-07:00

Nirmala Gopal has worked with and researched the lives of a cohort of AIDS orphans in Jozini KwaZulu-Natal. She has been part of the Sinekthemba Support Group at the McCord’s Mission Hospital and has a keen interest in HIV/AIDS related research and challenges. She enjoys working with young children and young adults.

In her chapter, Voices of HIV positive young mothers, Nirmala writes about the concerns and anxieties of young HIV-positive mothers. They speak about the problems of stigmatisation and the difficulties of disclosure, even to boyfriends, partners and close family. But they are most concerned about the welfare of their children. The women hold to ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ beliefs which attribute illness to personal conflicts and jealousies. These may be particularly attractive because, Nirmala argues, they offer possibilities of cures through the mediation of the sangoma or witchdoctor (in contrast to modern medicine). However, the women understand the ramifications of their HIV status, illustrated in their concern that their children may have to grow up and manage without them.

Reference:
Gopal, Nirmala. 'Voices of HIV positive young mothers', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 372-377.

Mxolisi Ngcongo

2007-05-07T15:37:00.001-07:00

Mxolisi Ngcongo is a Sociology Lecturer at UKZN interested in the sociology of education, in particular multicultural and sexuality education, industrial sociology and urban and rural sociology. He is currently doing research on the impact of the four months maternity leave for pregnant learners in and around Durban.

In their chapter, Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City, Mxolisi and Humphrey Glass address Zulu identity in light of recent black migrations to Durban. They argue that the ‘equalising impulse of money’ is experienced as a process of homogenisation. ‘Issues of [Zulu] language and culture’ are relegated to the sidelines in the face of this. A ‘tide’ of ‘reinvented Zulu nationalism’ arises in the city as a kind of ‘buffer’ against such homogenisation. But an urban Zulu nationalism is liable to being transformed into a consumer product, appropriated as a cultural artefact for tourist promotion in Durban.

Reference:
Ngcongo, Mxolisi, and Glass, Humphrey. 'Homogenisation and Zulu Nationalism in the Casino City', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 334-337.

Simon Mapadimeng

2007-05-07T15:36:00.002-07:00

Mokong Simon Mapadimeng is a lecturer and academic co-ordinator of the Industrial, Organisational and Labour Studies (IOLS) Programme, UKZN. He is a Vice-President of the South African Sociological Association (SASA). He finds Durban a dynamic place marked by serious challenges and opportunities as well as contradictions arising from its social diversity.

In his chapter, Durban’s Albert Park Residential Area – a Hundred Years On, Simon provides a brief demographic, economic and cultural history of a residential area in central Durban, focusing on how it has changed with the ending of apartheid. Like many inner-city areas in South Africa which were once mainly or exclusively white, it has now become black. With the flight of capital to the suburbs, it has also become relatively run down.

In their chapter, Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff, Simon and Sthembiso Bhengu outline restructuring processes in South African higher education and UKZN, focusing on their devastating impact on cleaners and ground staff. They argue that the ideals of the merger (between the old University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal) to create a non-racialised university and to broaden access to people from all ‘races’, were seriously compromised as it became a tool for neo-liberal ideology. Such restructuring, they argue, has generated huge inequities in pay and conditions between a top-heavy administration and other workers. The authors draw on interviews with support staff who have been retrenched as a result of the merger and with cleaners still in the university’s employment. The entrenched workers claim that they were pressured to take severance packages, of which they received little information and turned out to be much less than expected. The employed cleaners complain about low wages and lack of promotion opportunities. Both groups complain bitterly about the collapse of their pension fund in which, with the authority of the university, their savings had been invested.

References:
Mapadimeng, Simon. 'Durban’s Albert Park Residential Area – a Hundred Years On', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 151-154.

Mapadimeng, Mokong Simon, and Bhengu, Sthembiso. 'Restructuring at the UKZN and Job Losses: the Case of Cleaners and Grounds Staff', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 413-423.

Megan Kleyn

2007-05-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Megan Louise Kleyn recently completed a Psychology Honours degree at UKZN. She has lived most of her life in Westville (a suburb of Durban) with her parents, brother and two dogs. Durban, she says, has treated her alright thus far. She describes it as a bit boring though, as not much ever seems to happen. The nightclubs and pubs, she says, haven’t changed for several years. It’s also far too humid. But all her friends are here, so she has fun despite all her complaints (she quite enjoys moaning anyway).

In her chapter, Guess who’s Coming for Dinner?’ and other Suburban Tales of Horror, Megan—a white SA woman with a black SA boyfriend—describes her mother as unequivocally opposed, on ‘racial’ grounds, to the relationship. Megan uses this to illustrate how difficult a mixed relationship can be to sustain, attaching significance to her mother's role in the process. Megan distinguishes three kinds of problematic responses from others to her relationship. 1st: ‘white liberals’ who applaud her relationship as if it signifies the dawning of a Rainbow Nation. 2nd: black men who construct her as a woman who desires black men and try to seduce her. Not only do they racialise her, but they sexualise and reduce her to a white alluring object. 3rd: assorted types who denigrate the relationship.

One implication is that celebrations of mixed relations are not necessarily progressive. They may end up idealising these relationships, even exaggerating levels of integration. However, the extent to which it is acceptable, common or normal is an important gauge of just how much integration has occurred in the post-apartheid context.

Reference:
Kleyn, Megan. 'Guess who’s Coming for Dinner?’ and other Suburban Tales of Horror', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 112-116.

Marie Saramandif

2007-05-07T15:35:00.004-07:00

Marie Saramandif is currently finishing her Honours (Sociology) at UKZN after having completed her degree in Psychology and Sociology. She previously had a background in law (University of Reunion). She recently presented a paper for the Postgraduate Studies Conference at UKZN on ‘Do We live Stories or Do We Tell Them?’

In her chapter, A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban, Marie writes about how significant ‘race’ became for her when she moved to Durban from her home in Mauritius. Like most other Mauritians she identifies herself as Creole or mixed, and she is not very sure about her ‘racial’ lineage. ‘Race’, and skin colour are, she says, of little significance in Mauritius. This contrasts to her experiences in Durban. While socialising with people from different ‘races’ she finds that they are either black or white or Indian and never a mixture.

She also finds that with her olive skin, French accent, straight brown hair and medium brown eyes, she presents something of an enigma to South Africans who classify her differently, depending on their own identity. White friends construct her as Southern European (who can get a great summer ‘tan’), black friends think she might be coloured, and Indian friends see her as an 'exotic' Asian, emphasising her lightness (compared with them). By constructing her in these ways, people from different ‘races’ claiming her as one of their own, allowing her to socialise with greater ease with them.

Reference:
Saramandif, Marie. 'A Creole Mauritian with an Olive Skin coming to Durban', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 85-87.

Lee-Ann Inderpal

2007-05-07T15:35:00.003-07:00

Lee-Ann Inderpal is doing Masters research, in Sociology at UKZN, on bullying in schools in Durban.

In her chapter, Corporal punishment in a Durban school, Lee-Ann draws on conversations with Grade 9 students (13–14 year-olds) about corporal punishment in a formerly Indian school. Though illegal in the post-apartheid era, it is common practice at this school. Significantly, it was not she who raised the issue, but the pupils themselves. They raised it in response to questions she posed about their relations with teachers and whether they ever felt ‘picked on’ by them. Normally bullies are associated with students, but these boys and girls spoke with much emotion about being hit by teachers on various parts of the body. Black students felt particularly picked on by Indian teachers, and girls complained of being verbally abused (in sexist ways) as well as being physically hit by male teachers.

Reference:
Inderpal, Lee-Ann. 'Corporal punishment in a Durban school', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 297-300.

Lawrence Gordon

2007-05-07T15:35:00.001-07:00

Lawrence Gordon is the father of Stephen Gordon and a retired career academic who specialised in teacher education. He has been active in Durban sport for over 50 years as a player, coach, umpire referee and spectator. He also participated in or witnessed all the anecdotal material in this article that pertains to this period.

In their chapter, Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces, Lawrence and Stephen Gordon argue that Durban sport has ‘a distinctive identity’ evolving from its physical and social environment. But their emphasis is on the social and historical constructions of various sports and their appropriation, notably, by English-speaking whites. They examine how identifications by Anglos and dis-identifications by Afrikaners have influenced the ‘Natal style’ of rugby. As a predominantly white & male sport, rugby is a powerful medium through which versions of whiteness and masculinities are produced. Cricket is also addressed historically as a white English activity. They characterise it as a ‘tool of colonisation’ for inculcating supposedly superior English values and as a ‘home-from-home sanctuary’ for Anglos estranged from a white South Africa dominated by their [Afrikaans-speaking] cultural adversaries. As a white sport, rugby has come to be associated with elitism and discrimination by many 'non-whites' who hailed football as ‘the people’s game’.

Reference:
Gordon, Lawrence, and Gordon, Stephen. 'Durban Sport: A Theatre of Spaces', in Rob Pattman and Sultan Khan (Eds.), Undressing Durban (Durban: Madiba Press, 2007), pp. 132-142.