A Day In Langa: Who benefits from World Cup?

Just outside Cape Town is a township called Langa which means Sun.  The people are welcoming and I was treated like family. 

The township was formed during apartheid and though the laws have been dismantled the impact is still evident.  For the most part, South African townships are still segregated between "blacks" and "colored".  During apartheid not only where Blacks, Whites and Indians segregated.... Black people were also segregated according to skin tone and hair texture.  Therefore you have some "black" townships where the darker complected Africans live and then "colored" townships where lighter complected Africans live.

Not only do the social consequences of apartheid still exist the economic consequences linger too.  Since Black people were only allowed to work low paying jobs during apartheid the wealth is almost non-existent in places like Langa.  Today the economic base of  this township thrives off the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the people who live here. Local businesses are run out of 20 and 40 unit storage containers or tin shacks.

 Since there is no running water in this salon relaxers are rinsed out in a tub of water.  They tell me often times it's a tub of water that's already been used.

Around the corner fast food is served up... sheep livers fried in sheep lard.

Every part of the sheep is used.  On the next corner a woman named Patricia sells fire roasted sheep head.  It tastes ok :-)

Patricia and many other Langa business owners say the World Cup has slowed business and they are frustrated. People who were working to build stadiums and prepare for World Cup are now unemployed since the work is done.  The economic boost of such an event was only temporary. Now no one is buying.

The people who live in Langa say the World Cup has not moved their financial situation forward.  Alfred lives in this 18' x 10' hostel and shares a bed with relatives.

One business that seems to be doing well are circumcision schools.  During the World Cup most are offering  televisions to those teenage boys who enroll and go through the rights of passage. For some boys this is the only way they get to watch the World Cup.

  Slaughtering a cow is part of their circumcision ritual.  I'm told the boy who slaughtered this cow is only 12. 

Though this youth is not a student at the circumcision school he is a big fan of the World Cup.
He hopes to one day play football (soccer) for South Africa and change things for his family and community

While the World Cup may not be helping people in the Langa Township who desperately need it today... seeing the world cup in South Africa gives so many hope for unity and a better tomorrow along with all the possibilities it holds.

Bafana! Bafana!


--Jade