Verse 46: Township Townshit

The other day I was working outside with a couple of workers when a man came crying to us as he passed by. From the pitch and tone of his voice, I sensed a degree of anger and helplessness, but I couldn't guess what exactly it could've been (probably you can..by now). Moments later, the man walked off in quick steps, continuing to express his emotions. I asked the guys what was wrong. Glen, one of the workers there, translated for me; his daughter was dragged to the bushes behind the informal settlement last night...and raped.

She was 12 years old.

As beautiful as the Xhosa community can be, shit like this happens frequently in the township, it's frustrating. Lack of jobs, lack of education, lack of this, lack of that...whatever the cause is, there're too many useless explanations that don't change a thing. I'm beginning to think there's something fundamentally wrong with this community with all those alcohol, theft, murder, and rape cases happening in a poverty striken area. Instead of looking out for each other, their neighbours and relatives, there's a high degree of jealousy among them as clear-cut as the metals of their shacks. There's a dark side to the Xhosa community.

What frustrates me is that there's no immediate solution. Maybe, just MAYBE, better education will change this one day.