ThandoHlomuka

In a way. Thando is a unisexual name Which means love and Thandi is name strictly given to females... However I know some gays who have adopted the name

1st of January this year. After partying, I was walking with my spouse home then 5 guys stopped us and tried to drag her away from me and gang-mug me. I punched the guy hard who was forcefully dragging my spouse and she got a chance to run away. The other two were chasing her and I ran after them. As I was running, the other 3 were punching me and trying to trip me. I finally fell down and one of them kicked my abdomen. stood up and stood my ground, the one I punched took out a taser/stun gun(I'm not sure which one it was) and he electrocuted my neck at first and I stood up and fought. The other 2 guys were punching me and I was fighting them too. The guy with the taser/stun tried again to electrocute me but I still stood my ground( I don't know if it was because the battery of that device was low or maybe I had to much adrenaline and didn't feel the shock). I managed to knock 1 out and my focus shifted to my spouse again and I gave chase. I found her and the two guys who were chasing bher tried to fight with me again and I took out my cellphone and told them if they wanted it they can come and take it. They didn't do anything but make idle threats and they walked away. By some miracle, I didn't even have a scratch on me except mild pain on my abdomen(due to the guy who kicked me after I fell). Two weeks later, I met one of the guys who tried to mug me at the mall and I taught him a lesson he would never forget in his life. I think if my spouse wasn't there that day, I would be telling a different story and I would be in jail for murder. Her safety was my primary concern so I did what I had to do.

I don't deny the claims however they are exaggerated. Ask any white person or tourist who has been to South Africa to tell you which place they deem to be dangerous... Soweto will come first or among the top 5. I won't lie, Soweto does have crime, like any other place in the world, however things have drastically improved and it is not as bad as the media portrays it to be. In actual fact you would be a fool to commit a crime in most parts of soweto, mob justice here is a common occurence, since the SAPS(South African Police Service) don't do their job 50% of the time, many township dwellers are forced to take the law into their own hands and the criminal who is in the receiving end would normally wish he was in jail. I live in a place called Senaoane(pronounced CEE-NA-ONE-NE) and a few years ago there was a serial rapist who was on the loose. His luck came to a brutal end when he was captured by the women in our community, beaten up, stabbed closed to 50 times and they cut off his penis and shoved it in his mouth to deter any other rapist. Ever since then, there have been minor rape incidents.

Honestly I think the crime level would be lower in 20 years time, only if there is a dramatic political transition. 60-90% of black people are ardent supporters of the ANC(African National Congress, the ruling political party, because the ANC was in the forefront of the struggle against apartheid and Soweto is made up of 97% black people. Unfortunately, the ANC seems to be following the "oppressed turning oppressor" maxim whereby they themselves are restricting the potential of poor black South African by not giving them vital services to improve their lives. Yes they do offer grants, funding and other financial services however in the poorest areas in Soweto, many people don't get that, an example would be Kliptown, 20 years after we got democracy, that community is filled with shacks and filthy dwellings where no human being should live. Kliptown is so bad that you can even see filthy and disease infested pigs roaming around the streets of that place. With the existence of poverty comes the existence of crime and corruption. The corruption in our country is so bad that our own president took 350 million rands(between 20 - 30 million dollars) of the taxpayers money and built himself a grand residency and the whistle blower(Thuli Madonsela who is the public protector) who is trying to make the president take responsibillity for his action was actually facing so much resistance, threats and intimidation as if she was the criminal. Another problem is that the main cause of poverty is the because of the legacy left by apartheid and important entities such as the media are not on the forefront of revealing ways for poor Sowetans to empower themselves financially.

2) Soweto is a political-influenced area because all political parties keep emphasising that the only way a poor black person can escape poverty or make their lives better is by voting for them, so most political and old-school Sowetans are a brainwashed by that. People are for ANC regardless who rules but Zuma's careless actions have created a lot of backlashes including a decrease in public support of the ANC and the creation of the EFF(Economic Freedom fighter, led by Julius Malema). The EFF is proving to be a political force to be reckoned with. It does depend on race and there are a few racial divisions mostly because the effects of the apartheid system are still lingering in communities even today, the TRC just made things worse for the locals who wanted to see justice. The good thing here is that white people and tourists are treated like celebrities here. Besides the worst thing you can be here is a white racist.

Nope I don't. As I said crime in Soweto is not as bad as the media makes it out to be. The only time I feel it is necessary to carry a weapon is when I go to desolate and silent areas at dawn. But most of the time, I don't see the need to. Criminals are all the same, they only rob people who don't seem like a threat, I carry myself as if I am dangerous and I can be if the need arises. So its a matter of perception. If you walk in a dangerous area and you look weak and scared in a sense that your actions put a giant bullseye and a "rob me" sign on your back then you will be a victim but if you walk in the same area and carry yourself as if you do mean business, criminals are gonna be reluctant when it comes to messing with you. It has worked for me.