Political Violence — Disrupting Ways of ‘Doing’ Politics: An Exploration of Organisational and Political Life in Mpumalanga Township, 1970s-1980s

Abstract

The political violence, between supporters of the Zulu ethnic movement, Inkatha, on the one hand, and those of the African National Congress (ANC) -aligned United Democratic Front (UDF), on the other, that tore apart the province of KwaZulu-Natal during the 1980s and 1990s was firmly located in spaces that had already established 'ways of doing' politics, and, amongst people who knew each other. Moreover, these spaces were localised and grounded in particular places and in the relationships and histories of those places. The question that is of interest to this paper is how did these established 'ways of doing' politics become disrupted to the extent that the province became engulfed in a civil war between supporters of these two organisations? 2The political violence was not just about what happened at the local level. Local dynamics intersected, in complex ways, with regional and national dynamics. 3 This paper is concerned with looking at the dynamics of the local in the township of However, I argue it is impossible to understand how KwaZulu-Natal came to do politics in a new and violent way without understanding the detailed dynamics of the local.

Gender, age and the politicisation of space during the time of political violence in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…But this political space began to narrow in the early 1980s (Bonnin 2011) and the relationships became more complex. This was a countrywide phenomenon and in Mpumalanga a number of political groups were formed that found their membership amongst the youth.…”

“…The links between youth and anti-Inkatha groups were demonstrated by the launching of the Hammarsdale Youth Congress soon after that of the UDF in 1984 (Bonnin 2011). Despite the political tensions and conflicts organisational membership and loyalties were fluid.…”

“…A few years earlier, members of the Azanian People's Organisation had also been physically attacked by Inkatha members (Bonnin 2011). Those involved were known to be politically active and were primarily youthful and male.…”