Experiences of gangsterism by non-gang affiliated high school learners in Hanover Park-Western Cape

Abstract

Despite the vast research on drugs, gang violence and gangsterism in South Africa and specifically in the Western Cape, little is known about the experiences of school-going adolescents who reside in the areas ravaged by these gangs. The general image that emerges from the literature is negative and apathetic about the plight of adolescents residing in gang infested communities as they are usually seen and referred to as part of the problem. Previous studies and literature have therefore omitted the actual experiences of non-gang related adolescents as a result of the existence of gangs and gangsterism in their communities. This research explored these experiences in detail focusing specifically on school-going adolescents between the ages of 16 to 18 and mostly targeting Grade 11 in Hanover Park- Western Cape. The population of the study was therefore all adolescents within the area of Hanover Park with the specific sample of study targeting mainly the school-going non-gang affiliated adolescents of Hanover Park, preferably those doing Grade 11 and registered at a Hanover Park school. The researcher also explored and looked at the experiences of the school-going adolescents through use of focus groups with at least eighteen (18) learners from each of the two selected high schools in Hanover Park. These 18 participants from each school were divided into three different groups implying that the researcher ran three separate focus groups at each of the schools. This was also be supported by the use of qualitative semi- structured interviews that were conducted with at least 6 participants from the focus group sessions with 1 participant being selected from each group. This ultimately gave perspective on the unexplored views and experiences of school-going learners in Hanover Park that are assumed to be non-gang affiliated but experience the pressures and existence of gangs in their communities