The effects of conflict on the youth of Mfuleni

Abstract

Since the abolition of apartheid, levels of political violence in South Africa have dropped dramatically. However, violent conflicts in the communities are at high levels and are of grave concern. This development is far from the expectations of South Africans in the fading days of apartheid. Democracy was embraced as a cure to the conflicts that plagued South African communities in the apartheid era. Yet events after twelve years of democracy have proved this optimism premature. The purpose of this study was to examine why conflicts are increasing instead of decreasing in the democratic era of South Africa. It also examined the effects of conflicts on youth and the community as a whole.