Nothing gives me more hope in this world than seeing women rise up and seize their fates and the fates of their communities, especially women of color in an historically oppressive country. When we visited the Social Justice Coalition in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, I felt more hope than I ever had throughout the entirety of this trip. When women start to run the world, I know everything will end up okay.
I cannot put into words how empowering it was to walk into a room and see that our lecture would be led not by white men, but instead, five women of color. This is what this trip had been missing before. Even though these women were impoverished members of partially informal townships, they were powerful, and did not let their economic situation, their gender, or their race prevent them from seeking justice.
The struggle to keep the city of Cape Town accountable for all of the horrors that occur in these informal settlements is uphill. Crime is rampant in these areas because the city will not allocate more police forces for the maintenance of settlements like Khayelitsha, which perpetuates a culture of mistrust and fear. The lack of decent lighting enables criminals and civilians to basically do whatever they want without any consequences, and puts a target on everyone’s back. There are no security systems in Khayelitsha, and yet, they are given the fewest resources to make up for this deficit.
I listened in horror as these strong, powerful women spoke matter-of-factly about the crime that happens in their neighborhoods every day. Schools are hubs of gang activity, gender based violence and domestic abuse are normal, and dead bodies are commonly found in the streets. In fact, these dead bodies are the only type of crime that can actually be reported, as they provide the only concrete evidence that can be given. You can’t report a robbery and expect any results if you never saw the perpetrator’s face. So, the only time people can really count on help from the police is when someone ends up dead. If only there was a way to prevent crimes like these.
Surprise! There is a way, and these women are working towards getting the government to implement policies that will help Khayelitsha and the other settlements become safer. They are currently working on a court case to hold the city of Cape Town accountable for their history of misallocating resources in favor of more elite communities. For example, by giving informal settlements a better police force and stricter patrols, the risk for committing crimes will go up and crime will decrease. The resources should not even be distributed equally between the elite and impoverished communities, but instead be given based on need. Even if more policing means more arrests and an increased chance for racially biased incarceration, these women have faith that more policing can do the community more good than anything else.
They are also working very hard to introduce policy options that would channel government funding into more permanent sanitation infrastructure as an attempt to reduce disease and crime. The walk to use an unsanitary toilet is often dangerous, and the lack of regulation often results in sewage flowing through the streets. The simple act of going to the bathroom is often life or death, all because the government won’t provide the resources for proper toilets. This is how these people live their day to day lives: in constant fear.
Until now. Until a few women say enough is enough and stand up for the basic right to go to the bathroom without fear, to be able to report a crime committed against them, to feel safe. When women like the ones at the Social Justice Coalition take charge, you know the world is finally going to be steered in the direction of justice.
- Helene Kenney
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