MALAIKA MAHLATSI | The youth of Soweto is sinking into substance abuse and addiction. When you drive around the streets, you will observe very young people unkempt and looking like zombies.
Columnist
On the day that 16 people were shot and killed at a tavern in Orlando East, I had taken friends of mine from Zimbabwe to Vilakazi Street in Orlando West. Like many so-called foreigners and even those who do not live in Soweto, they were deathly afraid of going to the township. They grew up hearing all kinds of terrifying stories about the crime and violence in the township, and so had decided that they would never go there. But having been born and raised in Soweto, I have always sought to dispel the notion that the violence in the township is anything out of the ordinary for a country that is, statistically, one of the most violent in the world...If you have already registered or subscribed, please sign in to continue.