The Apostolic Multiracial Church in Zion of SA. Crossroads, Cape Town. 11 October 1984 (4_3603)

David Goldblatt
The Apostolic Multiracial Church in Zion of SA. Crossroads, Cape Town. 11 October 1984 (4_3603), 1984
Silver gelatin hand print
Image: 15.8 x 20 cm

"This church was part of a squatter community, which, for a time, was notable for its cohesiveness in the face of efforts by the state to destroy it. Seeking escape from the destitution of the Transkei and Ciskei 'homelands' and searching for work, many thousands of Africans poured into the Western Cape in defiance of the apartheid influx control regulations restricting their access to the area. Most settled in squatter camps, the largest of which were Crossroads and KTC outside Cape Town.' Here, not withstanding extremely harsh conditions, community churches, shops, schools, and civic groups emerged. But the uncontrolled inflow of people and their sprawling settlement next to Cape Town's airport were the antithesis of apartheid planning. The government tried to reverse the tide. Year after year shacks were destroyed and people arrested, jailed, and 'endorsed out' of the region. When that failed, a new area, Khayelitsha, was demarcated for Africans. But few wanted to go there: it was much farther from the city. Meanwhile, leaders of different groups of squatters had become embroiled in power struggles which were encouraged if not fomented by agents of the state. In 1986, supporters of one of these leaders, with the backing of government security forces, attacked residents and torched hundreds of shacks. Seventy thousand people fled, many to Khayelitsha" - David Goldblatt