Flushing Meadows and lightning masts, Site B, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 11 October 1987 Structures (4_5131)

David Goldblatt
Flushing Meadows and lightning masts, Site B, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 11 October 1987 Structures (4_5131), 1987
Silver gelatin hand print
Image: 28 x 34.7 cm

"At the top of each pole was a cluster of high-intensity lamps which shed a large pool of bright yellow light. This form of lighting was first applied in Soweto in the early 1970s to counter the tsotsis who, preferring darkness for their robberies, easily knocked out ordinary street lamps by throwing stones at them. However, these lights on their tall stalks were beyond their range and firearms were not then ubiquitous. But the device soon transcended its original application: it was most useful to the security forces in maintaining control in Black townships. High level lights sprouted in almost every 'location' in the country, even in small rural townships where crime was hardly a problem. Khayelitsha, which means 'Our New Home', was established by the government in 1983 in an attempt to deflect and control the influx of Black people who were pouring into squatter camps such as Crossroads. It lies among sand dunes on the Cape Flats, 28 kilometres from the city." - David Goldblatt