In researching the Nyanga context, The Safety Lab – through its cross-cutting partnerships with government, civil society and academia – was able to source and access a wide range of existing contextual data, extract and consolidate relevant information, and identify knowledge gaps. The Lab then filled the gaps by commissioning innovative ground research, and built trust with the Nyanga community by engaging directly with local stakeholders to share and test findings.

1. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
case study Nyanga | “violence is normal”

2. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
Our enquiry...
into the nature and pathways of violence in Nyanga
was intended to guide our engagement on the ground.
There is no intention of peer reviewable research.
We aim simply for enough insight to make decisions.

3. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
enquiry insight activation
methodology simplified

4. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
✓independent video research
✓analyze publicly available (plus some unofficial) data
✓review death inquests by court
✓extensive scan of relevant literature
✓wide range of interviews & workshops
✓numerous field visits
what we did

5. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
what we found

6. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
1. Nyanga’s appallingly dangerous but not an outlier

7. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
Nyanga vs province | ±10 of murders
SAPS crime stats 2003/4-2011/12
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Western Cape

8. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
murder rate | not an outlier
Institute for Security Studies
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9. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
1. Nyanga’s appallingly dangerous but not an outlier
2. Demographics explain local pathways to violence

10. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
victims are unusually young...
analysis from NIMMS data
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11. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
because folk are younger in Nyanga
by SAPS precinct, estimated ISS 2010
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12. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
a highly dense and informal area
by SAPS precinct, estimated ISS 2010
Population Density (Per person per hectare)
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13. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
poor even by local standards
by SAPS precinct, estimated ISS 2010
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14. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
1. Nyanga’s appallingly dangerous but not an outlier
2. Demographics explain local pathways to violence
3. Alcohol serious but not unusual; tik under-recorded

15. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
blood alcohol | Nyanga murder victims
estimated
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as across
South Africa:
most don’t drink
but those that do,
drink a lot

16. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
Interviews and anecdotal reference
also refer to a significant increase in tik usage in Nyanga
over the past few years, particularly among the youth.
But the murder rate hasn’t shown an increase.
So what is happening?

17. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
what about
drugs?
1.tik usage typically linked with drug-
habit funding activities such as robbery
& muggings (which are under-reported
but still increasing significantly)
2.unlike blood alcohol, murder victims
are not routinely tested for drugs so
their impact is somewhat unknown
3.unofficial sources suggest the murder
rate in Nyanga is indeed showing an
increase (to be verified at the next
SAPS statistics release)

18. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
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19. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
what next?

20. © Cape Town Partnership + The Safety Lab
A detailed proposal is in development...
focusing on catalysing, communicating and coordinating
diversionary activities aimed at youth and young adults,
potentially including sporting | leisure | entertainment
as well as skills building components.