Becoming Young in a Violent Society: History, Identity and Belonging in South Africa.

“Township life alone makes it a miracle for anyone to live up to adulthood.” - Steve Biko

What does it mean to become a young person in a society shaped by historical violence and inequality? In South Africa, this question is not abstract, it is lived daily by a generation that constitutes more than half of the country’s population. Despite being described as the “born-free” generation, many young people continue to live under conditions marked by exclusion, insecurity and limited opportunities. More than two decades after the transition to democracy in 1994, the promise of freedom remains unevenly realised. For many young people, particularly those growing up in historically marginalised communities, the challenges of unemployment, poor-quality education, and social fragmentation continue to shape their everyday realities. In this context, youth identity is not simply developed through personal choice, but through navigating constrained environments. Understanding these realities requires revisiting South Africa’s history. 

The present cannot be separated from the violence of slavery, colonisation, and apartheid. While colonialism affected much of the African continent, South Africa’s experience was intensified through institutionalised racial segregation and systemic exclusion. Forced removals displaced families to townships on the urban periphery, disrupting social networks and limiting access to economic opportunities. These were not only spatial dislocations, but social ones, fracturing the foundations of community life.
At the same time, young people were not passive within this history. During the struggle for liberation, many engaged in resistance, often through forms of physical confrontation against an oppressive state. In this context, violence became both a response to structural injustice and, at times, a means of asserting agency. These histories continue to shape how identity, belonging, and violence are understood and negotiated today. 

For many young people growing up in townships, belonging is not guaranteed, it is something that must be actively sought. In environments characterised by insecurity and limited opportunity, violent groups can offer identity, protection, and recognition where formal systems fall short. This does not make violence inevitable, but it highlights how belonging is often constructed within the constraints of available social options. This perspective is informed not only by my own experiences of growing up in Khayelitsha as a young Black woman, but also by my doctoral research with young people in these communities. Drawing on qualitative engagements with youth in township contexts, these insights reveal that such experiences are not isolated, but part of broader social patterns. They shape how identity, safety, and possibility are understood, while also exposing the gap between how youth are represented in policy discourse and how they navigate their realities on the ground.
At the same time, young people are not passive. Many actively resist these pressures, forging identities through education, community engagement, and other non-violent pathways. Their lives reflect not only constraint, but resilience and aspiration. Yet dominant narratives often portray young people, particularly Black youth as a “lost generation,” defined by violence and disorder. Such representations obscure the structural conditions that shape their experiences and shift attention away from broader social responsibility.        

If we are to respond meaningfully, we must move beyond narrow interpretations of behaviour and engage more deeply with how identity and belonging are shaped by inequality. This includes addressing structural barriers, expanding access to education and economic opportunities, and creating environments in which young people can see themselves as part of society rather than outside of it. Ultimately, the question is not whether young people have failed to find their place, but whether society has created the conditions for them to belong. Until young people are able to see themselves as belonging within society, rather than surviving at its margins, identity will continue to be shaped not by possibility, but by exclusion.