QUESTION 1

The common perception is that gangsterism is a so-called Coloured phenomenon. Yet, it is Blacks as far back as the 19thcentury who started the numbers gangs. It is not surprising, then, that most gangster taal (street slang) is made up of Black terminology. This taal has even made its way into the lives of common people, who use it without knowing the meaning behind each term or word. This has led to many being mistaken for members of a gang. Nellie Cupido, a mother from Delft (Cape Town), watched in horror as her son was being butchered to death while on his way from school. He didnt belong to a gang, she says. But he had picked up this language on the streets. According to witnesses, the gang insisted that he belonged to a rival gang which operated in the same area. They killed him, in broad daylight.

Over the years, gangsterism evolved, changing with the times, with new gangs springing up, changing or disintegrating. Their modus operandi also evolved with time. Most of the old terminology retained its nineteenth century significance, although much of it became distorted or started to mean something different altogether. Gangs also became more dangerous and violent. Whole communities or sections of towns or cities lived in fear of gangsters. Disruptions and intimidation became more prevalent. Gangs gained more and more power in communities, and they began spreading. The forced removals of Coloureds from District Six in 1966, helped disperse gangsterism throughout the Cape Flats.In essence, there are two types of gangs street gangs and organised gangs. Street gangs are usually smaller, of lesser significance and less problematic. These are usually youngsters, who congregate on street corners, smoke dagga, drink and intimidate passers-by. They resort to robbing and stealing to support their drug and alcohol habits. Larger gangs normally keep these youngsters in check, offering them jobs like selling drugs in their neighbourhoods. It is these larger gangs, on the other hand, that are more problematic. This group includes the infamous numbers gangs: the 26s, 27s and 28s. Gangsters usually fall into one of these categories.StreetGangsThe learners of BLHS who belong to gangs can be group as forming part of Street Gangs. However, there are signs at school that some of the learners have progressed to the more senior / larger gangs and this is a cause of great concern to all educators.

Whatdo gangsters do?Gangs control large areas, usually communities or parts of cities and towns. These areas are known as turfs. Each gang normally has their own turf, which they guard with their lives from other gangs. Here they manipulate their illicit activities, which include prostitution, drug dealing and shebeens.Many young girls are coerced or forced into prostitution by gangs, who sometimes drag them from their homes in full view of their helpless families. The girls end up being raped by many gang members, and then forced to sell their bodies on the streets. Whatever money they receive goes to the gang. They either get a pittance for their efforts, or are fed drugs to blur their tragic reality. Getting out is then almost impossible, as they fear the gang may kill them or members of their families.Shebeen owners and some store owners must pay protection fees to the local gang. If not, the gang would make it very difficult for them, using intimidation tactics and threats. Many of these have been carried out, resulting in either loss of property or death.Despite this, many communities have become dependent on the illegal and sometimes dangerous activities of gangsters. Money-laundering is big business for any gang. That is why controlling and protecting large turfs are so important. People who may never obtain loans elsewhere, are afforded loans by large gangs. In return, the gangsters get paid interest on the loans they hand out. On the other hand, communities would not readily expose their saviours either out of fear, or because they would have nowhere to go to obtain their monthly loans. They see the gang as providing a much-needed service. Most people in gang-ridden communities are either unemployed, or make so little money, they are forced to turn to the gangsters for help. On the other extreme, non-payment of an account held with gangsters could result in tragic consequences.Howdo people become gangsters?Most people are roped into gangsterism at an early age, from the ages of ten to sixteen years. Their leaders would be between thirty and fifty years of age. Because of the poverty-stricken environments they come from, many males are drawn into the gang arena by the attraction of money, power and glamour with which they associate gangsterism. They dream of the flashy cars, massive gold jewellery, immense amounts of money, and the power to control a whole town as their ultimate goal. In reality, however, it is far from being what they thought it would be. Yet, as youngsters, they do not see further than their own ignorance. From the moment they join a gang, their lives become an orgy of murders, robberies, rapes and drunkenness that they would sometimes not understand or have wanted.Sub-economic areas, where gangsterism is the most prevalent and problematic, are good training grounds for would-be gangsters. In most instances, both parents are either unemployed or both are working, leaving their children unattended or with strangers. Gangs quickly exploit such situations. In fact, they thrive on it, offering youngsters a surrogate family setup which gives the youngsters a sense of belonging. In most cases, youths are used to commit the crimes - such as murder, rape, etc effectively obscuring the leadership from being identified. Often, the order to commit a crime is filtered thorugh the ranks of a gang. Thus, the person committing the crime never knows who gave the order. The police, therefore, are never able to get hold of the leadership.Smaller gangs, usually made up of youngsters, are also normally swallowed up by larger, more prominent gangs who then use the youngsters to commit the crimes for them. This is evident in the number of youngsters being arrested for murder and possession of illegal firearms. It must also be noted that there are females in gangs as well. Girls on drugs, or those prostituting for gangs sometimes class themselves as gang members. They may form their own gang, which is regarded as an affiliate of the main, male-dominated gang. Females never attain any status of importance within any of the large gangs. They are usually used by gang leaders to do jobs men would otherwise find more difficult, like smuggling drugs or coercing prostitutes into the gangs prostitution ring. It is rare for a female to get involved in a gang fight between male gangs.The areas in Cape Town identified as gang hotspots include Mitchells Plain, Hanover Park/Philippi, Manenberg, Bishop Lavis and Elsies River. It is within these areas that gangs have the most influence. It is also here where youngsters are taught their first steps into the world of the gang. Because of the violence caused by fighting between gangs, many innocent people including women and children - get caught in the crossfire. Many have been maimed for life. Countless others have lost their lives. Recent newspaper reports attest to that.The SAPSs Operation Slasher noted that it took about 20 years for communities to become fed-up with gangsters. They would then form community organisations to eradicate gangs from their areas. In 1950 it was the Globe Gang, in 1970 the Peace Makers and in 1996 it was People AgainstGangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD). When threatened, gangs would form alliances among themselves to help fight against the community or police.ConclusionThe extent of the problem in South Africa is so far-reaching that nobody not the police or government can say when gangsterism would be addressed in its finality. Many are still unconvinced that increasing police force members would stop or reduce gang activities, not only in Cape Town, but South Africa as a whole. It would seem that self-defence of individuals and communities is the only way to fight gangsterism. The police and government have thus far failed. Many innocent people are losing their lives while the police concentrate on disarming rather than arming the people. If people in gang-ridden areas were taught to arm themselves and take a stand against the thugs that traumatise them daily, the gangsters would have the tables turned on them. The truth is,gangsters prefer unarmed victimsand like all criminals,gangsters fear armed citizens.

QUESTION 4(APPLE)Cook's13-minute speechwas delivered last Tuesday in New York City, marking the 20th straight year that Auburn has recognized "significant and lasting contributions to people's well-being." Apple's CEO earned a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Auburn University in 1982, and the school's College of Human Sciences honored him at its annual International Quality of Life Awards.

Cook spoke of growing up in Alabama in the 1960s, where he saw firsthand the "devastating impacts of discrimination." He said those experiences helped to form who he is as a man today, and help guide his own fight for equality both at his company and throughout the larger world.

The CEO said he personally saw a cross burning as a young man an event that is "permanently imprinted" in his brain, and changed his life forever.

"I could never understand it, and I knew that Americans and Alabama's history would always be scarred by the hatred it represented," he said.Cook's office at Apple features three photos: two of Robert Kennedy, and one of Martin Luther King Jr. Those two men "sacrificed everything, including their lives, as champions of human rights and human dignity," he told attendees at the event at the United Nations headquarters.

His speech also touched on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a measure passed by the U.S. Senate but which has yet to appear before the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. The proposed bill would bar discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers at American companies.

Cook said he believes that "now is the time to write these principles of basic human dignity into the book of law." Even though such protections are not yet part of U.S. law, Apple has worked to implement its own measures for employee equality.

On the lighter side in his speech, Cook even alluded to Auburn's upcoming appearance in the college football BCS National Championship game against Florida State University, joking that he may ask for an extra second at the end of his speech. In Auburn's recent pivotal matchup against the University of Alabama, an extra second was added to the clock and resulted in a play that led to Auburn's game winning touchdown. The remark drew big applause and cheers from the crowd.

"Yes, Auburn is still very much in me," Cook said with a laugh.QUESTION 2