Alexandra A History

Alexandra -A History is a social history of one of South Africa’soldest townships. It covers the period from the township’s foundingin 1912, when it was perceived as a peri-urban outpost,through to its growth as a center of black working class life inthe heart of Johannesburg, to the post-apartheid era. Declared asa location for 'natives and coloureds,' Alexandra became hometo a diverse population where home-owners, tenants, squatters,hostel-dwellers, workers and migrants drawn from every cornerof the country converged to make a life in the city.The stories of ordinary people are at the core of the township’shistory. Based on scores of life history interviews, the bookportrays in vivid detail the daily struggles and tribulation ofAlexandrans. A focus point is the rich history of political resistance,in which civic movements and political organizations-such as the ANC, Communist Party and socialist organizationslike the Movement for Democracy of Content-organized busboycotts, anti-removal and anti-pass campaigns, and mobilizedfor housing and a better life for residents. But the book is notonly about politics. It tells the stories of daily life, of the makingof urban cultures and of the infamous Spoilers and Msomi gangs.Over weekends Alexandra came alive as soccer matches, churchservices and shebeens vied for the attention of residents.Alexandra -A History highlights the social complexities ofthe township, which at times caused tension between differentsegments of the population, such as between the 'bona fides'and amagoduka, stand-owners and tenants, or hostel-dwellersand township residents. Above all else the community spirit ofAlexandrans, expressed in an enduring love for the place, has repeatedlytriumphed in the face of untold misery and adversity.

Philip Bonner and Noor Nieftagodien are researchers based at the History Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.