I bet some South Africans and people outside our borders who had never heard of Phoenix in Durban before the 2021 riots now know the name of this township, and they wrongly and unfortunately associate it with racial tensions between Indians and Africans.
AS THE township of Phoenix in Durban commemorates its 50th anniversary this year, there is so much to celebrate, reflect on, and unlearn/learn from our long and ugly history of racial segregation, polarisation, and discrimination.
Without a doubt, and most unfortunately, racial and ethnic segregation has created tensions among the different groups of South Africa.
I bet some South Africans and people outside our borders who had never heard of Phoenix in Durban before the 2021 riots, now know the name of this township, and they wrongly and unfortunately associate it with racial tensions between Indians and Africans.
This is because Phoenix made national and international headlines during the riots in 2021. What these media outlets did not report is that Phoenix is no longer an Indian-only township.
