Download - HSRC Press

ehaving violently towards some of the Indian properties, had been the shotfired by an Indian taxi driver at an East Rand railway station.Mobilization of participants: It would appear that a large number of theinhabitants had been persuaded to behave collectively at a meeting held on theevening preceding the eruption of the disturbances. It can also be accepted thatone or more leaders took the initiative in starting the destruction of property.Social control is a determinant that embraces all other determinants and exertssome influence during each stage. With the incident at Reiger Park it is evidentthat ineffective measures of social control contributed to the fact that strainfactors led to a violent eruption. The last houses to have been built in ReigerPark were completed in May 1976 and 402 apartments were built in 1976.Although the inhabitants had made representations to the City Council ofBoksburg on a number of occasions, it would appear that the serious nature ofthe problem had not been accepted. With the development of generalizedbeliefs concerning the presence of Indians in the area unsuccessfulrepresentations were made to the Boksburg City Council from time to time viathe local Management Committee.Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.zaConclusionFrom the preceding analysis of the revolt in which Smelser’s theory ofcollective behaviour had been used as a point of departure, it is evident that itwould be incorrect to refer to the situation as a race riot as some of the localnewspapers had done. Had this been the case, one would have expected theconsulting rooms of the Indian medical practitioner as well as the Chineseownedstore to have been dealt with in a similar manner. Both these buildingseither adjoined, or were part of, properties that were looted.From the application of Smelser’s theory of collective behaviour it is evidentthat the actual cause of the hostilities could be related back to the substantialshortage of housing resulting in poor living conditions, and the ineffectivecommunication system available to the inhabitants to relay their grievances tothe City Council. As a result of the ineffective communication systemgeneralized beliefs developed which were often unfounded, and resulted in theIndians in Reiger Park being branded as scapegoats. A single spark was allthat was required to ignite the powder keg that had developed.Discussion of the concepts analysis and interpretationThis case study offers a striking illustration of what is meant by the conceptsanalysis and interpretation. Traditionally, scientists tended to juxtaposeanalysis against synthesis. Analysis, then, is understood to mean the resolution102