INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

are beginning to come of age will often be introduced to the stark reality of the high
crime found in the neighborhood and the consequences of not using caution.
While the children were at school, Marc took me on a walk of the surrounding
neighborhood, some of which went by areas I had been told were fairly dangerous.
People and cars flooded both the streets and sidewalks, which were restless with noise.
Many people surrounded a couple of grocery stores, which were packed with people
barely moving through each aisle. On the side of the grocery store were many homeless
individuals sleeping on mattresses. Bulletin notices were posted, and many came to scan
the posts on the walls for jobs or items for sale.
Geographically and structurally, 5Cees benefits from some insulation from most of
the city’s crime. While its campus is fairly large, there are only two commonly used entry
points which routinely remain locked at night, and monitored by a security guard around
the clock. One side is bordered by a busy street, and the three layers of entry points to the
center are rarely used and all remain locked and gated. Furthermore, the center is in a
quieter part of Hillbrow, next to the fire station. While a walk a few blocks past could
take you into the densely populated center of the neighborhood full of people on the
streets, the center had a few city blocks separating it from the epicenter of most criminal
activity.
The walk was a reminder of the reality of the neighborhood close outside the
center’s walls. On the inside, it was easy to become comfortable, and to forget that safety
was a major concern for many people right outside. However, reminders would surface
often enough of the way children’s lives are affected in Johannesburg as a result of its
high crime rate. While I was talking with Lindikhaya, asking him to fill me in on other
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