INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

stages of life for many children, this is further complicated by the challenge presented by
a split of custody between relatives and the center.
Of course, most of these tensions, like the balance between providing resources and
nurturing independence, or the question of an appropriate level of discipline is one that is
present in some form across the world’s cultures, in all contexts of care, including intact
families. However, one thing that further complicates these tensions for 5Cees is South
Africa’s complex multicultural society. Numerous people at the center provided me with
the cursory explanation of racial categories: white, black, colored, and Indian, and a few
provided me with a more detailed explanation of how each race could be even further
broken down into British descendants and Afrikaners, Xhosa and Zulu and Sotho tribes,
and beyond. While most regions of South Africa have a dominant ethnicity,
Johannesburg is its melting pot. The center itself is a fairly good example of the
“Rainbow Nation,” with staff members who are white, Indian, Zulu, Xhosa, and other
ethnicities from surrounding Southern African nations. Most of the kids themselves were
Zulu or Xhosa. Each of these cultures has distinct practices and expectations surrounding
discipline and children’s independence, and these cultural differences sometimes
influenced the center’s approach towards its child care.
These tensions were apparent at all stages of development for children at the center,
including the few I was able to talk to who had recently grown up and aged out of the
center’s care. These tensions are reflected in many of the challenges that I will explore at
each stage of development over the course of the next few chapters. After exploring each
of these complexities, I will take on the question of “where does this leave the care
center?” and explore the concrete, non-negotiable actions that 5Cees is committed to.
63