by Imanuella Muller
Gangs in the Western Cape are not choosy when it comes to recruiting new members. They also rope-in women and girls to do their work for them.
Gangs exploit girls’ vulnerabilities to lure them and some as young as 12 are part of core gang activities.
Women play various roles in gangs. These include being information carriers, hiding and handling contraband; “trapping” rival male gang members, selling drugs and taking part in robberies.
I did research on how young girls and women in the Western Cape are recruited and initiated into gangs, and what their role and functions are in these gangs. I also tried to find out what could be done to prevent them from joining gangs and how those who want to leave a gang or who have already chosen to do so can be supported.
The findings show that some girls are deceived or seduced into becoming involved with gangs through socialising with or by dating gang members.
Gangs sometimes target women who are addicted to drugs, or who come from family backgrounds of wealth and standing in communities, in order to use their financial resources and status for the benefit of the gang. A common pathway into gangs is through becoming romantically involved with a male gang member.
Young women may be drawn to gangs because of the easy access to drugs. Gangs use fear and intimidation to recruit women and young girls and to keep them trapped in gangs. One of the participants mentioned that when socialising with gang members, women are exposed to many details regarding the activities of gangs.
Having this knowledge of gang activities as an outsider puts the gang at risk, and because of this they need to become part of the gang to prove that they can be trusted. Resisting that pressure puts them and their families at risk.
Even though the participants didn’t mention a specific initiation ritual, they still emphasised the importance of having to prove their loyalty and commitment to the gang.
The act of “trapping” or seducing a rival male gang member is something that’s unique to female gangsters. They will lure a male member from a rival gang that may be on their gang’s “hit” list so that it becomes easier for their gang to kill him.
Initiating a woman into a gang communicates to gang members that she can be trusted and has proven her loyalty. It is difficult for a woman to leave a gang, especially if she has children fathered by a gang member or is financially dependent on a gang member.
Women can leave the gang if they have the necessary support systems in place (a safe place to stay, financial means to support themselves and their children), although sometimes this can mean leaving their homes and families behind to pursue a new life.
These women need supervised and safe recreational clubs or groups where they can be involved in exciting yet healthy, constructive activities and experience a sense of belonging and community; mental health services; counselling and therapy, mentorship and career guidance programmes and educational opportunities.
Former female gang members, the government, NGOs, community organisations, community leaders, private sector funders and multidisciplinary teams (registered counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers) should be involved in preand post-intervention initiatives.
* Muller is a registered counsellor who recently obtained her Master’s degree in psychology at Stellenbosch University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
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