Abstract
The events and reflections recounted in this article draw from a larger project that seeks
to understand the notion of urban belonging in the post-apartheid city. In particular, my
focus centred on neighbourhoods in Durban once set aside for those defined as Coloured.
To this end, I began conducting interviews in Alabama Road, Wentworth, a township in
the south basin of the city of Durban. In the midst of these interviews, tensions flared into
two bloody confrontations between residents and private security, supported by the
police. This article focuses on the events surrounding these conflicts, while drawing on
research I had conducted through 2015. The spark for the tensions was the planned
upgrading of 1148 dilapidated flats funded by the Provincial Department of Housing of
KwaZulu-Natal. It is a story about service delivery, belonging and a deep sense of
marginalisation.