Philipp Engelhorn

Photographer
Part of a Number (≠)
Location: Hong Kong
Nationality: Germany
Biography:  Born in the Black Forest of southern Germany, Photographer Philipp Engelhorn worked as a photographers assistant in New York City for 6 years before relocating to Hong Kong in 2002. Philipp’s photography strives to capture the beauty of the... MORE
Public Story
Part of a Number (≠)
Copyright Philipp Engelhorn 2024
Updated Jul 2011

More than just a Number – A look inside the history, mythology and future of one of Africa and the world’s most complex criminal organizations.

South Africa’s Number Gangs are more than a gang of prisoners using their combined muscle to dominate the South African prison system. A mix of religion, mythology and politics, the Number is made up of three separate camps known as the 26, the 27 and the 28 with each having its own colours, flags and roles in the greater organisation and prison.

The Number claims its birth as far back as 1824 and can in many ways be seen as a window into South Africa and its evolution as a country. The gang began as a means to give a disenfranchised group, initially blacks, a way to strike back at those they perceived as the oppressors while allowing them to legitimise their criminal activities.

The feature looks at its birth as a group of robbers and bandits through to its development as an anti-apartheid movement and onto its current make-up as a full fledged criminal organization motivated by drugs and cash.

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