Thug Life mural, Beatrix Court

Tweede Nuwe Jaar: Tupac gangster rap culture invades Hard Living$ gang territory in the form of twin murals entitled West Side and Thug Life (shown here) painted on the walls of Beatrix twin courts. Black American gangster culture has been adopted by the junior Hard Living$ gang known as the West Siders. Captured here on ‘Second New Year’s Day’, is a group of young klopse who pose in front of their favourite mural in harsh midday light before heading for the Cape Minstrel Carnival in town. Although seemingly playful and carefree, this scene creates a sinister mood in an infamous territory that has seen decades of raging gang warfare.