JOHANNESBURG - In the northeast of Johannesburg lies a place called Alexandra Township.
Founded in 1912, the same year as the African National Congress, Alexandra known to many as Gomoa has always stood more than just a collection of homes.
It bears witness to the country's struggle and history.
It is in these narrow streets where prominent figures like former struggle fighter and Minister of Defence Joe Modise, former first lady Zanele Mbeki and legendary jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela were born.
These streets also echoed to chants of defiance. Especially when the June 1976 riots in Soweto quickly spread to Alex where 19 people were killed. This township refused to be silenced.
Then came the day that changed everything, 27 April 1994, the day Alexandra, and the rest of South Africa, queued for dignity.
For the first time, people’s voices were equal, and their vote carried the weight of generations lost.
But 31 years later, the cracks are loud. Crime, poverty, unemployment and lack of housing have made many question of whether they have reaped the benefits of that historic vote in 1994.
By Zandile Khumalo