The Number: One Man's Search for Identity in the Cape Underworld and Prison Gangs

by Jonny Steinberg

On 9 June 2003, a 43-year-old coloured man named Magadien Wentzel walked out of Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town. Behind him lay a lifelong career in the 28s, South Africa's oldest and most reviled prison gang, for decades rumoured to have specialised in rape and robbery. In front of him lay the prospect of a law-abiding future, and life in a household of eight adults and six children, none of whom earned a living. Jonny Steinberg met Wentzel in prison in the dying months of 2002. By the time Wentzel was released, he and Steinberg had spent more than 50 hours discussing his life experiences. The Number is an account of their conversations and of Steinberg's journeys to the places and people of Wentzel's past. Wentzel had lived a bewilderingly schizophrenic life, wandering to and fro between three the arcane universe of prison gangs, steeped in a mythology of banditry and retribution, where he was known as JR; the fringes of South Africa's criminal economy, where he lived by a string of stolen names and learned the arts of commercial fraud; and his scattered family which eked out a living int the coloured ghettos of the Cape flats. The Number visits each of those worlds in turn. It is a tale of modern South Africa's historic events seen through the eyes of the country's underclass. Surprisingly, perhaps, it is neither a story of passivity nor despair, but of beguiling ingenuity and cool cynicism. Most of all, the book is an account of memory and identity, of Wentzel's project to make some sense of his bewildering past and something worthy of his future. When Steinberg met him, Wentzel was embarking on a quest to retrieve the name he had been given at birth. He was also beginning the daunting task of gathering together the estranged children he had sired into a nuclear family. It was an eccentric and painful venture for a man with his past, but it has led him to construct an account of himself that begs to be told.

Genres: Nonfiction, South Africa, Africa, Crime, Cape Town, History, True Crime

427 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every resident of the Western Cape in South Africa, and for anyone who wants to understand the legacy of apartheid on the coloured population of the country. This is biography, history and current affairs rolled into one, written with a journalist's eye for a good story.

[Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Number tells the story of both Magadien Wentzel, a lifelong criminal and prison gang leader of the 28s and the history of the South African prison gangs.

Wentzel grew up as an identity-less colored boy in the cape townships. He didn’t know who his mother was until he was nearly a teen, never knew who his father was and despised his foster mother’s boyfriends. He doesn’t know his true name, age or religion. Lacking structure and guidance (granted this is an overgeneralization), he turned to crime. When he is in prison he finally finds something that gives his life structure and meaning: The Number.

The book gives a great description of the numbers gangs, the 26s, 27s and 28s. It explains their history and the relationships between the three gangs as well as their relationships with the warders of the prisons throughout South Africa. Also, it gives a great description of Wentzel’s role in the 28s.

Long story short, Wentzel eventually grows disenchanted in the gang lifestyle and the vicious cycle of perpetration of a crime incarceration, release and recidivism.

The Number is a great look into what it is like to live as a criminal and prisoner in the Cape, and the challenges that a prison gang member would face when attempting to get his life, not back together, but together for the first time.

Further, it is also a great piece for anyone who is interested in authorship or journalism. Throughout the book, Steinberg and Wentzel have an uneven relationship. One is an affluent Rhodes Scholar, the other an old penniless ndota. One gets to come in go from the others life, the other must sit and wait for their meetings. One tells the story, the other has the potential to mold the story. It is a very interesting relationship that many authors must face when writing a books about the fringes of society. Steinberg does it with amazing finesse and does a great job conveying the challenges to the reader

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

...he was coming to learn that one cannot reinvent oneself without reinventing the people around whom one has lived a life.

At first I was disappointed with this book, as I thought it would include much more information about live in the gangs outside of prison, but now I understand that live in a prison gang and live in one of the big Cape Town gangs are two very different things. This is my second book by Jonny Steinberg in 2016, and the reason for that is that he not only writes about the live of his subject, but also about the process of interviewing them, and how that process influences their live and their views. Once again he did a brilliant job in really getting us to understand why Magadien, a very intelligent person, would end up in prison time and again. By giving us this understanding, and interviewing many other people, we can extent this empathy to a community as a whole. On top of that he explains why the South African prison gangs developed and how they have changed since democracy. I must admit that although the history of prison gangs itself was interesting, it was Magadien's story and Jonny's insight and interaction with this story, that kept me hooked. It loses a star because the first few chapters reads like an academic title, and I almost gave up on it.
The Story: Jonny Steinberg's latest book pitches the reader into the murky world of SA's
prison gangs by focusing on the life of one man.

[David Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding reportage. Through interviews with a reforming ex-prison gang leader (although its far more complicated than that), Steinberg sheds some light on the complex sociology and politics of the Western Cape (South Africa) prison system in late twentieth century, before and after the the end of apartheid. Steinberg writes with precision, but also humanity and he grants his subject dignity even as he is inextricably confined by the author-subject relationship. Truly an eye-opener of a book.

[Jan Gert Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked the book up because I know someone who was incarcerated in the Western Cape recently, he entered prison as a "frans" and left prison as a "ndota".
The author manages to highlight the protagonist in the biography's humanity. This is a real-life account of Magadien Wentzel's search for himself and what it might mean to belong. The author manages to portray a reality that I find foreign, scary and dangerous.
This should be recommended reading in school.

[David J. Kleinhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is as much a story of Magadien Wentzel (a former 28 prison gang leader) and prison gangs, as it is a story of South Africa, crime, and prisons in South Africa (before and after democracy). Steinberg remains ever conscious of how individual stories fit into socio-historic situations, and the way that he brings these two together, makes for incredibly insightful reading.

[Xolani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonny and Magadien take us on a journey never to be forgotten, revealing the unknown dark world of inmates with such care and respect. But mostly importantly this is a story of redemption of how one can truly turn things around..

[Kanykei Tursunbaeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough.

[andrea freud · Rating 5 out of 5]

learned so much and remember it two years later. Ethnography that reads like a great novel.. once I found Johnny Steinberg, radical white South African sociologist, read all I could get.

[Esteé Hallatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting tale of terrible circumstances, bad choices, violent conflict and a struggle to find identity and meaning.

[Burton DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even by Jonny Steinberg's extremely high standards, this is a masterpiece.

[Daniel Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s interesting but drags on quite a bit, hard read

[Ms Desiree Silverstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an in-depth understanding of the origins and psyche of black gangs and their brutality.

[Aimee Mcdonald]

The number tells the story of reformed gangster, Magadien Wentzel, who was high up in the 28’s, one of South Africa’s most notorious prison gangs. Steinberg spent 18 months with Wentzel, in and out of prison, and skillfully crafts the story of his shattered life into a whole narrative.

The story is fascinating as it gives insight into one of South Africa’s most militant and powerful bodies: the organised crime mafiosos of the Cape Flats. The prison gangs have a rich (albeit imaginary) history and system. The author also explores the role that apartheid played in fostering gangs and destroying the identity of coloured people as a nation.

Steinberg writes the story in an excellent way- it is circular- bringing up facts and people and incidents in Wentzels life that crop up later in the book, but Steinberg also deals with his own guilt of writing and making money off a poor-man’s story. The tropes of identity and redemption give this book a quality which sets it apart from ordinary non-fiction.

It ends hanging, and now when I step on the train and see a face of strangers, I wonder if one of them is Magadien, rebuilding his life out of the rubble of poor decisions and historical injustices.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: The book is well-researched and referenced and the main protagonist, Magadien, is likeable. I also liked that it was a story of hope. As someone living in Cape Town, I appreciate that it also provided a lot of insight into the history and politics of the province and country.

Cons: I'm not a big fan of the way the story of Magadien was woven together in seemingly structured but non-chronological ways. I believe quite a bit of it could have been edited as there was much repetition of facts and events as the story looped back a few times.

The journalist/biographer Steinberg was candid about his role in the inmate's life (i.e. not entirely objective) which I appreciated. Some of the commentary and insight did not come across as entirely unbiased.

[Minette Visser · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Magadien Wentzel/William Steenkamp/JR/Darryl illuminates the problem with criminalising bad behaviour. Magadien is in prison, again, and his rank in the Number is the only place in the world where he belongs. But belonging to the Number means belonging in prison.

This book has confirmed a suspicion I've had about the criminal system, and shows that we really need to rehabilitate people and not treat them like outcasts once they're out of prison.

Beautifully told, this book illustrates a nation-wide problem by focusing on an individual's story.

[Goretti · Rating 5 out of 5]

always informative. Steinberg's investigative journalism takes on a personal tone as he follows one individual's search for his biological identity as well as an identity which links to the intricately complex number system in our prison system. This number system has spilled over to outside prison wall gangsterism in a South African context which makes it an interesting and informative for any local South African.

[Lenine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hectic! Jonny Steinberg's journalistic style makes this book. I learned so much about a world we'd rather ignore. He He...i even gave it to a local car guard (yes) to read - he called it a trip down memory lane. The truth of it makes it all the more unnerving - and fascinating.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in inspiration and an eye-opener. If ever proof was needed that rehabilitation, reconciliation, communication and compromise are necessary for peace and stability, The Number dishes it out in quantity. My battery has been recharged.

[William Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting history on the complexities and context of South Africa's most notorious prison gang - The Number. Follows one of the Generals of the 28's Gang as he searches for redemption in post-apartheid South Africa.

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonny did so much research to bring this book to life. The details amazed me and gave me a true understanding of the world of prison gangs in South Africa.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive and compelling insight into the coloured prison gangs of the Cape, told through the life story of a former member of one of these 'Numbers'.

[La'eeqah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggled. Possible flawed depiction.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am obsessed with gangs and prisons so this book was of great interest for me. Although at times it's a bit slow and too long in parts, I enjoyed the read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, very good and deeply thought provoking.