The Numbers Gang is a crime organization that started as a prison gang with one of the most fearsome reputations in South Africa. Although they were founded in KwaZulu-Natal, it is believed that they are present in most South African prisons. The gang is divided into groups or camps named the 26s, 27s and 28s or the other non gang members called 'Frans' partially meaning no number.
Origin and history
The Numbers Gang was started in the late 1800s, supposedly to protect black mineworkers. The origins of the gang remain uncertain at best. Amongst gang members, the likely apocryphal story of Nongoloza and Ngeleketshane is claimed as the gang's origin.
The Numbers Gang story holds that a man named Paul Mambazo became alarmed by the exploitation of miners in late 1800 South Africa. Paul allegedly befriended a young zulu boy, a member of the Zulu called Nongoloza who said he was on his way to the mines to look for work, and Ngeleketshane, a member of the Pondo tribe. Paul eventually recruited 15 young men. He taught them a secret language and highway robbery. The men robbed travellers and colonial outposts of their goods. The gang chose to change their habits to avoid being caught. They moved from cave to cave and split themselves into two groups: Ngeleketshane with his seven men who robbed by day, and Nongoloza and his six men who robbed by night. Paul ordered the two men to carve their daily outlaw activities on a nearby rock which would serve as a diary.
Paul then ordered the two men to visit a farm, owned by a Mr. Rabie, and to buy one of his bulls called Rooiland (Red Earth). Mr. Rabie was suspicious, and refused to sell the two men the bull. The two youths refused to leave without carrying out their order, and proceeded to stab the farmer with bayonets and then steal the bull, and slaughter it for a feast.
Paul ordered the men to take the hide of the bull and press it onto the diary rock until the words from the rock were imprinted on the hide. There were now two copies of the gang's ways, and Paul explained that the bandits must follow the rules as they had been set out from the beginning. The two items were divided between the two men: Nongoloza received the hide and Ngeleketshane received the rock. The two were instructed to carry them wherever they went. The rock, however, proved too awkward to carry and one day it was accidentally dropped down a hill. It split into two pieces, one of which fell into a river. This left Ngeleketshane's gang with only half of the gang's laws.
The first conflict between the two gangs took place because of this incident. The two gangs decided to embark on a joint expedition, but Nongoloza said he was sick and stayed behind. He asked one of Ngeleketshane's soldiers, Magubane, to stay behind with him. Upon returning, Ngeleketshane found Nongoloza engaged in homosexual acts with Magubane. Enraged, Kilikijan challenged Nongoloza to a fight. Nongoloza replied that according to the hide, sex between bandits was allowed in order to avoid contact with women. Kilikijan retaliated by saying that he didn't trust Nongoloza, believing he had added this law to the hide after half of the rock was lost. The two men fought until they were both drenched in blood, and Paul arrived to intervene.
Paul listened to both men's sides of the story. He then told Ngeleketshane to travel to the mines to see if men were engaging in sex with one another. Ngeleketshane found that this did indeed take place, but opinions remained divided as to whether this justified Nongoloza's act. This would become the pivotal disagreement between the two gangs that persists to this day. Paul had informed the men that at the entrance of his cave was an old assegai, and if the men found the tip of the assegai rusted, it would mean that Paul had died. Due to the death of Paul, a final decision on whether sexual intercourse between men was allowed never came to pass.
After Paul's death the two gangs decided to go their separate ways: Nongoloza's gang with its now eight men (including Magubane, whom he decided to take with him), and Kilikijan's gang with its seven. It is said that this is where the numbers "27" and "28" originated, with the number "2" symbolizing the two leaders. The gangs agree that the day and night would still be divided between them as it had always been. The gangs continued to roam the countryside until they both ended up in Point Prison in Durban.