Knife Crime ER

Twenty years since the first free elections and in the shadow of Nelson Mandela's death, Reggie Yates gets up close and personal with three very different communities in contemporary South Africa. By living amongst them for a week, what will he discover about the extremes of this misunderstood country in the 21st century?

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and the Cape Flats outside Cape Town are now the epicentre of violent crime in the country. Reggie spends a week in a new district hospital in the fastest growing township, struggling to cope with the victims of these attacks. On any given weekend, the young doctors deal with up to 100 stabbings and assaults and 80 per cent of those admitted are under 25.

By living and working with the doctors and patients, Reggie tries to find out why it is almost inevitable for young men just like him to get into violent scrapes here. It is a journey that leads him into the heart of the township and the conflict.