South Africa— Tattoo scenes & cities

In South Africa, a highly coded tattoo tradition formed in prisons among the "Numbers" gangs (26, 27, 28), whose origins, placed in the late 19th century, remain uncertain. Their language, sabela, comes from the speech of 19th-century mineworkers. According to a researcher, a former warder at Pollsmoor prison, only senior members wear tattoos.

An unearned tattoo exposes the wearer to sanctions before the gang's "parliament", because it signals status and rank. In 2022 the same researcher devoted a master's dissertation to these gangs, in which tattoos are described as a source of identification and cohesion. Outside prisons, a local article recalls that tattoos have long been associated with criminals and gangs, and sometimes still are.