Gusheshe against the grain: South Africa’s car spinning culture – in pictures

In post-apartheid Johannesburg, car spinning, known locally as gusheshe, has grown from a township pastime into one of South Africa’s most striking homegrown sports. The practice began in the 1980s, with Soweto’s gangster scene, where stolen cars were spun at funerals as acts of tribute. By the early 1990s, as the country teetered on the brink of racial conflict, young Sowetans began experimenting with spinning outside criminal circles. Their focus was the BMW 325i. A drive to excel laid the foundations for a culture now recognised across the country