Fade to Black: Tears for Soweto

---

Today we went on a more or less organized tour of Johannesburg and Soweto. This blog will focus only on Soweto. As you leave Johannesburg, you see fewer and fewer Whites; and then finally, when you arrive to Soweto, we did not see a single White person. As many of you recall, the site of the major youth riots protesting the instruction of Afrikaans language in Black schools was in Soweto. We visited the site of the infamous riots where the first student, Hector Pieterson, was killed by South African police. We visited the museum named in his honor that chronicles the events of that tragic riot where South African police opened fire on hundreds of schoolchildren. The museum contained a lot of photographs and documents which captured in time the intensity of those days. It was haunting, it was sad, and it is still hard for me to grasp that one group of human beings can subject another group of human beings to this sort of torture, treatment, and blatant disregard for their rights or their lives. Ditto for the Transatlantic slave trade, the Holocaust, modern day slavery in Darfur, etc.

We visited the township of Soweto (more than 50,000 inhabitants), which I learned has 3 major sections - one for the middle class, one for the working class, and one for the underclass. In the last section, we were priviledged to have a personal tour of the township and were invited into one of the homes by an occupant. She was a middle-aged woman with 4 children living in what we might call a "studio" apartment. No electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or cooking stove. The construction of the home is such that it is hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. She invited us to ask questions, and we did our best via our guide who helped to translate our attempts. I was overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions, and I cried (more in my heart rather than outwardly).

We were able to visit Nelson Mandela's original first home located in Soweto. Mr. Mandela does not currenly live in Soweto, but, in a fancy house in Johannesburg which is heavily guarded with his 3rd wife, Graca Michel. His second wife, Winnie, does however still live in Soweto, in a modest home.

Some interesting things that the tour guide shared with us:

- residents hang certain color tents or flags outside of their home to signal an upcoming event: white or white/yellow means there will be a party or a wedding; black, white/black, or white/green signals a funeral. If you see the former colors outside of the house, you are expected to invite yourself - that is, go to the home and indicate that you will be coming to the festive occasion.

- BMW's (the car) are also referred to as "Break My Window", that is, cars targeted for theft; easily stolen and easily dissambled for parts.

- "Moving Coffins" are the minivans that are used throughout the area to transport people; they are usually filled over the legal capacity and drive at outrageous speeds - easily a recipe for a roadside accident and death. You have to run to catch up and jump on these vehicles to get where you want to go. Similar to the bus system I recall from Lagos, Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

A highlight of our day was lunch. We ate at the most famous restaurant in Soweto, Wandi's Place, where a number of local dishes are served buffet style. We could not identify some of the meats in the stews, but, decided to try them anyway. Everything was delicious!

---

Photos

Hector Pieterson
This is in front of the museum's entrance. The picture is one of a young man carrying Hector's body to a nearby clinic, not knowing that he was already dead.

Inside Soweto
This is outside of the house where we visited in Soweto.

Inside Soweto II
Here is the mother with her children that we talked with (not all) inside of her home.

The "Kitchen"
Inside of Soweto home