Johannesburg

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Basically, Johannesburg isn't nearly as bad as we'd expected based on stories from travelers as well as locals. It's hardly a destination, but it's fine to get stuck there for a few days in transit. We didn't walk around at night and we used Uber to get most everywhere.

Melville
When we arrived in South Africa, we stayed at 84th on 4th, a guest house in the bohemian suburb of Melville. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops to walk to. I went for a morning run in the area and had no problems, though the guest house staff said it wasn't safe for Peggy to walk alone around the nearby botanical gardens.

Braamfontein
On our way to Vic Falls, we stayed at Once in Jo-burg in this neighborhood close to the city center. There were restaurants in a secured square right next to the hostel, but it wasn't as interesting or as hip as Melville. We were fine walking around during the day and I got a pretty bad haircut there.

Apartheid Museum
We spent about 2 hours here since we needed to get to the bike tour by 1PM, but 3 hours would be better. The first section is about boring colonial governments before Apartheid, but it did help to set up some of the conflicts that eventually boiled over into communist and Neo-Nazi groups when Apartheid was dismantled. I was a little frustrated by all the complicated nuances of what we refer to as 'apartheid,' but like most history, it can't be distilled down to a paragraph. I enjoyed seeing all of this after spending three weeks in South Africa, and it impressed me that the country is as stable as it is today, considering the chaos 20 years ago.

Soweto Bike Tour
This tour, run by Lebo Hostel, is expensive but worth it. It wouldn't be a bad place to stay either, but you'd probably be wise to stay at the hostel for dinner after dark. Still, the hostel does a wonderful job connecting itself to the Soweto community, which Is a bit dirty but definitely not a slum; in fact, most of it is middle class. The people there must see 2-3 bike tours come by the streets every day, but everyone still seemed excited to see us visiting, especially the children, who always said hello and often high-fived us as we coasted along.

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Photos

Trash burning
There's plenty of it to burn.