Last Stop In SA

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Geo: -26.1538, 28.0389

Our initial plans for Johannesburg were very limited- we had heard all of the warnings about Joburg and the downtown area in particular remains something of a war zone. Johannesburg is the second largest city in Africa with over 3 million people calling it home and crime remains one of its biggest challenges.

We picked a hotel in the relatively safe Sandton area which even offered an airport pickup service. Unbeknownst to us this pickup service came with the services of a very proud and passionate South African driver who soon convinced us that we had to explore a little bit more of Johannesburg (Joburg to the locals) particularly the famous/infamous Soweto Township which was Ground Zero for many of the bigger Apartheid related struggles.

We made arrangements with our new friend, Themba, Themba's passion for South Africa was matched by his admiration foe Nelson Mandela and even the forgotten man of the SA peace process, FW de Klerk. Rather than being embittered by the legacy of apartheid (when Themba was young he needed a permit to visit his grandmother in Joburg who was a domestic and even then he could only vest for 6 hours and then had to be out of that area), Themba was both moderate and thoughtful in his hopes for the future of the nation (probably disqualifying him for any role in politics?). He was, however, troubled by the idea that the successors to Mandela were very flawed copies of the great man- the issues plaguing much of Africa such as systemic corruption and astonishingly poor decision making are starting to become a trademark of the governing ANC.

Much of our time with Themba was spent in Soweto but we drive by the home that Mandela occupied as president (Horton Estates). This is in an upper class area of Joburg and many of his neighbours sold up or just walked away from their mansions fearing a civil war- many of these large walled estates remain vacant. Mandela's home was surrounded by stones covered in painted messages from many of those standing vigil when he was on his death bed (he died on December 5, 2013).

Soweto surprised us a little- rather than a burned out ghetto and the abject poverty we saw in some other townships around SA, Soweto was largely a middle class neighbourhood with some pockets of affluence. Obviously that wasn't always the case. Soweto is the most populous black urban residential area in the country, with a population at close to a million. Thanks to its proximity to Johannesburg, the economic hub of the country, it is also the most metropolitan township in the country - setting trends in politics, fashion, music, dance and language.

It was not until 1963 that the acronym "Soweto" was adopted, following a four-year public competition on an appropriate name for the sprawling township. Soweto may sound like an African name, but the word was originally an acronym for "South Western Townships". A cluster of townships sprawling across a vast area 20 kilometres south-west of Johannesburg, Soweto was, from the start, a product of segregationist planning. The township was created to house mainly black labourers, who worked in mines and other industries in the city, away from the city centre. In the 1950s, more black people were relocated there from "black spots" in inner city Johannesburg - black neighbourhoods which the apartheid government then reserved for whites. Soweto's growth was phenomenal - but unplanned. Despite government attempts to curb the influx of black workers to the cities, waves of migrant workers moved from the countryside and neighbouring countries to look for employment in the fast-growing city of gold.

Regina Mundi Church became home to numerous anti-apartheid organisations and hosted the funerals of scores of political activists. Since it came into being, Soweto was at the centre of campaigns to overthrow the apartheid state. The 1976 student uprising, also known as the Soweto Uprisings, began in Soweto and spread from there to the rest of the country. Other politically charged campaigns to have germinated in Soweto include the squatter movement of the 1940s and the defiance campaigns of the mid to late 1980s.

The two most residents of Soweto are Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu (who continues to live in the area)- two Nobel peace prize laureates, who once lived in the now famous Vilakazi Street. The most infamous resident might be Winnie Mandela who now lives in a relatively palatial and heavily fortified estate in the west of Soweto.

Hector Pieterson, who was shot dead by police during the student uprisings which spread around the country and changed the course of history for South Africa, and the famous picture of his lifeless body being carried by mourning youths, have come to symbolize the 1976 Uprisings.

Soweto is a place of contrasts: rows of tin shanties abut luxurious mansions; piles of garbage and pitted roads offset green fields and rustic streams. Soweto offers plenty of less aesthetically pleasing sights for the visitor like the hostels- monstrous, prison-like buildings designed to shelter male migrant workers from the rural areas and neighbouring countries. Then there are the squatter camp communities, euphemistically called "informal settlements", where poverty is palpable. These camps are home to many of the unemployed, who use corrugated iron sheets to build shelters

Our last stop in Joburg was a mandatory one: the Apartheid Museum. The architects designed this building to resemble the prison-like conditions of Robben Island – a reminder of the state of mind of the entire Apartheid South Africa. The Museum is both depressing and inspiring- it portrays the full brutality of the apartheid system which was enforced by the South African government from 1948 to 1990. It is truly astounding that black South Africans have made a relatively peaceful transition to democracy led by Mandela and others like Tutu (who headed up the very unique Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We end up staying in the museum for 3 and 1/2 hours (probably would have stayed longer but it closed) while our new friend Themba waiting patiently outside.

Joburg was a very serious but necessary stop as we wrapped up our time in Southern Africa. We had an absolutely fabulous time in this part of the world, and, more importantly, I've also figured out what to do if/when I screw up with DH- start planning a safari and all will be forgiven. Given her spa passions I'd have to say that she's now officially an ambidextrous junkie- she is equally ecstatic by being wrapped in apples, cinnamon, and seaweed, or via close encounters with any large critter covered in fur (with the specific exception of older Italian men).

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Comments

[Marlene S.]

Well that sure is nice!