Johannesburg - The start

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On the road yet again. If you’re wondering what’s going on then that ok. I still owe lots of you and email about the what, why, how and with whom of this trip. It will happen shortly I promise

It has been only about a month since I heard that I will be made redundant and now I'm sitting in a small office in my backpacker's in Johannesburg. Was glad to leave the last few weeks behind me as there was so much to organize and do but hey who is complaining. No other commitments for the next 7 1/2 months 😊 Ok shall not forget to meet Kellie in 7 weeks…

The flight was rather uneventful and pretty relaxing as I had a whole middle row of seats to myself. Doesn’t happen very of then that I can lie down and stretch out on a plane.

I will stay only one day in Jo'burg before heading down to Cape town to visit my friend Mat which lives down there.

That day was today... went to see the quite informative Apartheid museum which sheds a bit of light on the rather dark years between 1948 and 1989 where 8% of the population suppressed the other 92%. Must have been a strange place to live in during those years with complete separation of whites and non whites (including Asians, Indians and other white’s which were not deemed to be worth being white).
What is quite amazing is that the 92% never tried to take revenge once they were in power. I would have…

After that it was off to Soweto the township which got a lot of news coverage in the 80 due to the large unrests that happened during that time. Soweto (SOuth WEst TOwnship) is actually not one township but a conglomerate of 52 separate ones. Not all of them are the slums you might think of. Today the wealthy middle class lives in some areas which is just a few km away from some of the poorest dwellings to be found.

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Photos

non-white shop
Old sign left over from the apartheid days

Street in Soweto
Most of Soweto doesnt look like this but there are still quite a few shandy towns left

Comments

[Dutchy]

The wanderer
Na dann mal viel Spaß und ich hoffe auf viele Berichte und Bilder. ;-)

[Idris]

huh?
Redundant? Travelling again? I may be shite at keeping in touch but when there's news you hear from me squire - what the devil is going on?!?!

[Mike]

False Information
During the years of Apartheid, the white population percentage was far higher at around 25%. In the last 2 decades the black population has increased to to over breeding. BTW Many did take revenge and the victims were usually completely innocent. Burt in car tyres.

[Emily]

These signs
Writing a paper on a photograph taken in 1979 featuring a very similar sign!