soweto travel destinations Virgin Media
After the sun and sea of Cape Town and the wildlife wonders of Kruger National Park, South Africa's next biggest draw is Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg in South Africa's Gauteng province.
Yes, the very same Soweto synonymous with violence in apartheid South Africa is now a big attraction - and with good reason, given its blend of history, culture and buzzing streetlife.
The discovery of gold mines in the region in 1886 attracted many black Africans for work opportunities. They were originally housed in areas like Brickfields (Newtown) and it wasn't long before other townships sprang up - inevitable after the 1948 apartheid laws banned blacks from designated white Afrikaans-speaking areas. Soweto itself was officially named in 1963 (abbreviated from SOuth WEstern TOwnship) and by the early 70s, the township, or more accurately, the cluster of townships that make up Soweto, had become a hub for black activists in a struggle against apartheid that would shape South African history.
The most moving and relevant introduction to Soweto is the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum, named after one of the first casualties of the Soweto Uprising on 16th June 1976. More than 500 people were killed as they protested against the sacking of two teachers for refusing to teach in Afrikaans, following new laws making Afrikaans the language of teaching in township schools.
The museum, in the Soweto suburb of Orlando West, charts the events leading up to the uprising and also puts Soweto in context of the country's history. The museum is located two blocks from where 12-year-old Hector Pieterson was shot on the corner of Moema and Vilakazi Streets and also features photographer Sam Nzima's iconic image of the unconscious Hector, carried by schoolboy Mbuyisa Makhubo with Hector's sister Antoinette alongside. The museum's interlinked spaces are connected by ramps with Nzima's photo at the top of the second ramp. From the windows, you can see key Soweto sights including Orlando Stadium, Orlando Police Station and Moema Street. In one of the few walled rooms, a Death Register lists all the children who died between June 1976 and the end of 1977, serving as both reminder and tribute. This innovative museum is also a work-in-progress with visitors often recognising themselves in photos and adding more memories to the vast archive.
Soweto also lays claim to two famous residents. Vilakazi Street, also in Orlando West, is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners have lived, namely former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mandela's red-brick home is a site of pilgrimage for many and now now houses the Mandela Family Museum with its random collection of memorabilia including family paintings and photographs and numerous honorary doctorates bestowed on the iconic former President. Tutu's house remains a family home but the proximity of the two residences have made Vilakazi Street a key stop on any Soweto tour.
You can also visit the bullet-ridden Regina Mundi churchwhere protestors frequently clashed with police in the apartheid era. Nowadays, visitors are warmly welcomed to its rousing church services. Other notable sights include Meadowlands, where many black South Africans were sent after the forced removals of 1955; Credo Mutwa Village with its sculptures depicting African culture and folklore; and the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, the southern hemisphere's largest hospital.
Another Sowetan attraction is the food - popular haunts include Wandies in the suburb of Dube, Chez Alina's in Dobsonville and Sakhumzi Restaurant on Vilakazi Street, next door to Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house. Or stop for a local beer in a traditional shebeen (drinking hall) after browsing the curios in the many street markets.
Soweto's past what put it on the map but the township is embracing the future head-on. New additions include the Maponya Shopping Mall and the huge retail, recreational and residential space of Orlando Ekhaya. Soweto also has its first four-star hotel, the luxury Freedom Square Hotel in the posher suburb of Kliptown.
For all the investment, Soweto remains a poor area although tourism offers a welcome boost. B&Bs, hostels and boutique hotels have also created tourist-friendly hubs while new developments in Kliptown ensure those who like their grit with a side helping of deluxe are well-catered for. Visit www.joburg.org.za for info on all sorts of tours.
The new addition of the Soweto Tourism Information Centre on Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown is one of my many Soweto tourist initiatives. The location is apt too; Kliptown is where the Freedom Charter was signed by anti-apartheid groups in 1955 and the square is named after the South African liberation leader who once wrote that the history of South Africa cannot be understood outside the history of Soweto. And he was right. So visit Soweto and you'll appreciate today's South Africa that little bit more.
The writer travelled direct to South Africa courtesy of South African Airways and South Africa Tourism.
