Soweto Township Tour
Have you ever been to a township? Any township?
What’s your perception about townships?
Well allow us to take you to Soweto, a township established in 1904 when the British authorities forcefully removed INDIANS & BLACKS to evacuation camps from Sophiatown which is now known as Newtown. Soweto by the way is a syllabic abbreviation of South Western Township.
Kliptown & Orlando were the first townships to be built in Soweto, a neighbourhood of huts and corrugated tin shacks close to a sewerage farm (Klipspruit) now called Kliptown which was established in 1905. Orlando was then known as Shanty Town (Emasakeni) was then second township to be built in 1935. In 1940 people were again forcefully removed from Sophiatown to a third township called Meadowlands.
Sir Raymond Oppenheimer who was the Anglo American Chairman at the time lended 6million rands to the then Municipality to build decent houses for the people as the Black community was growing. The four-roomed houses which constitute Soweto were built so as to provide decent, adequate housing for the people who worked the Gold mines.
People came from all walks of South Africa to mine Gold, hence Johannesburg is called the city of gold. People came from Lesotho,Botswana, Venda, Kzn, Mpumalanga and the Cape colony to mine gold and create better lives for themselves.
As a token of gratitude women of Soweto built the longest Tower in Soweto using bricks from houses demolished during the forceful relocations. Here you can view the whole of Soweto and Johannesburg.
Next time when you think of Soweto-think of that Human dignity being restored-think of people wanting a better life for themselves and willing to risk their health and lives for a decent living.
Allow us to take you through this beautiful, famous, epic and rich in history township and share the spirit of Ubuntu and the restoration of Pride & Dignity to humankind which was has been the essence of Soweto.
Would you like to spend a night in Soweto? If so join us now in our 2 day exciting, safe, township residence interaction tour.
Itinerary
Day One
Pick up from Airport/Hotel at 09:00am. We drive straight to Diepkloof township,have a view of the township,experience the different setup of the rich and poor communities within this particular township.
We then take to a Hostel,which is a communal living setup,where men and women coming from rural areas in search for a better life reside. We drive to a world renowned hospital called Baragwanath (Chris Hani Academic Hospital). This hospital was built in 1941 and was once a Military hospital,now it is known to be one of the largest hospitals in the world.
Take a walk through the biggest taxi rank around the hospital,interact with locals then drive through to Pimville, Kliptown-a place of the Freedom charter-now known as the Walter Sisulu Square. Here delegates met in 1955 to to adopt the Freedom Charter which is now the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights.
On route to Kliptown, drive through the only Golf course in Soweto and exit to the largest shopping mall in Soweto (Maponya Mall). We then make our way to a prominent church rich in Soweto’s history-called Regina Mundi. Here the church tour guide takes you through the history of the Soweto uprisings and the role of the church during that time. The church is viewed as the most prominent church in Soweto,well mantained and a highly respected community property.
Drive through the other townships of Soweto, taking note of the different style of houses that distinguish one township to the other,the beginning and the end of a particular township. We then make our way past the school where the 1976 uprisings began(Morris Isaacson) to the Oppenheimer Towers. Enjoy the ascent to the beautiful view of the whole of Soweto and the city of Johannesburg. Whilst at the Oppenheimer towers enjoy the wild array of birdlife as the park is a herbal haven with a dense forest.
The park houses the Khayalendaba cultural village-an open air museum celebrating African Art and Sculptures. The cultural village was built by South African artist and traditional healer Credo Mutwa. Here you get to learn about the Nguni and Sotho tribes and Credo Mutwa’s predictions he made in the 70’s and actually came happened-like the 09/11 terrorist attack on America.
Drive through the other townships for late lunch at your booked establishment for overnight stay (Llapeng restaurant and B&B) in Orlando. Relax after lunch,walking to the park nearby, have time to take photos of the second township n Soweto. Enjoy the view of Orlando stadium which was used as a training camp for most international teams during the 2010 World cup as your B&B is directly opposite this stunning stadium.
End your first day with either a walk or a drive to the nearby Hector Pieterson museum just a few kilometres away from your B&B. The museum an exact narrative of the history of South Africans and the Apartheid era. Spend as much time as you would like here with the tour guide and walk around the museum for some artifacts shopping, photos with locals and interaction with the Soweto community.
A walk/drive back to your B&B ends your first day in Soweto.Enjoying the rest of the night at a typical Soweto home with a very warm hospitality from the owner as she also resides in the B&B. Traditional South African dinners with a choice of Western dishes are served for dinner.
Note a mobile spa can be organized at an extra cost to end your day in a relaxed,rejuvenating manner.
Day Two
Begin your day with a scrumptuos breakfast, again enjoying the gusty township mornings. Your first tour is the famous Vilakazi Street,where Nelson Mandela & Desmond Tutu lived. Walk the street and experience the warm welcome of locals and the rich tourist culture the street has since transformed into. Tour the Mandela house, walk down the Desmond Tutu’s house and drive straight to the Ubuntu kraal.
At the Ubuntu kraal you get to experience the traditional brewing process and sample a fabulous craft of beers. The traditional brewing process is traditionally an African craft undertaken by females.
Your next stop is the Soweto adventure life at the Orlando Towers. The towers were originally the site of a coal fire power station for 56yrs. They were closed down and have now become the site of the world’s first bungee jump between the two towers. It has been a tourist and entertainment site since 2008. Activities to do at the towers are:
- Bungee jumping-R480.00
- Abseiling (Saturday only)-R260.00
- Internal swing-R360.00
- Power swing-R360.00
- Viewing platform-R60.00
- Paintballing
- Rock climbing
- Zip line
Have lunch at the base of the cooling towers at a restaurant called Chaf Pozi. Here you get a choice of braai/cooked menu, Halaal and Vegetarian.
All activities are per own account as they differ in pricing.
From a lovely lunch you then set off to a relaxed drive past the beautiful 2010 World cup stadium which hosted the opening and closing matches of this world event-Soccer City.
As you exit Soweto-we take you to the Apartheid Museum, where you can spend ample time learning more about the history of South Africa, it’s struggle heroes. From here you are then driven back to your hotel via Johannesburg-the city of Gold.
All of this for just R4050.00P/P (Incl : B&B, Lunch, Entrance fees, Tour guide, Transportation, dinner, on route beverages).