[3] Soweto & Johannesburg

Family photo in Grand Rapids before takeoff on Sunday. Jim is in the front (in the wheel chair) surrounded by (l-r) Ruth, Becky, Joey, Josh, and Jane
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After taking off from Grand Rapids on Sunday morning we arrived in Johannesburg around 2PM local time Monday after connections in Chicago and Washington DC. The airplane rides were uneventful and the 15 hour direct flight on South African Air from Washington DC to Johannesburg was not as bad as feared. The Airbus offered personal entertainment consoles in every seat with video games, movies, and some recorded South African TV shows. Upon arrival in "Joburg" we found all of our bags, cleared customs, and registered the rifles in short order. Our travel agent representative brought us hotel and tour vouchers and helped us load up on the shuttle to the Airport Grand Hotel. We checked in and rested up for an hour before enjoying our first meal in Africa at the hotel buffet. The offerings included beef, chicken, potatoes, citrus carrots, and desserts. It was all quite delicious.

Soweto middle class neighborhood
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The next morning was clear and quite cool and reminiscent of a fall day in the Midwest, even as springtime beckoned in South Africa. We began our African Safari with a day tour through Soweto and Johannesburg. Our guide Robert met us at the lobby and loaded us into his VW van - Jimmy in the front with the rest of us sharing the ample rear two seats. Along the way Robert pointed out features in the skyline of Johannesburg as we made our way through the sprawling city of over three million people. Founded after the discovery of gold in the 1880's, Johannesburg has expanded and grown from a diamond and gold mining town to become the primary commercial and cultural metropolis of South Africa.

So Where To? - The Locals Pun on Soweto

Across the street - Hostels
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Soweto - so named as a type of acronym for "South West Township" was a designated residential area for blacks during the apartheid era. In the present day it is an interesting mix of black and white, rich and poor - with shanty towns, hostels (government-built concrete apartment-like buildings), and modern middle-class homes. The more affluent dwellings could be found in any US suburban neighborhood. They are predominately brick and built quite close to each other. One easily notices the great amount of pride that people take in the construction of their homes with each dwelling containing a unique architectural or decorative element that makes it stand out from among its peers. US suburban homes seem somewhat plain by comparison.

Soweto shanty town
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In stark contrast, hostels and shanty towns literally lie within the shadows of these “mansions” no more than five hundred yards away. Shanty towns – of which I was expecting to comprise the whole of Soweto based on my memories of the TV pictures of Apartheid in the news during the 1980’s – come in various degrees of social and real organization. The nicer shanty towns have dirt streets laid out in a conventional grid pattern, community taps strategically placed, and present with a sense of “community” to the world outside its boundaries. Inhabitants organize community daycare to watch over the youngsters while their parents work in the city. The lower end of the shanty town spectrum has little geographical organization with dwellings located haphazardly, few “streets”, and little social order. Robert the guide informed us entry into these lower-end camps would be quite dangerous and we were not anxious to venture in. He did, however, take us to one of the nicer shanty towns or “Squatter Camps” as he called them. There we paid a resident guide waiting among many at the entrance to escort us into their world. He told us of life in the camps with most huts being a one-room dwelling constructed of a rough-sawn frame skinned in corrugated sheet metal at a slight pitch on the roof to drain rainwater.

The famous photograph of Pieterson
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We entered into the home of a man who referred to himself in English as Eric – or something akin to it. He and his wife and three children share the “L”-shaped one-room building with a double bed, locker, and cooking area. With no electricity candles provide light and a propane-fired cooktop is used for food. The building was quite clean and well kept and Eric was obviously proud of his house.

Back on the road and continuing through Soweto we passed through Orlando and past the former home of Nelson Mandela, now a small museum, and found our way to the Hector Pieterson Museum named in honor of one of the first student casualties from the Soweto Uprising of June 1976. Hector was among hundreds of students killed during clashes with police in those days, but was memorialized as he was the subject of a famous photograph – his dead body being carried by a fellow schoolmate. The photo was widely circulated outside of South Africa and helped bring international pressure against the Apartheid policies of South Africa. The museum bears tribute to the history of Apartheid resistance with documentaries of prominent figures in the movement and a recounting of the events of the Soweto Uprising that marked a major milestone in the end of Apartheid.

Orlando West - site of the riots of June 1976
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Having fed our soul we yearned for some nourishment for the body after the museum. As Soweto tour operators are evidently obligated by tradition to bring their charges to “Wandies Place” for some authentic fare, Robert brought us in short order to the famous restaurant. In what I surmised was a very condensed version of the history of Wandie, Robert informed us that Wandie used to sell booze illegally – maybe something like a speakeasy. He was pursued and shutdown by the police a few times but came back to business, eventually becoming legitimate. As his business carried on his patrons began to ask for food along with their drinks and Wandie began serving food, now running a thriving restaurant. While the story is intriguing of itself Wandie is also a community money lender for those in need of funds without credit. I didn’t quite gather if the funds given were always repaid, but I suspect some debts are forgiven. With this type of social safety net funded by the restaurant and infused with tourism cash the area is considered safe to outsiders from criminal activities. The restaurant is a collection of communal tables much like going to the church potluck. The buffet was complete with rice, potatoes, white beans, red beans, lamb chops, curried beef and lamb stews, broasted chicken, Mogodu (tripe), vegetables, and several types of salad. We ate outside under the awning as it had warmed up during the morning and washed down the most savory of food with a glass of the local Castle Beer. Walking down the dining hall one cannot help to notice the thousands upon thousands of business cards that adorn the walls of the establishment as evidence of the innumerable patrons from all over the world that have eaten here.

Regina Mundi marble altar broken by rifle butt
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Back on the road Robert drove us past the current home of Winnie Mandela and we stopped to visit the Regina Mundi Catholic Church. Regina Mundi played a critical role as a meeting place for anti-Apartheid activists and was even “invaded” by police forces on at least one occasion. Bullet holes have been left unrepaired in the ceiling of the church with seating for 2000 and standing room for 6000 as constant reminders of the hard-won freedoms. The marble altar and communion rails have pieces missing from rifle butts striking them. It is very clear to all who enter here that police had entered this place in force with intent to harm. After signing the church’s guest book we made a donation, bought a mosaic plaque, and headed uptown.

Regina Mundi Communion Rail cracked
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Returning to Joburg we entered the suburb of Houghton and passed by the present home of Nelson Mandela. Situated among the many opulent homes of the area, Mandela’s home is replete with security walls and guards. Most homes in this high-rent district are multi-million dollar homes belonging to bankers, mining captains, and government officials. Having seen the best Joburg has to offer, Robert insisted we travel to see the worst area – an area he called the “Hotspot”. With hundreds of people milling about on the streets, garbage strewn everywhere, bars over every window and door, and dozens of brothels, it was not hard to see this was one “Rough Neighborhood”. We made a mad dash through the drug-infused and crime ridden neighborhood, but no more then five blocks away found ourselves amidst clean streets, government buildings, and the Mayor’s office.

Constitution Hill in Johannesburg site of Number Four Prison
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Just past the government buildings we came to Constitution Hill. Formerly home to the Number Four prison that once housed inmates Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, Constitution Hill now fittingly houses a Court of Human Rights. We were unable to tour because the court was in-session but were able to see some of the original prison buildings now remodeled for other uses. From here we stopped by the Museum of African History which is a work-in-progress museum detailing some of the history of South Africa with an emphasis on some of the anti-Apartheid activities. Displays also detail the history of music, mining, industry, and culture in the country. With a quick stop at a statue dedicated to Ghandi, we began to make our way back to the hotel through the afternoon rush-hour traffic of Johannesburg. Anybody who has sat in traffic in LA or Chicago could relate. Back at the hotel we said farewell to Robert and had another satisfying meal at the hotel buffet while trying to ward off the lingering effects of jet-lag before retiring for the night.