Unlikely Tourists

While I have been many times to Vilakazi Street, a tourist trap in Soweto with guests wanting to see the house still behind bars, 8115 Vilakazi Street Orlando West Soweto. The unlikely tourists were Viandre and Velile with me as tour guide. Oh dear I am sure Just Vel will have something to say about him being a tourist in his own back yard, at least he was impressed with my knowledge of the historic places here, thanks to my time spent as a Joburg Photowalker.

Do you know that Veilie still hasn’t even being to the Kliptown Youth Centre in the middle of the Kliptown squatter camp or to be more PC the informal settlement at Kliptown. What a bunch of unlikely tourists we are. Oh and above is a photo of our traditional lunch of a kota bought from a local spaza shop just to prove that we have what it takes except for any smileys.

Regina Mundi

Regina Mundi or Queen of the World is a Roman Catholic Church in Rockville, Soweto. Regina Mundi was built in the 60s and became the People’s Church when it opened its doors to protect the anti-apartheid activists, especially the children during the 1976 student uprising. It still bears the bullet scars from the police who forcefully tried to remove the terrified children.

Today along with the bullet scared alter and crucifix, it houses the painting of the Black Madonna and Child, and a perfect copy of the Brazilian Lady of Aparecida, shown above, the black version of our Lady of Immaculate Conception.

Release Nelson Mandela

It has been a month since I was last in Soweto and still Nelson Mandela is kept alive in hospital and still his house in Soweto is behind bars and still there are TV platforms along Vilakazi ready for the worse and still people are bringing well wishes to both this barred house and his home in Houghton. This time round the ANC has put but banners up and down Vilakazi Street as if is them who are making Madeba proud.

It has still been a long walk for Madeba since those words "comrades and fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom. I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you the people" Get well Tata,you are a shinning light to all in this country.

Power Bungee

I must say bungee jumping is a wonderful spectator sport as long as I don't get it inside my head to jump over 100m. On a whistle stop tour of Soweto, we stopped at Orlando Towers to watch crazy dudes and dudettes bungee jump. I lay on the grass and enjoyed a new spectator sport.

Winnie Mandela personally thanks us

Fifteen Vespas, six LMLs, one Lambretta and a number of other bikes set out for Soweto this morning. On the way we somehow got tangled with a larger group of hogs (Harley Davidsons) who where off on an orderly Sunday ride. I must say their marshals didn’t like the wasps buzzing among their hog members. Thanks for stopping the traffic for us; it was a pleasure just riding through the red traffic lights although we did see one dangerous hog marshal who endangered himself and other road users. When the hogs joined the highway this marshal went and stopped across the middle lane of the three lane highway and tried to stop the cars hurtling round the bend. I had to try stop slow the cars down myself and was worried about a large truck just plowing into the marshal. Cars were doing emergency braking with me on my Vespa in the middle of all this.

Well let’s move speedily along. We ended up in the famous Vilakazi Street in Soweto and sat down for a beef korta at Winnie Mandela’s shop. A lot of tourists came by taking photos of our Vespas and even Winnie herself came down to have a look although did not get out of the passenger seat of the silver Audi A6 that she was driven in. She did speak to one of our riders thanking us for our visit.I could have kicked myself afterwards as I could have asked her for a photo of her on one of the Vespas. Anyway after lunch we took a ride around to see the Hector Pieterson Museum and then we got hijacked.

Oh yes hijacked, this dude Lebo comes round on a Gomoto scooter wearing a German WWII helmet and all the biker gear on. He welcomes us and thanks us for coming into Soweto, then asks us to come have a beer with him at his backpackers lodge down the road. So the rest of our tour went out of the window as we headed to Lebo's Soweto Backpackers at 10823A Pooe Street, Orlando West. I must say we were in for a surprise as it was a much better place than the tourist trap of Vilakazi Street. Being a backpacker their prices are very reasonable, the rooms look luxurious and they do bicycle and tut-tut tours of Soweto.We defiantly will be back either to sleep over or just to have beers and dinner.

Tongue to the World

A South African photographer now living in the UK wanted to bring some hope to needy children. We took her to the Kliptown Youth Program in Soweto. She brought along blankets and food for the centre. She wants to do a photo exhibit of a different side of children in Africa. Not one that has always been portrait but one of just children been children. A noble quest indeed.

Sweet Music to my ears

Wow today I was really impressed with these young musicians at Orlando. Let me start at the beginning. We went by a Business Express train to the newly revamped Orlando Station to officially handover and open it to the public. The construction work was done by this women run company and the work(wo)manship was head over heels better than the work done at Nasrec Station although Nasrec was a more technical station. Upon arriving at the station the contactors were waiting and this ragtag group of brass band musicians who joyously welcomed us. The instruments looked battered and well worn but they played so well that I was filled with joy. Jazzy and funky matching numbers were the order of the day that even I was jiving to the lively rhythms of Orlando, Soweto.

Soccer City

Today Leon and I went to represent IT at the official opening of the new Nasrec Station just outside Soccer City. With only eight days to go, PRASA is cutting it fine. Gautrain is opening next week, also in time for the visitors but that wasn't meant to be ready until next year. Today's photo is the view from the train just before it arrives at Nasrec Station. Soccer City is impressive isn’t it?

Soweto

Africa my Beginning. Africa my Ending. That was what it was like going with our photo group and spending nine hours in Soweto. In Vilakazi Street I found a tourist trap swamped with tourists and over priced goods. But in a scatter camp and found people willing to welcome us into their homes. In Vilakazi, Nelson's home was still behind bars. But in the scatter camp I found life.

Celebrity or not

Today was the bail hearing of Jub Jub, a local hip hop star and his co-accused who while street racing smashed into spectators killing four boys. The pair was racing each other in their Mini Coopers while apparently stoned and drunk. Now I am sure that finally puts Mini drivers along with BMW drivers. Thousands of school children went rampaging through the streets of Protea Glen, Soweto. And this is where I found myself travelling from a site visit at Naladi back to Metrorail. Our vehicle was stuck among of angry children. Rocks and refuse was dragged into the road and in front of us children were tearing down the road signage. I thought that we would be stoned for sure but our driver managed to find a way through along the side roads. Willie, one of the managers in the vehicle with me, said he was not fit any more to run. I said it doesn't matter as long as I could run faster than him. But we made it out in one piece. I did not take any photos of the angry children as not to provoke any one so I will leave you with a photo of the old power station in Orlando, Soweto. Notice the suspension bridge between the cooling towers from which thrill seekers bungee jump.

So where to now?

So where to now, I ask myself as I find myself once again in Soweto this time the day after elections. At Anchor Comprehensive School in Medowlands we found the school kids loitering in the streets around the school. We stopped at the school and asked the children what was happening, why weren’t they at school. To our horror we found out that the teachers did not turn up to teach. At the next school we found the headmaster who told us that the teachers were helping to count the votes. Stuff the kids. On the drive back to Johannesburg we passed the Morris Issacson High School. This was the school that saw the launch of the 16 June 1976 student uprising in Soweto. This is now a tourist destination and has artwork along the street in front of the school. “EDUCATION IS OPEN 2 EVERYBODY” declared one piece of art. From the schools that I have seen and the kids that I have interacted with in Soweto, education has not come very far since 1994. So where to now Mr JZ?

Senseless

I ended up at two schools, Matseliso Secondary School and Lamula Jubilee Secondary School, both situated near the railway line in Soweto. We went there to speak to kids about train surfing, staff riding, fare evasion and crossing the tracks in unsafe areas. But the children hero worshiped the kids who did the dangerous things often under the influence of drugs. I saw the pathetic school conditions and wondered how could these children learn and become meaningful contributors to society. Both schools had broken windows, steel classroom doors and had graffiti scrawled on the walls. Lamula even kept the children locked behind steel security gates which look like they were either keeping the children in or keeping the undesirable ones out. While in Matseliso they had barbed wire around the grass to keep the kids off (example above). I am not sure but I would never want to go or send my children to any of those schools. Tomorrow is elections and I know the area will vote emotionally but what has the present government done for these children. The parents must be blind if they once again vote in a government who does not care for them only their pockets. In my area we will let our vote count.

Train to Soweto

Three of us, representing marketing, went to Naledi, Soweto by train. Not just a train but the Soweto Business Express. Off we went to Soweto in reasonable luxury. Climbing onto the train we were handed a newspaper to read. There were laptop stations and plans of putting internet hotspots on the train. The express stopped at only two other stations before reaching Naledi. It passed a couple of other Soweto bound trains which cost only R3 a trip but were wedged full. We sat in comfortable seats, coffee was brought by good looking hostesses and shoes polished by shoe shiners. I noticed that mostly woman and a few business men traveled the train. While we passed over a highway which was just about standstill with people trying to get home, I thought to myself this is the way to commute everyday to the city that is if I lived in Soweto. For only R310 per month it makes sense.