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SOWETO - JOHANNESBURG
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Soweto, Johannesburg | Destinations
and Attractions in Soweto, Gauteng: South of Johannesburg is Soweto, a city
developed as a township for black people under the apartheid system. Most of the struggle
against apartheid was fought in and from Soweto. The name Soweto is an acronym, made up -
in apartheid days - from the first letters of the words “south western
township”. [View » Soweto Map]
Soweto is inhabited by over two million people, with homes ranging from extravagant
mansions to makeshift shacks. Soweto is a city of enterprise and cultural interaction. It
is a popular tourist destination with sites such as Kliptown (where the Freedom Charter
was drawn up), the home of former President Nelson Mandela, the Hector Petersen Memorial
site, restaurants and shopping malls. It boasts one of the largest hospitals on the
continent and the only African-owned private clinic. |
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 NOTABLE ATTRACTIONS |
| • Shebeen / Pub
Tours & Township Tours |
| • Hector Peterson Memorial Site |
| • Home of
past-President Nelson Mandela |
| • Kliptown (Freedom
Charter) |
| • Chris Hani
Baragwanath hospital |
| SOWETO TOWNSHIPS /
SUBURBS |
| • Diepkloof |
• Kliptown |
| • Orlando |
• Chiawelo |
| • Meadowlands |
• Moletsane |
| • Killarney |
• Molapo |
| • Dobsonville |
• Protea |
| • Naledi |
• Zola |
| • Mapetla |
• Emdeni |
| • Klipspruit |
• Jabulani |
| • Pimville |
• Zondi |
| • Moroka |
• Rockville |
| or view » ATTRACTIONS
MAP (pop up) |
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It is a sprawling township, or more
accurately, a cluster of townships on the south-western flank of Johannesburg. Soweto was
created in the 1930s, with Orlando the first township established. In the 1950s, more
black people were relocated there from 'black spots' in the inner city - black
neighbourhoods which the apartheid government had reserved for whites.
Soweto's growth was phenomenal - but unplanned. Despite government attempts to stop the
influx of black workers to the cities, waves of migrant workers moved from the countryside
and neighbouring countries to look for employment in the city of gold. With a population
of over 2 million, the township is the biggest black urban settlement in Africa with a
rich political history. Soweto was the centre of political campaigns aimed at the
overthrow of the apartheid state. The 1976 student uprising, also known as the Soweto
uprising, started in Soweto and spread to the rest of the country. Many of the sights on
the heritage route therefore have political significance.
Sowetans pride themselves on being urbane and streetwise. They look down on the moegoes
(country bumpkins) from the rural areas. Most residents here are rooted in the metropolis
and are detribalised. Soweto is a melting pot of South African cultures and has developed
its own sub-cultures - especially for the young. Afro-American influence runs deep, but is
adapted to local conditions. In their speech, dress and gait, Sowetans exude a sense of
cosmopolitan sophistication. Sowetans have evolved a local lingo, tsotsitaal, an eclectic
mix of several local languages, Afrikaans and street slang, constantly evolving and spoken
mainly by the young.
From the foot bridge of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest on the continent,
one can get a panoramic view of Soweto. In Diepkloof, you will find many grey, four-roomed
dwellings, cynically called 'matchbox houses' by locals. These are the original dwellings
constructed to accommodate the first black migrants to the cities who had come in search
of greener pastures. Although they are small, locals take pride in their houses and many
take efforts to make them habitable and even homely. In contrast to these symbols of
poverty, there are various 'extensions' that have been established to accommodate the
relatively affluent. One example is Diepkloof Extension, home to the emerging black middle
class. The suburb boasts beautiful houses, the roads are in good condition, there are
playgrounds and schools.
Other attractive sights are residences of famous anti-apartheid activists. Just a few
kilometres drive from Diepkloof, you arrive at Orlando, the first township of Soweto.
Here, you can visit Nelson Mandela's first house (left) which is a popular tourist
attraction. Mandela stayed here before he was imprisoned in 1961. Security guards will not
let you in, but you can see the modest house clearly enough from the street. You can also
have a glimpse of the mansion belonging to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in an affluent part
of Orlando West. Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house, the Sisulu residence and the Hector
Pieterson memorial museum are in the same neighbourhood. The recently renovated museum
offers a detailed account of the events of 1976, including visuals and eye-witness
accounts.
For insight into African traditional medicinal practice, check out the Credo Mutwa village
in Central Western Jabavu. Mutwa is an African traditional healer and fortune teller who
claims to have foreseen some significant political developments, such as the assassination
of Chris Hani in 1994. He advocates the appreciation of indigenous cultural practices and
forms of knowledge.
Along the Old Potchefstroom Road, you come across Regina Mundi: a local church which
became home to many anti-apartheid organisations. The church encapsulates the spirit of
resistance and is rich in political history. In Kliptown, you can visit Freedom Square, a
place where the Freedom Charter was adopted as the guiding document of the Congress
Alliance. This was a gathering of various political and cultural formations representing
different constituencies to map a way forward in the repressive climate of the 1950s. The
charter was the guiding document of the African National Congress and envisaged an
alternative non-racial dispensation in which "all shall be equal before the
law."
Soweto offers other less aesthetically pleasing sights for a visitor. For instance, there
are the hostels: monstrous, prison-like buildings, designed to shelter male migrant
workers from the rural areas and neighbouring countries. These workers were used as cheap
labour and their stay in the city was considered temporary. The new government has
converted some of these into 'family units,' but they remain unbending in their ugliness.
Recent years have seen the emergence of squatter camp communities, euphemistically called
informal settlements, where poverty is palpable. This is partly because of the scrapping
of the 'influx control' regulations that prohibited people in the countryside from
settling in the cities. These camps are home to many of the unemployed who use corrugated
iron sheets to build shelters. These places lack basic amenities like running water and
electricity and are a hazard to live in. Home to the destitute, there are no yards to
speak of and privacy is sacrificed for communal well-being. These shacks get extremely hot
in summer and freezing cold in winter.
Despite their poverty, these people have managed to build a strong sense of community.
They remain in Johannesburg in search of the elusive gold. Many of these places have been
named after the icons of the struggle who have since left in response to the beckoning of
upward mobility. One such settlement is the Mandela squatter camp some seven kilometres
from Baragwanath hospital. |
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 Overnight: Soweto
Accommodation | Soweto Bed & Breakfast |
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 The Soweto Tour: The Soweto tour gives you
the opportunity to gain a new perspective and personal insight into the largest Black city
in Africa. Soweto is synonymous with the struggle for freedom in South Africa and is a
vibrant, culturally rich township situated on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Within ...
more » Soweto Tours
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 The Hector
Pieterson Memorial and museum opened in Soweto in 2002, not far from the spot where 12
year-old Hector was shot on the 16 June 1976 during the Soweto uprising that today is a
symbol of resistance to the brutality of the apartheid government. On 16 June on the day
Hector was ... more » Hector
Pieterson Memorial Site
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 The Soweto Wine
and Brandy Festival is a Soweto-based initiative whose main objectives are to create,
identify, enhance and manage investment opportunities in the field of tourism and
hospitality in the township of Soweto. The Cape Wine Academy assists in organising and
promoting wine into Soweto ... more » Soweto Wine
Festival
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 The venue is the
magnificent Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, the site of the signing of the historic
Freedom Charter by anti-apartheid organisations in 1955. T his is the ideal place for the
people of Soweto to congregate over Heritage weekend as the Square is a national monument
and the focus ... more » Soweto
Festival
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 Soweto Map: A detailed map of Soweto, indicating the major roads, and
landmarks of Soweto, Gauteng. The Soweto map indicates the location of all the suburbs in
Soweto as well as highlighting the major attractions including the location of Mandela
House and The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital ... more » Soweto Map |
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 Visit this fascinating town, meet her people, learn about the history of
Soweto from the people who experienced it, dine in her restaurants, visit a Shebeen (local
Pub), take a guided tour and perhaps visit the Hector Peterson Memorial Site, Nelson
Mandela's former home (now a museum), Baragwanath ... more » The Soweto
Experience |
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