History and Memory Excursions

The Direct Action Centre for Peace and Memory (DACPM) in Woodstock runs history and memory excursions and trains former freedom fighters to become excursion facilitators. These excursion facilitators take national as well as international visitors to sites that are etched into the memories of people who live on the Cape Flats: District Six, the Trojan Horse memorial in Athlone, Langa and the Gugulethu Seven.

“For me it is a platform to tell and share the real stories of my community and myself on a high standard, so that it is acceptable to tourists”, says graduate and ex-liberation soldier Mzi Sgidi.

The excursions have since 1997 opened up spaces for freedom fighters such as Sgidi to start the process of healing and reconstruction. The tours also created the opportunity for others to listen and interact; to have an experience that brings awareness and understanding of what so many went through during the liberation struggle and the struggle of today: the struggle for jobs.

“We regularly have groups of students from the University of Washington (USA) on our two-day workshops and for both, the excursion facilitators and the students, this journey is all about exchanging, understanding across socio-cultural borders”, says DACPM-director Yazir Henri.

The four excursion leaders that are employed at DACPM are all pro-actively involved in designing and updating narratives and markers of heritage in and around the Cape Town. “Heritage is always placed in the foreground on our excursions. That same heritage that was neglected in the past. Therefore you find few monuments or plaques on the Cape Flats”, says DACPM-director Yazir Henri.

The participants are being taught to be pro-active from the start of the course as excursion leaders are encouraged to find personal monuments in the environment and make them their own. “That’s how the red roofs of the administrative buildings in Langa became a memorial to those who had been imprisoned for refusing to carry passbooks.”

“Most stories that are told are very individual, very personal. And –also important- they are told with dignity.“

The DACPM yearly selects 40 ex-combatants to go through the course. The centre aims to place all of the graduates in the tourism and heritage sector in and around Cape Town.

Excursion: R300.00 / half a day.

CONTACT:
Direct Action Centre for Peace & Memory
Tel: +2721 448 5760
Cell: 084 809 6746
Fax: +2721 448 6817

Related Links:
The Cape Flats
Cape Town Township Tours
South Africa Day Tours

New Cape Town "Township" Tour

Cape Town Township Tour: This is a NEW full day tour that incorporates a visit to the poverty stricken “Townships” of Cape Town. Experience Township life, visit schools and be entertained by the school’s cultural groups, converse with the locals ...

The tour starts with a visit to the District 6 Museum, followed by a drive through District 6. Visit a school in an “African” and “Coloured” area and be entertained by the school’s cultural groups. You will be exposed to singing, dancing, drumming, all of which will reflect a local and national culture ... more » Full tour details here: Cape Town Township Tour.

This tour is conducted under supervision of the well known and much admired Liziwe of Liziwe's Guest House. (Note: See Liziwe on the BBC Food Channel on 13th July at 17h30 - South African Time). Contact Liziwe on +27 (0)21 633-7406 to book this tour or to spend an evening wining and dining at the Guest House.

Related Pages:
Cape Town Tours
South Africa Tours
South Africa Travel

New Guest House in Soweto

Vhavenda Hills Bed & Breakfast: Vhavenda Hills is situated within walking distance from Vilakazi Street, in the heart of Soweto. Vilakazi Street is a popular tourist destination, and is world-famout for being the only street on the planet in which two Nobel Peace Price winners have lived - Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu! Click here to visit Vhavenda Hills Bed & Breakfast.

Operating from Vhavenda Hills Bed & Breakfast is Vhupo Tours, a tour operator specialising in tours of Soweto, airport transfers and various other tours and day trips in the Gauteng province, operates from the same premises. Vhupo Tours is a member of SATSA and the Gauteng Tourism Authority.

A few examples of Tours on offer from Vhupo Tours:

4 Hour Soweto Tour:
Spend 4 hours visiting Soweto, the biggest and most vibrant township in South Africa, which is increasingly becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Soweto was pivotal to the struggle for freedom, and is now full of sites of significant historical importance. Today, Soweto is a cultural melting pot, and an absolute must-see for any visiting tourist and South African alike. (Costs are from R285.00 to R295.00 per person, depending on the number of persons).

Soweto, Johannesburg & Apartheid Museum Tour:
Visit Soweto, the biggest and most vibrant township in South Africa. The city of Johannesburg is the engine of Africa, the economic hub of the country, and has a wealth of historic and cultural experiences to offer the enthusiastic tourist. Visit the acclaimed Apartheid Museum, which documents the history of South Africa under the apartheid museum, and how the struggle for democracy eventually overcame the government and won freedom for the people. (Costs are from R470.00 to R570.00 per person, depending on the number of persons).

Please contact Vhupo Tours for info about other tours or to book one of the above tours on: Office: +27 (0)11 936 0411 or Mobile: +27 (0)82 633 9469.

Related Links:
Soweto Accommodation (All Types)
Soweto Info
Additional info about Soweto from SouthAfricaBlog.co.za

Special Report - Liziwe's Guest House in Gugulethu

Liziwe Ngcokoto is the owner of Liziwe's Guest House. Long before the establishment of the Guest House, Liziwe bought the plot of land and lived in a shack on the plot for five years. Then she and her husband, Donald, decided to build a house. Together they worked tirelessly towards building their dream home. Once completed, the couple decided to extend their home into a welcoming Guest House.

“My husband and I have come a long way, from staying in a shack on the plot and receiving a donation of bricks from Sappi Craft where my husband has been working for 25 years. He would come home at night and clean bricks, and today that has paid off. We have beautiful walls and a home that we decided to turn into a Guest house, This has been a thrilling and exciting journey for us ...” says Liziwe.

This remarkable, business minded women, now owns and manages a beautiful Guest House that is well recognized, both nationally and internationally. Liziwe has also established a restaurant at her guest house for both the local and international market to come and savour the taste of traditional African cuisine and ambience. The restaurant caters for fifty people and has been exceptionally well received.

"A very gracious hostess and host... all of the family members were very friendly and conversation came easily. We enjoyed hearing of Liziwe's and Donald's climb from a shack to their pesent Guest House. Thieir success is a strong tribute to their inner strength" ... From the Guest Book at Liziwe's Guest House (Ruth T, Virginia, USA - 8 October 2006).

Liziwe’s Guest House extends a warm welcome and relaxed atmosphere to all it’s visitors, both locals and vistitors from abroad. If you have not been to Gugulethu in Cape Town, why not visit Liziwe's Guest House, and experience township life in South Africa.

For additional information, photographs and to contact Liziwe's Guest House visit:
Liziwe's Guest House in Cape Town, South Africa