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After spending one day in Pretoria and going on a guided tour of Soweto, we headed for Swaziland. We stayed two days at the orphanage in Nhlangano before travelling by kombi to Mbabane. From there we arranged a hiking tour in the Komati Valley. It was a really beautiful place, although our crazy guide turned out to be slightly disorganised.
Southern Africa 2000 - Part 5: Soweto and Swaziland
Jan Arild Teland2006-05-09 00:02:39
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November 26, Sunday
I woke up a little before 07.00. For breakfast we ordered the usual breakfast rolls, but apparently there was a misunderstanding since we got something else. However, we didn't complain because this stuff was pretty good anyway.
Today we were going to visit the world's most famous township - Soweto. Precisely at 08.00 we were picked up by the guide. The tour vehicle was just a normal car and since there were six of us in the group, it became quite crowded.
To get to Soweto we had to drive through downtown Johannesburg, which in itself was pretty interesting. Being Sunday morning it was completely empty, totally deserted and very different from the bustling city we had seen on our last trip. Coming out of Johannesburg it was not long before we entered Soweto. We first saw the crummy sheds where the poor people lived, but later we also got to see a side of Soweto not many people know about. Many rich black people also live there in nice big houses in pretty streets.
After a while the guide stopped the car in a place called Mandela Village and let us out. A local guide then took over and showed us around in the poor area where he lived. Many of the small children in the area came running to hold our hands and beg for things. I overheard some of the ladies in our group talk about how embarrassed they felt about everything they had. However, it was obvious that the guide received a lot of tip from people feeling guilty about their wealth, because he was dressed in the latest fashion, so personally I was not too concerned about him. By coming to South Africa as a tourist you contribute to the local economy, which I think is a good way of helping and a more longterm solution than just giving some money out of guilt.
The guide took us inside one of the sheds so that we could see what it looked like inside. There was certainly not a lot of room for the four people living there,
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See photographs from:
South Africa Gallery
,
Swaziland Gallery
