Jo'berg and Soweto with old and new friends.

On the Intercape I made friends with a nice chap on around a 24 hour journey home to see his fiancée and kids. As the bus ride went overnight the chap popped on his PJ top and slippers and went to sleep! Nothing like preparation.

"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." - Alexander Graham Bell

After a considerably long journey on the bus I finally get to the intercape station in down town Jo'berg. For some reason my phone had stopped working which was proving calling the hotels driver difficult. Eventually I managed to get through and somehow he managed to find me in the intercape station - possibly as I was the most out of place person there! On the ride over we had a good chat, he was a really nice guy and made me feel really welcome:

Diver: So where are you from?
Me: originally near Manchester
Driver: Ahhhhh I know Manchester, Manchester United
Me: Yes thats right
Driver: Well I say I know, I have never really been out of the province (laughs)
Me: Well I say I know about Manchester United, but I know nothing about football!
Both: laugh
Conversation moves on from geography and football!

Luckily for me a good friend was in Jo'berg for business, hence the trip over there and we arranged to spend the weekend over there together. Another friend whose parents live in the area had organised one of her friends to show us round too and I managed to meet up with an inspirational friend and conservation colleague during the trip too! 

"The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it." - Hubert H. Humphrey

The next few days were spent chilling round the pool at the hotel, eating out, a little shopping in the mall and a trip to Soweto.

We had been warned to be really careful by friends and colleagues who lived in the city and to keep our wits about us. We learned that for women driving at night it was fine to run a red light if the roads were quiet in order to stay safe. Everyone we met was lovely and at no point in the trip did we feel threatened, however some of the stories we heard made it clear we were to be cautious.The concierge told us it would be fine to take a walk down to the local mall to get some cash and a few essentials. 

"Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands." - Jeff Cooper

Here we found a giant statue of Mandela - in what looks like his PJs.

After an afternoon of drinking coffee and discussing conservation we were joined by our local Jo'berg expert for dinner who then came and picked us up the next night for dinner in town. A night out in Jo'berg is quite different as you drive between the few spots it is safe and decent to go out in like Rosebank and Melville. These areas are literally only a few buildings long, then they are finished. We had a lovely Italian in one restaurant and then drove to another area for a few drinks before heading back for a reasonably early one so we could make the most of our Soweto trip the day after.

We also learned that as a woman driving at night, if there is no traffic you can run red lights in order not to get car jacked. So, not the safest place!



Our driver picked us up early and drove us across the city to Soweto. The area itself is outside of Jo'berg by around 35kms and is massive with a growing population of around 4.5 million, which really surprised me. The area is ever growing with the young people moving out of their parents houses and setting up life on the outskirts and expanding Soweto more and more.

These houses were for the miners - around 10 men would share a room here and could not bring family with them to work in this area. Now with progress and better conditions these are being turned form 10 man rooms to small houses for workers and their families.

Shops in the area.

People spend a fortune on mini bus style taxis in order to get to work in central Jo'berg. Even with weekly / monthly ticket deals though these taxis take up a huge portion of peoples wages - which are often really low.

The central hospital in Soweto - a ground breaking hospital which is really important in medical research - people come to work here from all over the world.

There are still some of the original shanty town style shacks left, but not many. The government is rolling out a programme of decent housing, which is taking time, but people living in leaky tin cans is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

"Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey." - Tad William

When we parked up here the driver told us that street lights had been installed here to keep the people safe at night. Individuals could have paid for electricity for their homes, but someone found a way to syphon it from the street lamps, and as most of the people here are living in extreme poverty, this became the only option for most. The authorities caught on and threatened to turn off the electricity - in the end they chose to plunge this area into darkness, which has ultimately put some of the more vulnerable community members  here even more vulnerable. Now electricity will become available again, but on a meter system.

 Two of the old cooling towers no longer used. Now painted and used as a bungy jump for tourists. This area is being developed to have a mall and coffee house.

 Reconciliation monument.


The Soweto Hotel - our guide told us it purposely looks rough form the outside, but is luxurious inside to mimic the heart and soul of the rougher looking Soweto.



This is the smokestack shaped monument to the Freedom Charter of 1955. 

Inside there is a marble disc inscribed with the 10 pillars of the Freedom Charter.

Cruxifix in the roof of the smokestack.

The 1955 Freedom Charter was integral in the freedom struggle of SA. 50,000 volunteers for the ANC collected 'freedom demands' from people from the townships and countryside in SA and these results were adopted by around 3000 delegates on 25/6/55. As this was a very controversial move the police were soon brought in to break up the meeting.

The 1955 Freedom Charter:

"We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live it it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all of the people; that our people have been robbed of their birthright to land, liberty and peace by a form of government founded on injustice and inequality; that our country will never be prosperous or free until all our people live in brotherhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities; that only a democratic state, based on the will of all the people, can secure to all their birthright without distinction of colour, race sex or belief; and therefore, we, the people of South Africa, black and white together equals, countrymen and brothers adopt this Freedom Charter; and we pledge ourselves to strive together, sparing neither strength nor courage, until the democratic changes here set out have been won." 



The 10 pillars of the Freedom Charter:

The People Shall Govern!
All National Groups Shall have Equal Rights!
The People Shall Share in the Country's Wealth!
The Land Shall be Shared Among Those Who Work It!
All Shall be Equal Before the Law!
All Shall Enjoy Human Rights!
There Shall be Work and Security
The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall be Opened!
There Shall be Houses, Security and Comfort!
There Shall be Peace and Friendship!

Sadly, the Freedom Charter went largely ignored by the white community in power for the next 35 years, with the apartheid government becoming stricter and dividing the community further. However, after the end of apartheid in 1990 many of the demands from the Freedom Charter were included in the new Constitution of SA.

"I was there during the first elections in South Africa. I watched them take down the apartheid flag and raise the new flag." Al Sharpton

These statues show the actions and the wording of the charter and are at the top end of the square near the main road.

A tribute to Walter Sisulu, instrumental in the ANC.

The windows in the square have crosses over them, illustrating the right to vote. We were seriously shocked to learn that the first multi racial vote in SA was after the end of apartheid and took place in 1994!! 

Houses in Soweto.

More houses.

Winnie Mandela's gates.

Winnie Mandela's house - very nice!

The gates of the main school in Orlando West where the majority of children involved in the Soweto riots went to school.

The Madela family's old house.

Another shot of Mandela's house. In his last years he did not live in Soweto though.

The corner of two of the street where the Soweto Riots took place.

What an inspiration, to go through so much and be able to forgive and give so much love to the world.

Desomond Tutu lived on the same street.


The Tutu residence.

I cannot imagine how difficult such forgiveness must be, it seems that to be truly free one must forgive.

What a signpost on this street!

From here we went to the Hector Pieterson Museum. 

In June 1976 it was decreed that children would from now on be taught in Afrikaans. Previously English was the language for education - many of the people were from different tribal backgrounds and as such had adopted English as the common language for education and cross cultural communication. Afrikaans was introduced as the new language for education, but as none of the children could understand it, it wasn't really a good language to teach children in. From here the Soweto Uprising started, initially a protest regarding being educated in a language that was comprehensible things quickly got out of hand. Going from something peaceful, a few stones were thrown, and from here tear gas and bullets rained down in an all out massacre.

Hector Peiterson was 13 years old at the time of the uprising and was shot by police and carried out by 18 year old Mbuyisa Makhubo accompanied by Peiterson's sister. Hector Peiterson became the iconic image of the uprising - a 13 year old boy killed defending his education. More than 400 people died in this uprising and after this day some of the children were so hounded that they were forced to flee South Africa, they were pursued across southern Africa by security forces. Some of them never came home and some of the families never found out what happened to their children. 

"I've cried, and you'd think I'd be better for it, but the sadness just sleeps, and it stays in my spine the rest of my life." - Conor Oberst

The date of the uprising 16 June, is now, annually, National Youth Day in SA.

A tribute to what took place here.

To honour the youth who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy,

A tribute to Hector Peiterson and all those who died here, unveiled by Mandela.

The water is to symbolise the spilled blood of these children.

The infamous photo of Hector Peiterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo as Peiterson's sister walks alongside.

You are not allowed to take photos in the museum, but some of the footage, photos and anecdotes are truly shocking, along with some of the racial propoganda being used as part of the apartheid regime. A shockingly saddening place. But one of incredible importance - to remember and to educate future generations about how past generations got it incredibly wrong.

Our guide lived through much of this unrest, he was a child at the time of these riots and lived through apartheid. His attitude was one of peace and forgiveness and he stated it was the only way, if peace was not attained now it never would be.

"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself." - Walter Anderson

From here we drove out of Soweto with plenty to think about. The four main things that stuck with me were:

-The massacre of children who were defending their right to be educated in a language they understood.

-Black people in SA had no right to vote until 1994! 

-The apartheid regime left the majority of the people of South Africa with little or no rights and there were too many incidences of people treating people in so many violent, disrespectful and disgusting ways.

-The power of forgiveness.

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future." - Bernard Meltzer

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we drove back towards Jo'berg our driver told us more stories about the area and explained how the name of the province Gauteng is linked to the gold found in the area. Also how the sand coloured mounds on the outskirts of town were full of small bits of gold and that people were risking their lives illegally to pan the gold out of these hills or by climbing back into closed mines to try and make some money. Poisonous mercury often plays a part in gold mining, which (especially when working illegally) could be very dangerous to gold miners health. He also told us the Chinese were looking at inventing machines to removed the gold safely from these hills and involving the SA government in some sort of deal for rights to minerals etc as they have in many other places in Africa.#

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Deep in thought about how people treat people and what some people are capable of I grabbed a cab from the hotel and boarded to Dubai's slightly flashy airport, where I was squashed between two big men for the whole flight.  After a few hours wait in Dubai I was back home and back to planning the future and my next trip.

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Eliot

Robben Island and District 6: an interesting lesson in history and humanity.

"I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself." - Nelson Mandela

If you ever go to Cape Town promise yourself one thing, please go to Robben Island. The history connected to this place, the things that happened here and what you will learn about the history of mankind, race relations and forgiveness are invaluable lessons for life. It was definitely the most emotional part of the trip, but we learned so much. If I only had a day in Cape Town this is how I would spend it. All I can say is I hope my account of our experience does the place, the history and our amazing, strong and kind hearted guide justice, but to really experience it you must go.

"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future." - Nelson Mandela

After our walk to town and lazy breakfast we went to the museum and queued for the ferry. 


Table Mountain fades out of view.

We set off across the ocean in a cloak of fog, but arrived to Robben Island in sunshine. 


Robben Island coming into view.

There were quite a few tourist boats arriving at the same time and getting organised to get onto the tour was a bit like herding cats. We took a weirdly short (250 metre) bus ride to the gate we were to go through and met our guide. All the guides are former prisoners or former guards and really do speak from their own personal experiences, which is incredibly moving.

The tour side of things was very disorganised and our group shot up from about 20 to about 100, but somehow our guide took it all in his stride, winding his voice up from volume 2 to a booming 10 he ploughed on with his story.

He was one of the children involved in the Soweto Uprising in 1976, where children protesting against a change from English to Afrikaans as the language of education quickly escalated to an all out riot where around 400 people lost their lives. He had been friends and colleagues with Nelson Mandela and other key political figures and activists from this time. He told us of the beatings, punishments and discrimination he and other inmates received for the smallest of things. He showed us Mandela's cell and his own. We saw the area where the Namibian activists were kept (which I found really moving).


The Namibians and their struggle.

And finally in his cell he spoke from the heart about forgiveness and equality. 

"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner." - Nelson Mandela

 Mandela's cell

Mandela's guards were changed regularly so that no one could bond and become close to him.

Our guide's cell. 

We all sat in his cell as he told us some of his experiences, the cell would have been packed with inmates, not just the four beds you see here, originally they had no beds or blankets and no heating or way to cool down - making the cells perilously hot or cold. This did improve in the later years.

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity." - Nelson Mandela

Black people were penalised the most and were given the least rations. One of the reasons for this was also to cause a divide and tensions amongst prisoners of different backgrounds and ensure none of them bonded. However the prisoners did not let this get between them.

"I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man." - Nelson Mandela

People of certain ethnicities were given less food than others.

Information of ID on prisoners.

Before we left this part of the tour we had the chance to ask questions. All the things you really want to ask are really hard and - given what this man has been through- you don't want to disrespect or upset him, it is also difficult to ask sensitive questions in a room of 100 people, really you just wanted to buy him a coffee and hear his story one to one. One thing we did want to know is if all the guard and prisoners were asked to be guides (yes) and if any of then said no. Many of them had, indeed, refused as the job would be too hard and they did not want to go back there, which was understandable. 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

Our guide told us how prisoners used to help to educate on another and spent much of the tour emphasising how we are all people, all races, cultures and colours = people, all the same. Before we left his cell he spoke extremely passionately about his time with Mandela and others and how important forgiveness and equality was. How thankful he was  to anyone who had been involved in the sanctions against SA which pushed them to chance policies and how important it was for people not to hold grudges, but to learn from the past and move forward in love and forgiveness, together. He stated we were all sons and daughters of South Africa and the peace that could come form the past and asked us all to spread the message of equality and togetherness.

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela

I have never been so moved by someone. This man who stood in front of us with peace and love radiating out of him, with such a dark history, smiling, asking us all to take forward this message of peace - incredibly powerful and humbling.

With tears still on our cheeks we thanked our guide and moved on to the next sections of the tour - all excellent, but his part was what really stuck with me.

The limestone quarry where the inmates would chip stone all day, everyday.

They were allowed some shade in break times, but the cave they sheltered from the sun and ate lunch was also their toilet. Despite the prisoners being of different categories and backgrounds and the guards trying to pitch them against one another the prisoners agreed not one of them would go to the toilet here in this communal space to keep it more pleasant for all.

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." - Nelson Mandela

When former prisoners returned to visit Robben Island on a political mission without forethought or discussion, led by Mandela, they picked up a stone each and laid a cairn to commemorate what had taken place in this quarry. 

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." - Nelson Mandela

 This was another section of the cells on the island - away from the main prison. Here the guard dogs had better spaces than the prisoners. 

"There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way." - Nelson Mandela

Robert Sobukwe was kept in this area, the initiator of an uprising. He refused to carry his pass book (an ID document that was illegal for black people not to carry). Sobukwe encouraged people to leave their passbooks at home and hand themselves into police stations across the nation - to illustrate how ridiculous this law was. Demonstrations got out of hand and sadly this led to the Sharpville massacre after which Sobukwe was arrested. After serving his sentence of three years he was no longer officially a prisoner, but interned in solitary confinement on Robben Island - sounds like a prison sentence to me!

After a thought provoking day a boat load of quiet and humbled people were delivered back to Cape Town. 

"It always seems impossible until its done." - Nelson Mandela

A few days later we went to the District Six museum. District Six was an area of Cape Town cleared of ethnic minorities in order to rebuild the land with new homes for white people. The land was largely cleared, but never moved fully into. Slowly the land is now being reclaimed and rebuilt upon, often by those who used to live their or their families.

Plan of District six.

Empty land of District Six.

Street signs from the area.

  

Tapestry of messages from previous residents.

Some of the signage from the time.

(literally translates to only whites)

A mothers poem.

Bear in mind that some of these things happened in our lifetime - to me these attitudes seem medieval, archaic and barbaric, but apartheid only ended in 1990. Our guide from Robben Island was in prison in these conditions in my lifetime- and that scares me.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela