South Africa
August 12, 2005
Soweto Tour
Our guide for the Soweto tour was Thamsanqa Ndimande (Thami) (Tommy to us). He was born and raised in Soweto. He is starting his own Soweto tour business at the end of this month. He can be reached at thami@soweto.co.za and his web site is www.soweto.co.za. We found him to be an excellent guide.
Thami
Daughter Katie took copious notes during the Soweto Tour, thus nominating herself to be the author of this page.
[NB: I am presenting here what my notes record of what I understood from what Thami said, so please bear that in mind. Three filters here – 1) Thami and what he said, 2) what I understood and 3) what I noted down. If there are any errors, they are most likely to be in filters 2 and 3.]
[Thami started by introducing himself as a native of Soweto. He recited a tongue twister in !Khosa]
In 1886 Johannesburg was founded and grew rapidly as a result of the mining boom. The name of the province where Johannesburg is located is Gauteng, or “place of gold” in Sotho.
South Africa has 9 major black ethnic cultures and a minority of the country is white. In 1912, the Land Act gave 86% of the country to the whites of South Africa. In 1913, the African National Congress was formed. In 1948 the Nationalist Party (Afrikaans) took power in South Africa and built up a system of Apartheid. Black communities such as Sophiatown, the birthplace of jazz in South Africa, were destroyed and people forcibly relocated to townships, called “blackspots”. Some of the most famous artists of Sophiatown – Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela – got exit permits to leave South Africa.
After taking power, the Nationalist Party (NP) passed the
population registration act in which all South Africans had to register by
race. South Africa was historically a very diverse country with immigrants
from all over, including Indians who came to harvest sugar came. The NP implemented
a policy of passbooks and “influx control” to limit the movement
of the black population. All black men were required to carry passes. The
NP passed the Group Areas Act which required people of different races to
live separately. The NP promoted an idea of “separate development”
and this was how Soweto was born.
[Here Thami stopped to point out cell phone antennae in a tree.]
Johannesburg has 32 townships. Soweto was thus named because it was the SOuth WEstern TOwnship. It used to be called “native township” (KR note: I believe this is a reference to the fact that the Western Native Township was forcible relocated into Soweto). Soweto was built as a labor city which was supposed to be for workers. In 1955 the NP forcibly relocated people here. People could not own homes in Soweto. They would have to always rent. In 1994, after the uprising, ownership was transferred to those who had paid rent.
The term people from Soweto use for their wealthier neighbor
is ‘cheddar’ as in cheese boys and cheese girls. Cheddars might
have satellite TV dishes in their homes. [Here Thami pointed out some of the
nicer homes in Soweto.] There are now more than 50 Bed and Breakfasts in Soweto.
The wealthy who had moved out of Soweto are now moving back.
At one time, during the 1976 student uprisings, people in Soweto uprooted
street signs and lights to make it more difficult for the police and military
to find their way around Soweto. During this time, they also called for consumer
boycotts. Steven Biko called to Black South Africans: “Free yourself
from mental slavery.”
People living here believe in a spirit of Ubuntu, which is
the human-ness of community, people taking care of one another. Ubuntu means
I help you today and you help me tomorrow. (KR note: this from Nelson Mandela.
“The spirit of Ubuntu – that profound African sense that we are
human only through the humanity of other human beings – is not a parochial
phenomenon, but has added globally to our common search for a better world.”).
Part of the Apartheid policy was to keep black ethnic groups separate from one another. Hostels were built for migrant workers from rural areas during the 1960s when the gold industry was good. They were not for family accommodations. The hostels had no schools. There was a lot of tension in the townships between the hostels and the rest of the community because the people of the hostels did not participate in the boycotts and so they were regarded as traitors to the struggle. In the 1990s, the government incited violence between the hostels and the townships. The areas did not mix and it was dangerous for someone from outside the hostels to travel inside and vice versa. A book documenting this period is called “The Bang Bang Club.” Also, Ladysmith Black Mambazo came from within the hostels.
The 11 hostels have since been converted to family usage, except one which will be converted by December. Now it is 18 Rand to live alone in the hostels and 30 R for a family. There is a great degree of poverty in the hostels, as well as HIV infection and unemployment. 180 people are buried a week from HIV.
Two of the many townships that make up Soweto are called Diepkloof and Meadowlands. Soweto is considered part of the Johannesburg municipality now and gets municipal trash pickup.
Chris Hani Hospital was named for the assassinated freedom fighter. It is the biggest hospital in the southern hemisphere. It was originally WWII barracks. It has the best trauma and burn units in the country, due to the proliferation of burn patients. The common heating practices for dwellings often results in fires. They treat 2 million out patients and 45,000 ward patients each year.
The taxi rank has been a source of violence and the government
has considered running it.
In the Hostels
The power plant located in Soweto is now painted with murals depicting Mandela and themes of resistence and freedom. They are called the Soweto towers.
The University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus used to be a
black college. It has 45,000 students.
On the side of the road there are little fire pits called B and Bs which means
Buy and Brai. You buy the meat and cook it right there on the side of the
street.
In 2010 the world cup will be in Johannesburg. There is an effort to bring banks to the townships. Local businesses cannot compete with the chain stores.
[We were passing through Pimville.] The Pimville library was the first public library. Now this library serves as a public activity center.
Last year was the 100 year celebration of Soweto. In 1904, people were relocated to Soweto because of the plague. In 1904 only Indians and Whites were supposed to own shops.
Soweto has more than 100 elementary schools and 76 high schools.
There is a project called RDP – Reconstruction Development Program – which builds “social housing” which is what we consider public housing in the US.
In 1955, the Congress of the People gathered in Soweto to draft the Freedom Charter which lay down the principles of the society envisioned by the anti-apartheid movement at the time. Walter Sizulu was a main engineer of the Congress of the People and he brought Nelson Mandela into the ANC. There is a square of dedication to the Congress of the People.
There is a special project for women in Construction, called Moteo. It encourages women as engineers and builders.
There is a difference between the squatters’ camps and the informal settlements. The squatters’ camps will be moved while the informal settlements will receive services.
In the 1960s, public demonstrations were outlawed. The Parliament
of Soweto was the name they gave the Regina Mundi church because during the
60's and 70's it seemed the only "safe" place to have political
meetings. (Thanks, Richard Mullin richard@kdrtravel.co.za.)
Regina
Mundi Catholic Church
[When at Regina Mundi]. Regina Mundi church means Queen of the World. It is the most famous church in Soweto and played/ plays a key role in the community and country. Recently, Truth and Reconciliation hearings were held here. People gathered here during the uprisings in the 1960s and 1970s. It is the 3rd largest church in Africa and has a congregation of 6000. It is one of 18 Catholic churches in Soweto. It houses the Black Madonna painting, which famously avoided bullets during the raids and attacks on the church. People fled to the church for safety during the violent uprisings, but police attacked inside the church in 1976 and bullet holes are still obvious. You can still see where the marble was cracked by a police gun during the attacks against the student demonstrators. The Polish government donated the stained glass in the church as a gesture of remorse for the Polish citizen who killed Chris Hani. The church is now multi-denominational. The Black Parents Association and the Committee of Ten spoke out against the violent repression of the student uprising. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an Anglican, was on the Committee of Ten. The statue of Christ had one hand shot off, so the church removed the other hand to balance it.
The Black Madonna was painted by a white man, Laurence Scuely, and was donated by Harry Oppenheimer in 1974. There is a lot of symbolism in the painting. It was illegal then to represent the Madonna was Black, and considered blasphemous by some.
The new South African flag represents the merging of two ways into one, a peace sign and the colors white, yellow, black, red, green and blue all have symbolic significance.
In 1976-1977, there was massive civil upheaval and the government declared a state of emergency with army patrols.
There was a mosaic project of South African history.
In White City, the houses are called elephant houses due to the roofs.
We passed Morris Isaacson High School, which is where Sarafina,
the movie, was shot. We saw Orlando West high school which is where the students
marched. Tsietsi Mashini was a student leader who cross-dressed to hide from
the police.
Creche
We went to a squatters community and visited a Creche, a catholic day care. There is the Basket Project which is teaching young people to play music – oboe, viola. There is also the Soweto Violin Project. Lillian, the creche teacher is responsible for running the creche. They are trying to start to educate the youngest kids. They have 21 children from the community. They run on donations, 12 months of the year, without heaters. Juvenile delinquency is a problem because parents leave for work and there is no one to care for the kids. There are a huge number of unemployed graduates.
There are many fires from how people heat their shacks, which
is with balls made of coal and clay. This is the reason why the hospital has
such a good burn unit. Houses use paper for insulation.
Crèche and squatters at former golf course
[We went to a restaurant called Wandie’s Place for lunch. Every available wall and ceiling surface was covered with pictures, business cards, names, etc. Lots of famous people have apparently dined there.]
In 1994, the ownership of Soweto was transferred to its residents. Crime diminished with the attitude that it’s ours, so let’s take care of it.
There is a YWCA which provides accommodation for young women. [I have a note here about selling chicken feet, ?]
The uprisings of 1976 were sparked by changes in what was called “Bantu Education” (Bantu being the word for all blacks). Bantu Education had been formed in 1955. In 1976, Afrikaans became the medium of education and instruction (from English). This was a political attempt to gain control over the English whites by the Afrikaans. There was a massive student march along Villikazi street in which 5000 students protested without permission from the government, opposing Afrikaans as the medium of instruction. Most of the marchers were peaceful though some threw rocks and killed police dogs. Hector Pieterson, a young boy who shouldn’t have even been at the march as it was only for high schoolers, was shot and killed by the police. There is a very famous picture of him being carried by another boy (Mbuyisa Makhubu) with Hector’s sister (Antoinette Sitola) running along side in grief. This further sparked protests around the country. They say that, “When Soweto coughs, the whole country catches a cold.” There is a book on the subject of the student uprisings: Sibongile Mkhabela’s Open Earth and Black Roses.
The museum commemorating the student uprisings is named after Hector Pieterson. Below are some quotes from the museum:
“Mbuyisa is or was my son. But he is not a hero. In my culture, picking up Hector is not an act of heroism. It was his job as a brother. If he left him on the ground and somebody saw him jumping over Hector, he would never be able to live there.” - Ma’ Makhubu, Mbuyisa’s mother.
From poet Don Mattera’s collection entitled Azanian Love Song:
And now
Let grieving the willows
Mark the spot
Let nature raise a monument
of flowers and trees
Lest we forget the foul and the wicked deed...
“Liberation is a noble cause without which I have no
reason to life if I cannot fight to attain it.” – Khotso Seatlholo
(spelling?)
Sithembele Khala was a trade unionist who sucessfully formed a collaboration
between students and workers for a 3 day strike.
Vilakazi Street
[We then visited Mandela’s house on Villikazi street]
Mandela came from the Eastern Cape. After being freed from Robbin Island, he insisted on returning to Soweto and he lived in this house for 11 days. He had lived in this house from 1946-1961, with Evelyn with whom he had 4 children (3 of whom died). Evelyn was a Jehovah’s witness who did not believe in politics. He had two children with Winnie. He was an amateur boxer and practiced law. He was from a royal family in Transvaal. He served in the military in Tanzania. The CIA played a role in his arrest in 1961.
Hector Pieterson Museum
Shebeen
[We visited a Shebeen] In 1928 there was an alcohol prohibition. Joburg beer, “the Taste of the Big City”, is referred to as an African milkshake.
[Thami pointed out the train]. The train is so full that people hang on the outside of it. Three years ago 2 Zimbabweans were thrown off the train and it sparked a national campaign against Xenophobia.
The Mini Cooper is called a Charlize for Charlize Theron who is from SA and drives one.
Siput is Zulu for “gift”.
Taxi drivers put a sign in their cab which reads, “I love your perm, but please not on my window.”
The apartheid museum is funded by the casino next to it.
[We saw a Tata factory and a Gestetner factory from the road].