Township Tour

“No easy road to freedom” was a central theme in most of the Mass Democratic Movement’s campaigns, from the early days through to the late 1980s. Any understanding of present day conditions in South Africa is greatly enhanced by looking at past injustice, the legacy of the struggle and the promise of reconstruction and development initiatives under way at present. Freedom has not come easy. This tour offers a wealth of insight into South African history. It includes a brief educational introduction to Cape Town, one of the world’s most varied and sought-after cities.

This insightful tour offers the following highlights:

     *District Six, District Six Museum (closed on Sundays)

As a result of the Group Areas Act, 60 000 Capetonian families were forcibly removed from this once vibrant area between 1966 and 1982. The District Six issue remains crucial. We examine the now desolate area, Zonnebloem, which was District Six and visit the living museum which attempts to represent and recapture District Six in various ways – as a fine-spun tapestry of communal life torn apart but not forgotten.

     *Langa (oldest formal township)
     *Community school / crèche
     *Shebeen (option to taste traditional beer)
     *Khayelitsha (largest township)
     *Meet township entrepreneurs
     *Charismatic church service (Sunday)

Seeking racial segregation, apartheid policies disrupted all non-white population groups, distorted both rural and urban development and ensured hopeless overcrowding. Few houses were built. Sprawling satellite camps of seemingly endless shanties – makeshift structures of various materials – provide little more than a roof and some shelter. As we shall see, squatter settlements are seeking their own solutions as an economic necessity. Against all odds, township life prevails, in all its nuances.
As guests of local community workers, we take a walk through a vibrant black community with all its different social strata. Langa is Cape Town’s oldest formal black township.  You will have the opportunity to talk to people and try the traditional African sorghum beer and ginger beer at a small township shop (“spaza”) or a tavern (“shebeen”). We witness the work in progress as hundreds of squatters, with the help of state grants, are setting about building their own brick homes.

Departure Days: Daily

Morning:
Depart 08h00 – 09h00
Return 12h30
Afternoon:
Depart 13h00 – 14h00
Return 17h30

Cost 2012: ZAR 390 per person

Included:       
Pick and Drop off from your hotel in central Cape Town
Entrance to District Six Museum
Guided Township tour
Transport in air-conditioned vehicle
English-speaking driver/guide
            
Not included: Lunch and personal expenses