THE MANY FACES OF SOWETO

JULY 9th, 2007

Soweto has a land mass of approximately 150 square kilometers and is home to over four million black South Africans; 90% with electricity. Although no longer forced to remain in Soweto, many upper middle class Black South Africans are opting to remain in the area to be close to businesses which are encouraged by the government in the form of financial incentives. Soweto also houses middle class and informal settlement sub-communities. While many informal settlers have been registered to obtain government housing/homes, since the later 1990s onward, these informal settlement communities continue to grow as skill-development and job training programs seem to be lacking and housing development is not keeping pace with demand.

While I provided a donation to talk with members of one of these informal communities and to take photos, I found it to be deeply unsettling to provide money to view intense poverty in such a voyeuristic way. Very few individuals stated that they had employment. Of course, one must ask disturbing questions such as to what level is the government responsible to remediate the evils of Apartheid, for how long, and how much initiative should come from the people themselves? Hopefully, Soweto will benefit, in the form of construction and service -related jobs - from the building of the 2010 World Soccer Cup Stadium and hotels already being built in the township. There also seems to be revenue generated through the international popularity of Wandie's Restaurant and tourist class Bed and Breakfasts run by the likes of Mama Lolo - a former school principal. Both of these places were also recently featured on Lonely Planet specials on South Africa. Some businesses in the Soweto tourist industry are also being run by White South Africans and foreigners but few/none of these individuals live in the Township. Given the significance of Soweto to the rise of the anti-Apartheid movement, and the international interest in this subject, Soweto should be able to continue to capitalize on its history.

I also was lucky to be the only patron on a tour organized by Soweto Tours. I took advantage by asking many questions. Like most tours, my tour guide and I went to the Roman Catholic Regina Mondi Church where Soweto youth took refuge during the 1976 Uprisings. Their hope that church was a sanctuary was soon to be dashed when the South African police raided the church and much destruction resulted. One can still see the damaged alter to this day. The church was also used for hearings associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Trials. We also went to Nelson Mandela's home and the Hector Pietersen Museum which memorializes the 1976 Uprising which resulted when the South African government forced Soweto schools to have instruction only in Afrikaans, the language spoken by most South Africans of Dutch/German descent. As most teachers in Soweto could not speak Afrikaans well, it was difficult to instruct students in all subjects especially the maths and sciences. Over 600 mostly young people lost their lives in this uprising, such as Hector Pietersen. However, one silver lining to result was a growing international impatience with Apartheid.