Visiting the Townships

We visited the Khayalitsha (which means "new
home") township on a Sunday so we could hear the joyful sound of a packed church service across the street from Vicky's, one of the first South African businesses to offer township accommodation to visitors. Our Roots Africa guide brought us there to tour this tiny B&B, which advertises itself as "the world's smallest hotel." It's housed in what the Roots brochure calls a "shack." Like much of the neighborhood, Vicky's was certainly a DIY construction project, unencumbered by the exigencies of building codes. But, perhaps "cabin" would be a more correct term because it has a cozy, pioneer feel to it.

Vicky's daughter gave us a short history of her mom's business and showed us the two tidy guest rooms. We immediately felt very sorry that we hadn't made arrangements for a township home stay. Through a combination of poor planning and lack of courage, we had ended up opting for a day tour at the last minute. Fear of the unknown can be a powerful deterrent in a foreign country, especially when violence can be a real threat if you don't know what you're doing. All guidebooks recommend visiting the townships with a knowledgeable local guide. Our guide grew up and still lives in a coloured township and he was able to relate his family's experience of being evicted from District 6. He also insisted that we should not feel uncomfortable being middle class white tourists in a black shantytown. (Far easier said than done.) While we never once worried for our safety, we were very concerned about gawking at someone else's poverty, especially from behind the glass of a touring van. Try as they might, the extremely sensitive tour companies can't avoid some of that, as they ferry tourists who inevitably stick out from place to place. To compensate, they get you out of the bus as often as possible, walking about, talking with residents and visiting local schools and empowerment centers. I don't want to romanticize it, but there's so much more than poverty to see and experience in the townships.

The "new" South Africa has many programs to encourage tourism to the townships to not only bring tourism money to these disadvantaged areas, but also spread awareness of the history of these resourceful people and increase appreciation of the unique township culture. It's important to point out too that townships in the new South Africa aren't entirely composed of cardboard and corrugated tin shacks. Though the government is behind in meeting the ambitious housing
and service delivery goals it set, new home construction was clearly visible on our visit. Moreover, pride of ownership (including the more elaborate homes of newly successful locals who've decided to stay), electrification of even the tiniest shack and clean water (often obtained at communal taps) have brought many improvements. Certainly there's still a long way to go and the shacks, which are still being built, seem to go for a disheartening distance. But the creative and often enterprising spirit that you come across in the townships is inspiring. Despite poverty and 40+ years of systematic oppression, township residents have created vibrant homes and communities from very little.

To really experience township culture, staying the night is probably best and the options for doing so are growing. With more time and less separation, there's the opportunity to talk with people for more than a few moments and maybe even share experiences over a drink in the local shebeen. We've promised ourselves that on our next visit to South Africa now that we've had a short introduction to township life.

By Meredith Bragg |  January 29, 2006; 3:25 PM ET  | Category:  South Africa
Previous: Cape Town Touring | Next: Three Hour Tarzan