Welcome to the Snyder Life: Soweto, a look back at segregated townships

This past weekend Mark and I took a 6 hour tour of the area known as Soweto. This area compromising 5 million people consist of formal and informal townships that were a product of segregation starting in 1904. Originally built to house black laborers who worked in the gold mines, now has transformed into a bustling area but still has much growth to do. In the 1950s more blacks were relocated to Soweto due to the segregation policy taking root. Soweto first gained attention in 1976 with the student uprising to overcome segregation and it's imposed policies. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu also had homes in this area which we were able to see. The culture of the area is rich and many advancements have been made though there is a long road ahead for some.

The tour group of 5 couples along with our guide who is a resident of Soweto, Richard, first viewed the homes which are said to be mansions for the area. Homes in this area were about 3-4 bedroom homes with approx 2,000sq feet. Some of the homes were very modern and others traditional in nature, all blended together to form a nice community.

Richard was so proud of this area and kept commenting on how there is no crime in this part of Soweto. It was different to see homes without fences but about every 3rd home would have one with an electrical fence on top. When asking Richard why some homes had additional security, he would just say they were paranoid. He said there is a great neighborhood watch program and if you are caught stealing then you are publicly beaten and the police don't do anything about it. I guess that's one way to stop crime from happening. We spent quite a bit of time in this area as Richard was so proud to show us all the nice homes.

Next we traveled to another type of settlement within the Soweto townships originally built for the black miners for the gold mines. Today they house families, who are also able to farm right outside their front doors.

Pictured are the homes all built in a row and each home has 2 rooms, one for sleeping and one for cooking and eating. The homes did have electricity but no running water. The picture below shows a man and woman washing their clothes in a basin using the communal tap water provided to the area. It was amazing how clean their clothes were washing them this way. Portable toilets serviced by the government were scattered throughout.

Upon entering the township the smell was overwhelming as there is no trash service. Richard said they would burn their trash at certain times, but otherwise it was lying all over the ground. Pictured below is a chicken coop and fenced in area for goats. When speaking to the locals they said they used the goats for meat and cows for milk. Even though there was a pin and coop, the animals would roam around hence the smell of feces was quite strong as well.

Richard said there are schools within the settlement and there is one lady who will watch after all the toddlers while the parents are working or finding work. Watching kids walk through the area barefoot with trash and feces all over the ground was quite heart wrenching. The smell was bad but did not even compare to the next stop.

Right across from the homes were new government built townhouses which sat empty. Richard said that the government wants to rent them out instead of a rent to own option so the residents in the area have boycotted the homes.

Up next we visited the informal townships comprised of homes made out of corrugated metal and other resources. Once we stepped out of the van I thought I was going to loose my breakfast. The smell was much worse than the last township and it was quite difficult to even walk through the homes. Once again they do not have trash service and the reluctance to do anything but throw it on the ground was apparent. There was a black stream of water running through the township among the trash. If they only had access to simple trash cans or trash service it would make a world of difference. This township also does not have running water or electricity. One local told us that they will steal electricity and when the electric company comes to take it away, they will put it right back together the next day. He said they do not feel bad about stealing electricity since the government was to build them proper homes with utilities.

We walked through the township until we came to a young woman's home who allowed us to go inside and visit with her. Pictured below is her home comprised of 2 rooms, one for cooking and eating and the other room is a bedroom for her parents. She said 9 people lived in this home and she and her siblings and her 2 year old daughter sleep on the kitchen floor. Upon stepping inside her home the heat would hit you. It was about 80 degrees outside but inside the little home it was a good 95+. With only one window that did not let in a breeze, I was impressed she was able to cook inside. It is quite amazing how resourceful the entire community is.

The young woman said they cooked on this stove but mostly used the paraffin stove that is on the top burner. She said she gets 200 Rand or $20 US dollars a month from the government for her child but it barely covers milk and a few basic necessities. She finished high school and hoped to be a flight attendant but after the birth of her daughter at age 17, she was not able to. She was very mature, open, and welcoming as was everyone in the township. I appreciated that they would share their lives with us so we could learn about their culture.

Below is the dining room where the young woman and her siblings would sleep. I was quite impressed at what they had found to decorate with. I did not expect much to be inside these homes, but her family had done a great job making it a home.

When asked about the prevalence of Aids she said Malaria was more of a concern for her neighborhood. Someone in our group also asked her how she felt about the government. I was shocked to hear her say that her 104 year old grandfather actually thought life was better under Apartheid and her family did not feel like the current government had followed through on their promises. I can only imagine the life her family has lead that they would prefer a segregated culture in which their race is legally treated inferior to others. At this point, our guide, Richard joined in the conversation and stated the opposite and that he believes things are better now. It is too bad our conversation was cut short due to time as it was a great learning experience.

The young woman did say that she is worried the government is going to come and tear down her township as that is what is planned and she would not have a place to live. She does not feel that even if the government offered better housing that her family could afford it so they would rather stay where they are.

Pictured below is another home. I was quite surprised to find the homes have addresses as you can see written on the walls. The top number is the old address as the government has changed the numbering recently and the bottom number is the new address.

More pictures of homes as we walked through the township.

I thought it was quite interesting they would make fences for their homes to designate a patio of sorts for themselves.

We were able to meet the priest to the church pictured below in white with the blue flag waving.

View of the homes and how close they all are. You can see how the roofs are made and why they leak so often during the rainy season. It was humbling to walk through this township and made me appreciate all the things I take for granted that are not even an option for the people who live here.

Our next stop was actually the mall. It was a nice built mall, resembling ones you will find in the US. Richard was quite proud of this mall and even wanted to take us inside. He would point out the luxury cars in the parking lot and mention time and again how the rich do live in the area, as if he did not think we believed him. Upon leaving the mall parking lot all vehicles had to shut off their engines to prove that the vehicle was not stolen, this included our tour van as well. It was nice to see him so proud of his community and the smile on his face as he showed us around. He said a few whites did live in the area, though most of them are German.

After our mall detour, we stopped at the Hector Pieterson Museum to gain a closer look at the Apartheid movement. The museum was named after Hector as he was the youngest child shot on the day of the uprisings which school children protested against having Afrikaans be the language taught in the township schools. You can see the 13 year old being carried in the picture to the left after being shot.

It was a great museum filled with countless articles, pictures and videos capturing this time in history.

Right around the corner was the Nelson Mandela House Museum. He lived in this home with his 2nd wife for a few months before being imprisoned and came here after being released 27 years later.