Sunday we drove south along the coast to Hout Bay and I had my first planned visit to a township (I confused the M44 for the R44 a few weeks ago and drove into a place that wasn't the safest). Imizamo Yethu (a.k.a. Mandela Park) was established for a few hundred people and is not home to thousands.
I struggled with whether or not to do a this while I was here because at in effect, you are going on a tour to see people in poverty.
It was eye-opening and sad. Africa (our guide) met us just outside the township and told us the history. He took us to his home, a local food store, a shebeen (bar), and my favorite part was a visit into a church. There were about 20 people inside the tin shack singing, dancing, and playing improvised instruments. Pictures do more justice than my words...
A little note about this picture: the van driving by is the transport- ation residents (through- out the Cape) use to get around. It's about $1 for a ride into Cape Town and the operators fill the vans as full as possible to earn more money.
It's a very sad story - there are frequent news reports about accidents involving these buses and people dying due to lack of seat belts and the vans having too many passengers. Up on the hill, the sign posted says: Occupation of this embankment poses a threat to life and property.
Sunday we drove south along the coast to Hout Bay and I had my first planned visit to a township (I confused the M44 for the R44 a few weeks ago and drove into a place that wasn't the safest). Imizamo Yethu (a.k.a. Mandela Park) was established for a few hundred people and is not home to thousands.
I struggled with whether or not to do a this while I was here because at in effect, you are going on a tour to see people in poverty.
It was eye-opening and sad. Africa (our guide) met us just outside the township and told us the history. He took us to his home, a local food store, a shebeen (bar), and my favorite part was a visit into a church. There were about 20 people inside the tin shack singing, dancing, and playing improvised instruments. Pictures do more justice than my words...
A little note about this picture: the van driving by is the transport- ation residents (through- out the Cape) use to get around. It's about $1 for a ride into Cape Town and the operators fill the vans as full as possible to earn more money. 
It's a very sad story - there are frequent news reports about accidents involving these buses and people dying due to lack of seat belts and the vans having too many passengers. Up on the hill, the sign posted says: Occupation of this embankment poses a threat to life and property.
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