How did townships in South Africa come about?ĭuring apartheid and following the signing of the Group Areas Act of 1950, non-whites were forcibly removed from the centre of Cape Town. Townships: Background information What exactly is a township?Ī township is an informal settlement and a type of raciallyĭivided suburb within South Africa’s big cities, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg,ĭurban, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria. You can also book a township and Robben Island Combination tour ticket here too, which is a great way to see both key sites in Cape Town. I thought I’d also put a detailed guide to our visit below. If you are keen to visit a township whilst in South Africa, I highly recommend the locally run company we went with, called Siviwe Tours. All of our preconceived ideas replaced with a feeling of hope and positivity. Not only was our visit to Langa township eye-opening, and for the most part, actually really inspiring. I didn’t plan on ‘gawping’ at people in the township, but simply making myself more aware of the situation in Cape Town and South Africa. Something felt wrong if I just stayed in the wealthy enclaves and tourist areas of Cape Town, without taking the time to get to know local people and seeing daily life for a majority of South Africans. Cape Town is incredible, but don’t get me wrong, it’s very European – I wanted to experience the ‘beating heart’ of a South African township. My interest lay in understanding and opening my eyes to a bit of the real South Africa. It stung a little but I quickly pointed out that that wasn’t my personal aim in visiting a township in Cape Town. She thought it was a little voyeuristic and somewhat insensitive. I even rung my mum the evening before to tell her about my first week in Cape Town, and when I mentioned visiting a township, she was a little horrified and asked why I’d want to walk around and gawp at people. A hugely insightful walking tour around Langa
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