The Last Stand

We arrived into Johannesburg at 8am in the morning and again were delighted to have arrived back into a country that just works. Even though we feared repercussions from the recent strikes which affected petrol supplies, we got into a taxi immediately who was happy to agree to a good price and took us quickly to Purple Palms in Kempton Park. We were even more delighted to discover that the wifi here was free and fast. To be able to shop in the local supermarket again for less than a couple of pounds a day was also very exciting (especially when we bought a bucket load of wine and some Cadbury's!).

So we have spent our last couple of days just catching up on the blog (in the knowledge that with a wedding coming up we simply won't do that back home) and sleeping. We are exhausted. No one tells you how much hard work travelling can be. I know it sounds stupid when you have also lazed on a beach for days on end. But we are tired of moving around all the time and looking forward to coming home.

But we also knew that we wanted to see Soweto so on our final full day we headed off on a tour. Eric our guide took us first past Soccer City where the final of the 2010 World Cup was held and then we drove on to Soweto.

South Western Township only became known as Soweto in 1963 and today has 3 classes living in it. The rich, who live in very nice individual houses in an area nick-named Beverley Hills. An area that doesn't need security fencing as they have a good neighbourhood watch system. An area that is also still 100% black. Eric laughed as I said I might move there it looked so nice and said I would gain an entry into the Guinness Book of Records if I did. But this area still looks over onto temporary hostels that house large families in single rooms. That don't have electricity because the government is desperately trying to move them out into proper homes rather than wasting money on short term solutions. They have chemical toilets only and fetch their water from outside each day.

The middle classes live in matchbox houses, red brick 4 roomed buildings just like the ones occupied by Desmond Tutu and previously by Nelson Mandela. These houses are permanent, have electricity and water on meters but most still have outside toilets, some still long drops.

The poor are still sadly in tin shacks. Just one room for a full family. Shacks made of anything they can find from salvaged buses, to carpets thrown out by building sites. However most of these areas have proper long drop toilets where they used to have chemical ones and the government is doing its best to move people out quickly as part of its Renovation Development Project. It is just taking time to build the new properties unfortunately. And sadly, Eric told us that people are still abusing the system of free housing which is impacting on those that truly need it. People are the same the world over.

The tour took us through the site of the Soweto shootings in 1976 where Hector Pieterson was immortalised by a photograph of his body being carried after being shot by police during the student protests against Afrikaans being used as a medium of instruction.

The Hector Pieterson museum is actually very good and seemed to me to be as unbiased as possible towards the subject. But perhaps it is best for people to visit for themselves and to draw their own conclusions.

It was a fitting end to our BigTrip. We fly home in a few hours.

It's been fantastic, all of it. Even the tough parts. But I'll save our reflections for one final blog...