Soweto

The tour commences with a brief talk outlining the history which led to the beginnings of Soweto. We pass the area where the people lived in Johannesburg before being forced to move to Soweto as a result of Bubonic Plague in 1903. We then enter Soweto.

We stop outside the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital and explain its significance, and history. (It is possible to visit the Hospital, if arrangements are requested to be made beforehand. This would add about one and a half hours to the tour of Soweto.)
We pass the largest taxi Rank in the world, St. John's Eye Hospital and Vista University. We visit the recently erected memorials to McDonald Mashinini, leader of the June 16th 1976 protest against the use of Afrikaans. We also visit the memorials to protest leader Lilian Ngoyi memorial and Bethuel Mokgosinyana, founder of Orlando Pirates Football Club.

Depending upon the interest of clients we visit SKY project in Kliptown. We then visit Walter Sisulu square and explain about the Freedom Charter, the political growth of the ANC and the PAC, Sharpeville and the Treason Trial. We drive past Winnie Mandela’s residence and visit Vilikazi Street, only street in the world which was home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela. We visit the home of Nelson Mandela and we see the site of the shooting of Hector Pietersen and visit the Hector Pietersen museum.

A visit is then made to the Oppenheimer Memorial, Credo Mutwa’s cultural village and the Regina Mundi Church. We exit Soweto passing the FNB Stadium which will be the home of the major games of the 2010 World Cup.