Within the framework of a project we, two women from the Netherlands , are two weeks at guest at Gwen and her family and it was indeed an experience of a life time. Gwen lives in Soweto across the hostel-area in Mapetla. Beside teacher she is also a guide. Recently she has the possibility to offer guests logies with full board.
Gwen is a real hearty woman who has shown us the real Soweto . She is very moved and motivated to improve the living conditions in Soweto but can also modify. Therefore she can show you all sides of Soweto .
Depending on your interest you can:
• walk by the slums or shacks
• examine schools and get acquainted with the students and teachers
• visit health care institutions
• visit herb-doctor
• make knowledge with the activities of the different communities
• do museums
• make a Soweto tour
• meet with the culture of the population
• visit the local art market
• go to one of the many churches or church services
• visit night market
• experience night life Soweto with the local population.
We slept in an outbuilding made of stone, corrugated iron and thatch. Possibly you also can stay in a fourrooms-house of Gwen's brother in Zola. Here the toilet is outside and you have to use an orange bowl to wash yourself. He also is a good and pleasant guide.
Gwen wants to share her experiences gladly with as many people as possible but she also want to receive some extra income. We promised her, that we would help by making a website for her guesthouse.
Home-stay at Gwen is not expensive. It is only 160 Rand (20 euro) p.p.per day for stay and food. The cost for transport, depending on of what you take off, you settle with her afterwards.
You also can engage Gwen for a day tour. If you are in Johannesburg and you want to spend a day in Soweto then you can ask her as a driver and guide. The local excursion organisations count you for a day sniffing to Soweto a large amount but not yet give half of what Gwen offers you.
Finally: Gwen is a good cook!!!
Do you have interest? Need for information?
Safety and crime
We never felt unsafe! On the contrary, we were everywhere received with much warmth. One is glad with the interest of white people! For example, Gwen took us to her church. This proved to be a complete large tent, where on sunday, ongoing services are kept. There were a lot off people (approximately 500), not only for the celebration himself but also because after the service a cup of soup with four slices off bread is distributed. For many people the only meal of the day and sometimes for several days. The celebration in itself made certainly impression ( a lot of good singing and dancing) but particularly how everyone reacted to us.
Everyone wanted to greet and make clear how happy one is with our presence. There wasn't any hostility.
Also we have visited several slums.
The social situation in these camps is piteous. It swarms there of people and children. People live in shacks made of corrugated iron of approximately 6- 8 square meters . There is no gas and electricity; water must be obtained on central spots where also the toilets and wash-basins are. The drainage and the carry off waste are bad so everything gets dirty. The roads are of black mud, caused by the little fires people make to keep themselves warm or to cook food. Rubbish lies everywhere. Some people have, however, a television but need for this an accumulator. Cooking inside is done on paraffin.
But here too people are very welcoming. We can look around and the most permit us to make pictures. Here too no hostility. However, people told us, that we couldn't come here without local companions, because people will panic then.
During our stay it was celebrated that thirty years ago The Uprising (16-06-1976) took place. By means of some members of the ANC (as a white you lay very rapidly contacts in Soweto ) we suddenly got the opportunity to go to this celebration in the stadium .The FNB-stadium was entirely full. President Mbeki was already gone when we arrived, but there were still performances of very well known artists. It was a big swinging happening. There were approximately 50000 people and we think that we were the only whites. The members of the ANC are always astonished that the whites, who want to participate in the celebration, are always foreigners. The integration of black and white in South Africa is still not reached here for long time. The whites from South Africa don't celebrate it.
Here to we felt very welcome. But also here you have to be with local companions. The people of Soweto want that the whites feel save. The members of the ANC were very surprised that we really stayed in Soweto and told that several townships we have been and the area where Gwen lives, stands confessed as the no-go areas. They are so pleased that we experienced all these friendliness and didn't see any crime or hostility. They wanted us to help to get rid off all the bad stories about Soweto . So now we did!!!