16. Day 7 (Aug. 23) - Along the Garden Route: Flowering Plants, Bushes, and Trees

One of the highlights of our tour, one that sets it apart from many other trips to sub-Saharan Africa, was a chance to visit the Garden Route.  This is an area along the southern coast, from Storms River on the east to Moseel Bay on the west (see map).  

Map of Garden Route Area

It is one of the most ecologically diverse plant communities in the world — indeed some say the most diverse.  It is an area with a mild climate (supposedly second only to Hawaii however they measure that) meaning the winter low is rarely below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees F) and the summer high rarely higher than 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees F).  It can rain any day and did so on a couple of the days we were there.  The northern border of the Garden Route is formed by the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains and the southern border is the Indian Ocean.  On the above map it is just a narrow strip along the water.

Our introduction was at the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park (shown on the map by its former name of Tsitsikamma Forest National Park.  This section is right along the coast, as we’ll see in one of the upcoming posts.  First let’s just look at the variety of flowering plants seen in just this little area.  I’m going to diverge from my usual practice of commentary for each photo and just post a variety of plants.  No names will be given because I don’t know them.  I find them beautiful as nameless splashes of color.  And I don’t find them particularly evocative of Africa but plants that could be (but aren’t) found in the U.S.  First are several bushes with big bursts of small flowers in either white, purple-pink, or yellow.

Small White Bush Flowers

Small Purple-Pink Bush Flowers

Small Yellow Bush Flowers

And then there are the bigger blossoms in yellow, white, purple, and pink.

Bigger Yellow Bush Flowers

Bigger White Bush Flowers #1

Bigger White Bush Flowers #2

Bigger Purple Bush Flowers #1

Bigger Purple Bush Flowers #2

In addition to the flowering plants and bushes, there were also many trees here.  Again, no names — I’m not very good on those even though many of these trees had name tags on them.  My enjoyment of a tree is not based on its name and I hope you share this.  (You’ll find the same is true is many of the animals we’ll see, although there is the occasional one I do know.  Do not expect that, though, with the birds in particular.)

The one exception, at least for today, is the tree that follows.  The multiple trunk system displayed by this tree is common to the Ironwood tree.  There are apparently many types of Ironwood trees and I won’t try to get into which type this is.  As you can imagine from its name, it is a very hard wood and thus can be difficult to work with.  

Ironwood Tree

And, in keeping with my policy of fewer names, here are another two trees in the same area.

Tree #2

Tree #3

Next time we’ll look closer at the Indian Ocean coast where these trees are found.

Link to Full Resolution Photos

Part 3. The Garden Route 15. Day 7 (Aug 23) - To Port Elizabeth and Beyond

This morning we got up early to go to the airport where we took a short flight (about 1:40) to Port Elizabeth, about 1000 kilometers from Johannesburg.  It is also marked on the map in the first email on the trip that also shows the antipode for San Francisco.  Port Elizabeth marked the furthest — roughly speaking — distance we were from San Francisco.

Port Elizabeth, often abbreviated as PE, is known as the Windy City and I think it is far enough away from Chicago, and Chicago from it, that there is probably little confusion about two cities with the same nickname.  It is amusing that if you do a Google search on Windy City, at least when I just did, Lord Google assumes you’re talking about Chicago.  Nonetheless we did feel enough wind while we were there, although I have also been in much windier places.  And it was winter.

As you would expect, Port Elizabeth is on the ocean, although it is more properly along Algoa Bay which opens out into the Indian Ocean.  The name Algoa comes from the early times when the place was along the way between Europe and India and people heading through were often bound to Goa.  

Port Elizabeth Street

We did not spend any real time in PE, just driving from the airport, through the city, and then heading west along the start of what is known as the Garden Route (which we will discuss in greater detail later).  As a result we also did not get to check out whether PE is also deserving of another of its nicknames, the Friendly City.  There are long stretches through town where there are lots of buildings along the shore.

Port Elizabeth - Road Along the Shore

I’d invite you to look carefully at the above picture.  Does this really look like your preconception of Africa?  In fact, except for the fact that people are driving facing the opposite way than we are used to, you could be in many US cities based on this picture. And we can see that the construction of ugly, tall, box-like apartment buildings is not confined to the US either.

Port Elizabeth - Ugly Apartment Building

I was charmed by this statue in a park along the way and I wish I knew more about this woman, but she’ll have to remain a mystery for the moment.

Statue of Woman in Port Elizabeth Park

One additional note about our tour leader, in case you weren't convinced by the previous post about his inappropriateness.  He noted that the unemployment rate in Port Elizabeth was higher than in some other parts of South Africa (in checking with Lord Google I find the rates for Cape Town and Johannesburg are about 25% while that for Port Elizabeth is over 36%).  And then he said, supposed in criticism of the current government of South Africa, "One thing you could say for Hitler was that he provided full employment."  Now this comment is wrong in so many ways that it is not even worthy of refutation.  We'll get a few more of his comments later in the tour.  (If this comment stirs you in certain ways, please note that this blog does have comments enabled; and I do welcome your comments at any time.)

And then we find ourselves outside of the built-up city and driving through countryside, along the southern coast of South Africa.

Countryside Nearing the Garden Route

For a way we passed through farming and ranching lands, again familiar to the eyes of someone from the US.

South Africa Farm

As we turned a bit inland the land became more lush and wild, although again still nothing that called out to me saying, “You’re in Africa.”

More Lush and Wild Land

That would change soon through encounters with a few animals, although the land itself, and even most of the animals, wouldn’t give you the notion that you were in Africa.  But, then, Africa is a big place — it is a continent.  And we were far south so that we were in the temperate area far from the equator.

More plants and animals tomorrow.  After all, we are in Africa <g>.

Link to Full Resolution Photos

14. Day 6 (Aug 22): Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum was one of the most moving parts of the trip to South Africa.  It is a powerful statement against the racism and brutality of the apartheid regime.  And that requires a brief story before we visit.

Our primary guide for the South African part of our trip had many troubles.  He wasn’t very good at the simple things a tour director should do — like being sure everyone was on the same page about our next activity and how to prepare for it.  I ended up writing a long critique of him for the tour company — and I hope that he is not used again because I think many of the failings he had are not really fixable.  

He was a white Afrikaner, but I tried not to have that prejudice me about him.  (Although, in a country with a majority black population, with many highly qualified black tour leaders, and with a Constitutional Court approved policy of affirmative action, it does raise questions.)  When I found out that he had worked for the apartheid government in at least a medium-level position, I hoped that perhaps the Truth and Reconciliation Process (about which we will talk later) could have resulted in a change for the better.

Unfortunately, the first night of our tour, the night before our visit to the Apartheid Museum, over dinner with him for the first time, he felt it important to tell the “other side” of apartheid since he knew we were going to be seeing the Apartheid Museum the next day and he must have been aware of how powerful an anti-apartheid statement the museum makes.  His statement was, essentially, that Apartheid was a necessary means for the whites in South Africa to protect the economic and personal investments they had made in settling in South Africa (i.e., to continue the economic and personal oppression of the black native population) and to protect their minority status.  I was, in one sense, grateful for his doing so because the “statement” he made showed how on this subject — and on some others in my view — there are really not two sides.  I was completely unconvinced by anything he said and this view was only enforced the next day.  Having as a guide a person who did not see the intrinsic evil in the practice of apartheid was ameliorated some by having an additional black guide for our tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, a very wonderful and well informed man who obviously accepted and supported the changes that had occurred in South Africa in the last quarter-century. We also had black guides added during our tour of the Cape Town Townships, and during the Game Drive in Manyeletti.  During the tour extension to Zimbabwe and Botswana our general tour leader was a black woman.  In addition a black man guided our tour of Robben Island which was an add-on for us and not part of the official tour.  

Our tour of the Apartheid Museum was a major highlight of our trip to South Africa and one of the reasons we had chosen South Africa rather than other countries for this, our first visit to sub-Saharan Africa.  One of the commonly made statements about the museum is that that the only place apartheid belongs is in a museum.  And as bad as we thought it was based on what we heard during the 60’s though the 90’s in the US, it was so much worse in reality.

Before the trip I had read up on South Africa history and politics (as well as on the plants and animals).  My reading on apartheid included Mandela’s autobiography (Long Walk to Freedom) and Albie Sachs’ books (The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, Stephanie on Trial, The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law, and Free Diary (this last book with additional material by Vanessa September)).  Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island starting in 1964 and only released in 1990.  Sachs was in exile starting in 1966 and only returned to South Africa in 1990 — having been blown up by South African Apartheid government agents in Maputo, Mozambique, in 1988.  So from 1966 until 1990, the information from the sources I had read was third hand.  

I can say that the information in the Apartheid Museum from the beginnings to 1966 is completely consistent with the information I had read.  And as terrible as apartheid was during that time, it seemed to have gotten worse and worse until 1990.  For example, the Soweto uprising, which resulted in the death of Hector Pieterson and many others, discussed in the previous post, took place during this time.

The Apartheid Museum is located in Gold Reef City, an amusement and gambling complex in Johannesburg.  It is located on the site of an old gold mine.  The park’s theme is the Witwatersrand gold rush that began in 1886.  There are water rides, roller coasters, a gold mining museum, and live shows.  The location of the Apartheid Museum as part of this complex might at first seem a strange choice unless you know it  was put together by the Gold Reef City developers.  I later found out that there are some controversies around the location of the museum but it did not affect our visit to the museum nor the effect and accuracy of the information we received.

Outside of the Apartheid Museum are various introductory exhibits. One involves the seven fundamental principles of the South African Constitution: democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect, and freedom.  There are represented by the pillars in the first courtyard.

Pillars of Constitution

Following the pillars, we begin our journey into apartheid.  The discovery of gold in Johannesburg in 1886 attracted a diverse, racially mixed community to the area.  (Remember that this museum is located in Gold Reef City which commemorates this gold discovery.)  This is shown by the various portraits along the outside of the museum in this courtyard.

Portraits Showing Diversity

When South Africa was united in 1910, racial segregation become the official policy, dividing the population into four groups: white (European), native (black, African), Asian (primarily but not exclusively Indian), and coloured (mixed race).  These divisions are not only arbitrary, but the history of racial classification during the apartheid regime shows the arbitrariness of the actual classifications.  For example, as we learned in the museum, children of the same parents were classified as black or coloured based not on their actual parentage but on the color of their skin, sometimes resulting in full siblings having difference racial classifications.

Each of us is given a ticket to go into the museum that indicates whether we have been classified as either “white” or “non-white.”  The classification is entirely arbitrary and not related to anything except the order in which we buy tickets.  This classification is perhaps even more arbitrary than most of the racial classifications that occurred under apartheid but the consequences for us were nil.  The entry doors were separate – although no one enforced that you enter the door labeled for your ticket – but equal because both doors, after a very short hallway, led you into the same museum. Under apartheid, as we were to learn in the museum, the consequences of your racial classification were significant and, in some cases, life-threatening.  

Entry Doors

The Museum is, of course, heavily influenced by statements and actions of Nelson Mandela, such as this outside exhibit with a quote from Mandela: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

Mandela Quote: "To Be Free"

The Apartheid Museum inside has both permanent exhibits and special exhibits.  There was a special exhibit all about President Mandela’s life.  Many of our group went to see only that exhibit.  Since I had had the advantage of reading his autobiography (well, listening to it), I did not spend as much time on that and got to see much of the permanent exhibit as well.  My advice to anyone going to the Apartheid Museum is that you allow at least 4 hours for the external parts and the permanent exhibit with additional time if you are planning to see any special exhibits.  It appears from their website that the Mandela exhibit is still on and it is well worth your time, particularly if you are not familiar with his story.

Photography is not allowed inside the museum.  The exhibits include original documents, news stories, photographs, and video, as well as some memorabilia of the entire apartheid era.  It is very moving and tells the story in a logical and linear fashion starting with the institution of segregation when South Africa was unified in 1910 and including forced removal and relocation (including the black “homelands” which remind me of our own Native American reservations), the increasing violence and repression from the government against black resistance, and the ultimate triumph of a new constitution and democracy and the healing brought about (imperfectly but still significantly) by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  

The tour of the Apartheid Museum lets you know how important it was to have just the right people at the critical time to enable South Africa to transform from one of the most racist and repressive tyrannies and a bloodbath-waiting-to-happen into one of the most diverse and progressive democracies.  How fortunate to have Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu (as well as such legal and philosophical giants as Albie Sachs) to bring this about.

The museum exit leads you to the gardens, which the museum says offers you a space for reflection, noting, “The landscape is South African, and conveys the harsh beauty of our country."

"Harsh Beauty of Our Country"

We will reflect further on this history and government much later in our trip when we visit Constitution Hill, the site of the Constitutional Court, which is less than 10 km or a 15 minute drive from here.

Tomorrow we begin our journey on the Garden Route.

Link to full resolution photos

13. Day 6 (Aug 22): Soweto: Hector Pieterson Memorial

Time for another South Africa history lesson — about Hector Pieterson.  Many of you have seen the famous photograph involving this 13-year-old boy dying in the arms of a stranger during a demonstration.  There was a picture of the photograph in the restaurant where we ate lunch.

Hector Pieterson Dying Photograph

This picture is further described later in this post.

And just up Vilakazi Street on the same side as the restaurant is the Phefeni Junior Secondary School, where our story takes place.  

Phefeni Junior Secondary School

Until the mid-1970s, most instruction in all black schools took place in one or more of the native languages.  Afrikaans, in particular, was detested and described by Desmond Tutu as “the language of the oppressor.”  In 1974, the South African government mandated all instruction in all black schools to be split 50-50 between Afrikaans and English.

In May of 1976 students in Phefeni School began a boycott of classes in protest of this policy.  A large demonstration was planned for June 16, 1976, involving many students from other schools.  To get to the demonstration, they passed in front of Phefeni School, and nearby the police opened fire and killed a number of students, including 13-year-old Hector Pieterson.  In the photo, Pieterson is carried by 18-year-old student Mbuyisa Makhubo.  The girl in the picture is Hector’s 17-year-old sister, Antoinette.  The photo became an important icon in the anti-apartheid struggle.

Makhubo fled South Africa because of harassment by the government after the photo became famous.  He was apparently heard from in Nigeria in 1978 but then disappeared again and has never been found.  All together at least 176 people were killed in what is known as the Soweto Uprising with some estimates running as high as 700.  The government claimed “only” 23 students were killed that day.  June 16 is now celebrated as National Youth Day in South Africa.

Near the school, off of Vilakazi Street, is a large memorial to Pieterson as well as a museum.  At one time Hector’s sister served as a guide in the museum.

Hector Pieterson Memorial - Soweto

Hector Pieterson Memorial - Soweto

It is very moving, especially when you see the photo right there in the memorial.  Many people died in the apartheid struggle, including many of Hector’s age.  But the power of the photograph made that death an important part of the struggle that ultimately ended apartheid.

And where better from here but to the Apartheid Museum.

Link to Full Resolution Photos

12. Day 6 (Aug 22): Soweto: Tutu House, Mandela House, and Lunch

After our visit to Freedom Square we went to the Orlando West section of Soweto, specifically Vilakazi Street.  This street is the only street with houses, less than a block apart, in which two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates lived.  (Later we will look at the only prison in which two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates were imprisoned, including one different laureate from this duo.) 

The first house we came to was where Archbishop Desmond Tutu lives, at least part of the time.  Tutu has two houses — one in Cape Town and one here.  There is a blue circular plaque on the wall around the house that notes that Tutu has lived here since 1975.  The house is not open to the public. 

Tutu House and Guide

The gentleman in this picture was our guide around Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.  He hopes eventually to go to law school and is very well versed in the history of the struggle for South Africa and the principles of the Constitution.  He was not our guide throughout the entire South Africa trip although I wish he had been.  He was the auxiliary guide for Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.  (I detail the problems with our regular guide in the discussion later about the Apartheid Museum.)

Across the street and up about one block is the Mandela House which is now a museum.  It is the house where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946-1962 and to which he returned briefly after his release from prison in 1990.  Winnie Mandela lived in the house until 1977.  There are bullet holes in the walls and scorch marks from Molotov cocktails on the facade.  We did not go into the house.  The museum aspects of the house have resulted in the construction of a visitor’s center and entrance.  During the time that Mandela lived in the simple house it was not electrified.

Mandela House Entrance

Mandela , who is often called Madiba (his Xhosa clan name), is held in great reverence throughout South Africa including by many whites.  While some have not agreed with all his policies, he is honored for his role in leading the country from a racist, repressive government to one of the more progressive democracies in the world without the bloodshed many had predicted would ensue.  Many use his name and his philosophy.  As noted above, Madiba was Mandela's traditional Xhosa clan name and in South Africa it’s a term of endearment, respect, and familiarity.  (There is some dispute whether it is cultural appropriation for white Americans to use the term:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/12/09/a-south-africans-guide-to-when-its-okay-to-call-nelson-mandela-madiba/)

This billboard, near his home, is from Mango Airlines (the low-cost subsidiary of South African Airlines) and tries to associate his values with theirs.

Mango Airlines Billboard

Politically, of course the ANC has the greatest call to Mandela’s legacy.

Vote ANC Poster

Of course, the area around Mandela’s and Tutu’s home would seem ideal for publicizing important political issues and that does occur.

Bring Back Our Girls Poster

This sign refers, of course, to the kidnapping of a number of young girls by the Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Now, on to lunch.  The Mandela Family Restaurant is just across a cross street from the Mandela House Museum, and is run by Winnie Mandela although not without controversy (http://www.sundayworld.co.za/news/2014/11/23/winnie-mandela-in-fight-over-restaurant).

Mandela Family Restaurant

But the place to eat for traditional South African cuisine in Soweto is not there but across Vilakazi Street and down a bit closer to Tutu’s house.  It is a large sprawling restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating called Sakhumzi Restaurant.

Sakhumzi Restaurant

Now exactly what constitutes South African cuisine is an interesting issue.  The country is very large and diverse.  For example, besides English and Afrikaans which are languages of the white invaders, there are nine official African languages recognized by the Constitution and many more ethnic groups among black Africans.  So there is not a single black African ethnicity nor a single black African cuisine, although the apartheid regime certainly tried to impose that concept when it came to feeding black Africans in the prison system (which will be discussed in regards to the visit to Constitution Hill much later).

So, recognizing that the authenticity of this cuisine may be questionable (and, indeed, there is really no single cuisine), the restaurant served a number of dishes that are familiar to many black South Africans.  Served in a large buffet were such items as pap or miellepap which is a porridge made from ground corn, mash (potatoes), sweet potatoes, mogodu (tripe derivative served in a stew), beans, lamb and chicken stews, and butternut squash.  In the non-black African tradition the restaurant includes for dessert malva pudding which is Africaans in origin and consists of a sponge cake with apricot jam and often a cream sauce.

A picture of one plate with some of these foods is shown here shortly before I happily consumed it.

Plate with Some South African Food

After lunch is another opportunity for a South Africa history lesson – Hector Pieterson.

Link to full resolution photos

11. Day 6 (Aug. 22): Soweto: Freedom Square

(Note: I inadvertently left off the link to the full resolution photos in the previous post.  To avoid having to resend that post, I've included in this post the link to that post's full resolution photos as well as the link to this post's photos.)

Freedom Square, which is more properly known as Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, is located in the Kliptown section of Soweto.  As noted in the last post, the Soweto region of Johannesburg, (formerly a separate city) was one of the prime centers of anti-apartheid activity in South Africa.  Walter Sisulu was deputy director of the African National Congress, co-founder with Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo of the African National Congress Youth League in 1945, and the man who had one of the largest roles in radicalizing Nelson Mandela and mentoring him in the struggle against apartheid.  From all the reading I’ve done, he was always treated as black African even though his father was a white foreman supervising road builders and who apparently had little to do with his son.  

Now a bit of history:

On June 25-26, 1955, over 3000 delegates gathered at Kliptown in what would eventually be known as Freedom Square.  This was known as the Congress of the People or the South African Congress Alliance and consisted of the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Indian Congress (SAIC), the South African Congress of Democrats (SACD), and the Coloured People’s Congress (CPC).  Under the racist policies of the apartheid regime, people were assigned racial designations and these four groups tended to have primarily, but not exclusively, members of one racial classification: Blacks (ANC), Indians (SAIC), Whites (SACD) and Coloured (CPC).  The term “coloured” in South Africa does not comport with the archaic term “colored” in the US referring to people of African origin.  Rather it refers to people who were of mixed race.  (For example, under these rules, President Obama would be classified as colored and Michelle Obama would be classified as black.  As a consequence their marriage would be illegal.)  This is a gross oversimplification of the racist policies of the apartheid government; in addition, policies changed over time, becoming harsher as the struggle went on.

The Congress of the People on June 26 adopted the Freedom Charter, which became the vision for a post-apartheid South Africa; the Freedom Charter was subsequently adopted by each of the four sponsoring groups of the Congress of the People.  Its vision is of a multi-racial democracy, noting that “only a democratic state, based on the will of all the people, can secure to all their birthright without distinction of colour, race, sex or belief.”  (Note the reference to gender equality.)  The Freedom Charter is somewhat similar to the Declaration of Independence for the United States but is also more — its 10 core principles are incorporated into the South African Constitution and served as the model for the South African Bill of Rights (which Albie Sachs, who we will meet later and who was at the Congress as a 20 year old law student, had a prime role in drafting).

The 10 core principles of the Freedom Charter are:

• The People Shall Govern

• All National Groups Shall have Equal Rights

• The People Shall Share in the Country’s Wealth

• The Land Shall be Shared Among Those Who Work It

• All Shall be Equal Before the Law

• All Shall Enjoy Equal Human Rights

• There Shall be Work and Security

• The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall be Opened

• There Shall be Houses, Security and Comfort

• There Shall be Peace and Friendship

The government broke up the Congress on the second day, but the participants had already adopted the Freedom Charter.  As a result of the Congress’ action, the government banned the ANC and arrested many of its leaders, including Mandela and Sisulu.

One of the key concepts throughout the core principles of the Freedom Charter was its commitment to a multi-racial (or non-racial) South Africa.  This was not a given and there was much debate during the Congress as to whether there should be a multi-racial/non-racial South Africa or a black South Africa.  The decision taken at the Congress resulted in some members of the ANC, who had wanted a black South Africa, leaving the ANC and forming the Pan Africanist Congress.  

The importance of this core document to the current generation of South Africans must be emphasized.  The Freedom Charter is only 60 years old and the South African Constitution that incorporates it is only 18 years old.  It is not ancient history but continues to be the subject of debate.  In fact, while we were in South Africa the Constitutional Court issued a decision upholding the principle of affirmative action based on the Constitution and the Freedom Charter.

Now that you know what Freedom Square / Sisulu Square symbolizes, let’s take a look at it.

The square itself is a large paved area.  There are ten columns with sculptures on top of each one representing the 10 core principles of the Freedom Charter.

Columns for Core Principles

The Soweto Hotel and Conference Center, Soweto’s first (and possibly still only) four-star hotel is also part of the square.

Soweto Hotel and Conference Center

In the square is a large, conical, brick structure

Monument to Freedom Charter

in which the 10 parts of the Freedom Charter are reproduced on metal plates

Principle of Freedom Charter on Metal Plates

and an eternal flame burns.

The Eternal Flame (and It is Burning but the Photo Barely Shows That)

Now on to Vilakazi Street in Soweto.

Link to full resolution photos - Post 11

Link to full resolution photos - Post 10

10. Day 6 (Aug. 22) -- Soweto: Overview and Chris Hani Bardgwanath Hospital

(Note: Believe it or not, I was caught in the March weather mess in the East and South and this resulted in very slow internet availability and thus the delay in this post.)

The first true day of the trip was the only day we were in Johannesburg on the tour although we had several days on our own at the end of the trip.  And that really meant Soweto.  Soweto is an abbreviation for SOuthWEst TOwnship and it is a huge area of over 1.2 million people, primarily black Africans.  It was once a separate municipality under apartheid as a place for blacks to live and be able to work in the mines and other forms of menial labor.  

One of the big problems in South Africa is the lack of adequate housing for the black population and, to a lesser extent, the population formerly known as coloureds.  Townships grew up, under apartheid, when blacks came from the countryside to seek jobs in the mines and other places.  This housing was often shanty-towns and squatters.  And the legacy of that remains to this day.

The current government, since 1994, has been committed to provided millions of new houses — basic but decent housing — to the population in the townships and this promise has been partially delivered.  Yet there is still a great need for more housing.  (This is related to the discussion in the previous post about safety.)  

Since I am a lawyer (albeit a technically inactive one), I hope I will be excused a short journey into the legal landscape involving housing in South Africa.  This should only take the next 3 paragraphs and if you really don’t want to read about it, just skip to the paragraph starting with “Driving to Soweto ….”

The Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled in Port Elizabeth Municipality v. Various Occupiers [2004] ZACC 7 that some 68 people occupying 29 shacks they erected on privately owned land in Port Elizabeth could not be evicted.  Part of the decision was based on the fact that the Port Elizabeth housing program would not be able to provide housing for these people and this both deprived them of property within the meaning of section 25 of the South African Constitution and violated general principles of Ubuntu as applicable under South African Law.

Ubuntu was a term that was heard during our trip.  At one time it was described as giving to someone today who is in need and receiving tomorrow when you might be in need.  The translates (somewhat imprecisely I’m told) as humanness or as described the universal bond of sharing that connects all people.  What’s particularly special is not the existence of this philosophical concept within South Africa – many places in the world at least pay lip service to it.  But in South Africa the term is used both in the general population and given legal recognition.

As Justice Albie Sachs (with whom we will spend part of an afternoon later in this trip) wrote for the court in the Port Elizabeth case, “The Constitution and [statutuory law] require that in addition to considering the lawfulness of the occupation [of the land] the court must have regard to the interests and circumstances of the occupier and pay due regard to broad considerations of fairness and other constitutional values, so as to produce a just and equitable result.”  (This case is discussed in chapter 3 of Justice Sachs’ The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law especially at pages 105-109.)

Driving to Soweto you definitely feel as though you are in a vibrant, thriving albeit poor, and amazing area.  The urban art is wonderful and colorful.   

Painted Tower

And the juxtaposition of dismal and decent is all over.  In this photo just behind these shacks are more substantial albeit modest houses which, unlike the shacks, have electricity.

Houses with and without Electricity

And in this photo you can see in the foreground structures that are essentially ruins while in the background are what appear to be (and we were told were) decent houses.

Ruins and Housing in Background

We stopped for a short time in the area around Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, a well-known spot in Soweto.

Around the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital

The hospital was originally built in 1941 by the British as a military hospital (and named after the owner of the site, John Albert Baragwanath).  After the Second World War the hospital was used for the black population of Soweto.  In 1997 Chris Hani’s name was added to the name of the hospital.  Hani was a dearly beloved person involved in ending Apartheid and the leader of the South African Communist Party who was assassinated in 1993 by a right-wing extremist shortly before Apartheid was officially ended.  The hospital, supposedly the third largest in the world, is in the forefront of the treatment of AIDS.

Nearby is the Maponya Mall,

Maponya Mall Soweto

complete with elephant statue, 

Elephant Statue, Maponya Mall, Soweto

and with guards to watch your car in the parking lot.

Guards in Parking Lot

The mall is quite luxurious and is supposed to be the largest black-owned business in South Africa.  Most of the wealth in South Africa is still in white hands.  This is in large part a legacy of the past when the apartheid laws favored whites, granting them economic power.  For example, blacks could not legally own more than one business, while there were no such restrictions on whites.

Next stop is Freedom Square in Soweto.