Soweto and Apartheid Museum

About this tour

Soweto, a city within a city, is a sprawling metropolis and one of the most famous settlements in Africa, where South Africa's history was written on the streets, in the schools and in the shebeens. This diverse, patriotic community led the fight for justice and freedom in the late 1970s. Today Soweto is a living monument to the history of the political struggle, and to the hopes of a dynamic, multicultural community facing the challenges of transformation.

We travel past the Baragwanath hospital and Walter Sisulu (Freedom) Square, visit Kliptown and talk about life in an informal settlement. Our drive takes us to "Hollywood", where the stars live, and to the Mandela House Museum. The Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum is one of our stops, to see where the political struggle began. We pass the Regina Mundi Church and see informal settlements and everyday life. Wandie's Shebeen restaurant is our lunch stop.

The afternoon is spent wandering through the Apartheid Museum, which gives a comprehensive insight into the history of apartheid. After a few hours there you will feel that you were in the townships in the '70s and '80s, dodging police bullets or teargas canisters, marching with thousands of school children, or carrying the body of a comrade into a nearby house.

This extraordinarily powerful museum has become an obligatory stop for tourists and residents alike.

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