World Cup - Soweto

Downtown Johannesburg

Aboard a local taxi

We woke up the next day not being sure what to do so we decided to head to a neighborhood west of Jo’burg called Newtown. The place where Newtown now stands used to be a slum in early 1900’s that housed Black South Africans and Indian who flocked here during the gold rush. It was mentioned on a signpost that when the bubonic plague hit this slum in 1903, Mahatma Gandhi who was a lawyer at that time helped nurse the sick. Even though there was no monument or marker that said that he was at a specific spot, it was quite a feeling to be in a land where Mahatma Gandhi more than a century ago probably got inspired to fight for the independence of India during a radically different time than what I live in now.

The unfortunate sight of Zimbabwean refugees
in downtown Jo'burg

One of the most iconic images
from the Apartheid era

We checked out the neighborhood but there was not much happening there so decided to visit the Constitution Hill. The hill was formerly the site of a fort which was later used as a prison. The prison housed different inmates since it construction in 1892 starting with while male prisoners and later Boer military leaders. Later on both political activists opposed to apartheid and common criminals were held at the prison including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

With Theo

A Mexican fan in Soweto

To go to the constitution hill which was only a 10-15 min walk through downtown Jo’burg we were advised by the police to take a taxi. A female cop was kind enough to wave a taxi for us and ask the driver to take us to the Constitution Hill. That’s when we met Theo. Theo was a Black South African with a seemingly typical African laid back attitude wearing a funky baseball hat who was more than willing to strike a conversation with us. He even offered to share his breakfast with us. On our way to the Hill we learnt that he lived in Soweto. (abbreviation for SOuth WEstern TOwnships and refers to its origins as a Black township under South Africa's Apartheid government).

Nelson Mandela's house

Fabian and I on the street where Mandela grew up

The population of Soweto has historically been overwhelmingly Black and was initially created to evict Blacks from Jo’burg. Some of the watershed events in the struggle against Apartheid occurred in this township. The most famous of which is the Soweto uprising in 1976. I was not born at that time but from what I have read, it was the moment that bought the South African crisis to world’s attention with riots in the streets especially when a 12 year boy named Hector Peterson was killed in police fire. I had heard of Soweto and from what I gathered from speaking to locals it seemed as though it was a ghetto and a dangerous place to go without the safety of a tour guide and accompanied by a tour group.

Me on the streets of Soweto

At Theo's house with his family

The kids were overjoyed to see us there


Theo mentioned that there are a lot of tours that take people to Soweto but it all seemed like a very commercial venture to take people to Soweto without hardy getting to interact with the real Soweto locals. That prompted me to ask him how much he would earn for the whole afternoon and evening if he did not run the taxi and spent the whole day taking us around Soweto. He said it was 400 Rands (around 55 US dollars). I check with Fabian and he seemed ok so we decided to go to Soweto with a taxi driver whom we had just met and for a while I was asking myself if that was the right thing to do but the urge to break free of the constraints that everyone was intent on putting on my visit to Jo’burg was too great. I went with the later and now as I look back I am glad I did that.

The club in Soweto that we partied at



Patry time



Grilling sausages


After visiting the constitution hill we went to downtown Jo’burg where we walked on the streets and local shops (not exactly advisable in must people’s books) while Theo waited for his taxi to fill up so he can take us to Soweto. I have to admit it was quite a liberating feeling to walk the streets of Jo’burg. I suddenly felt like a free man again and it seemed like we were breaking all the shackles that were put on us by the negative media and public perception we had encountered till that point.

Theo's friends



Panama flag in Soweto

As we headed to Soweto which was a 50 minute drive, we got to interact with the local Black South Africans and some of them thought we were crazy to do what we were doing. None of them had seen a white man (yeah, they mistook me for one …again) do what we were doing.

Jo'burg at night

Theo took us through the streets of Soweto while we dropped off the passengers all of who wished us good luck on our travel, and then we arrived at his grandmother’s house. Rose seemed like a charming old lady who embraced us when we arrived. After saying our good byes to her we passed through a few more streets of Soweto and that’s where we saw the real passion for the world cup. All houses had atleast 2 flags, one of South Africa and the second their favorite team most of which was Brazil. The roads were all painted with flags of different countries, the World Cup mascot and caricatures of futbol stars. I even laid down on the streets to take a picture with the mascot.

Later we visited Nelson Mandela’s house (where he lived when he was not in prison) and the street where he lived. After getting the lowdown of Soweto, Theo and his friends took us to the most happening club in the neighborhood. I and Fabian were the only non blacks there but we felt very conformable and the people were all very welcoming.

Catching up Germany vs. Australia
at a FIFA fan fest

After a few hours at the club it was time for us to head back to Jo’burg so Theo and a couple of his fiends arranged for a car and we all set for Jo’burg with Shakira’s Waka Waka blasting on the radio and all of us grooving to the tune. On our way we stopped by one of the open air Fan Fest Screens to catch a late night meal and watch Germany thrash Australia. As we said good bye to Theo and his friends, Theo gave his phone number to me and said if I ever happen to be in Jo’burg and need accommodation or need to get around, I can just call him.

Picture with Theo and his friends as they drop
us back at the hostel

Now that I look back, it was one of the best random things I have ever done. Had I listened to the cautious side in me I would never have taken the chance to do what I did that day.

I also think that Soweto unfortunately has a bad rep. It’s a really nice place and is absolutely not a ghetto. The houses are middle class and the people just like you an me. Infact most of the people are warm, welcoming and friendly. I remember even telling them that they are lucky to have electricity, heating, fridge, microwave, etc at their houses whereas the place that I come from in West Africa, most of the population does not even have those basic amenities.

Unfortunately, due to Soweto’s (and South Africa’s) violent reputation a lot of the tourists stayed away and never got to do what we did. It would have been nice had more tourists spend a little more time to experience the real Soweto.