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World Cup Tour 2003 By Kylie McRae
Capetown is an amazing city with a huge diversity of culture and wealth. About 10 minutes from the airport on the way to our Hotel in one of the most picturesque settings one could ever hope to stay, we passed by a huge shanty town called Khayelitsha. On both sides, as far as the eye could see, were thousands of corrugated tin shacks. Then just as suddenly it was gone and again we were surrounded by beautiful countryside and modern buildings.
We decided to learn more about this fascinating township as well as the huge role Capetown played in the history of apartheid and felt an organised tour would be the best way. We asked Gerard that morning if he could recommend any particular tour - sure enough he had a name and a number (the man is well connected!). A few hours later we were picked up at the hotel by our tour guide Basil, and along with a young couple from the UK off we went.
First stop was District Six (or what remains of it). Basil gave us a bit of history on the different races of Capetown (he himself is a Cape Coloured) and how District Six came to be. Most of it now is just scrubby vacant city blocks, which looks odd smack bang in the middle of Capetown. He pointed out some paved tracks that he wanted us to take note of, and then we set off to the District Six museum.
This was a moving and very informative place - the most interesting were the pictures of District Six then and now (the reason Basil had pointed out the paved tracks - they were previously the main streets of District Six). Those tracks are the only sign that this was where 60000 people had once lived (in an area about the size of Melbourne's Botanical Gardens). All the homes were flattened in 1966 under the Group Areas Act and the occupants forced out to what is now known as the Cape Flats. Interestingly enough, the Mbeki Government has now implemented a restitution program to those residents who lost their houses, but real estate prices mean that moving back to that area is out of the reach of most of them.
We then set off down the freeway to Khayelitsha, with Basil pointing out other townships along the way. He couldn't take us to his township (a Coloured township - as opposed to the Black township of Khayelitsha), as the drug problems in the area mean that gang shootouts are not uncommon, and the odds are high of getting caught in a crossfire - a risk Basil's boss wasn't willing to take with this customers. The Black townships are strictly policed by the community, and crime is almost non-existent due to the fairly tough punishments handed out by the Councils.
Khayelitsha was an amazing place, we had too many fantastic experiences there to detail, but Vicky's B&B (where you can stay for the weekend - just like in the Dandenongs, except you're likely to be offered sheeps head for dinner), Golden's flower shop, Rosie's Soup Kitchen and the Waterfront were highlights. Unlike the very commercial V&A Waterfront that we spent a fair bit of time at (mainly the restaurants), this is a shebeen across the road from Vicky's - we stopped there for yet another Castle Lager and were made to feel very welcome. The kids hanging around Vicky's and Rosie's after school were gorgeous - all questions - they were pretty impressed with seeing themselves on digital camera - just like TV! Never once did we feel unsafe or uncomfortable in this township: no one asked us for money or food and people of all ages seemed genuinely excited to meet us.
Khayelitsha is a must see, even if to compare it to Soweto. 1.2 million people live there, mainly in shacks, unlike Soweto, which is quite developed in comparison. The Government has made a promise that there will be no shacks in Capetown by 2010, which seems ambitious, however they have set up a subsidised mortgage scheme that the people in Khayelitsha were definitely embracing. Rosie's house (rendered brick - 2 rooms plus a bathroom) was at frame stage - according to her the builders had worked like demons for a week and she then hadn't sighted them for the past 2 weeks. We assured her this was very similar to builders in Australia - I don't think she believed us. The houses cost between R9000 (A$1800) and R14000 depending on the size and are all standard design, but it seemed that quite a few families were into DIY and adding the second story (no planning permits required). The Government subsidises repayments and they average about R50 (A$10) a month, which is affordable for most families. After seeing what happened with District Six it seems the current Government have the right idea - build the houses around the community rather than tearing the community apart.
Rosie's is also worth a mention - this fabulous woman supplies about 600 meals a day for 60 cents (A$0.12) each. Her recipes are mainly soy based - due to the high price of meat many people in the Flats have health issues related to lack of protein. On top of this she also supplies sandwiches for kids to take for school lunches - kids whose parents work and don't have time to provide lunches, or have problems with alcohol leaving no money for bread. The Lions Club provided Rosie with her kitchen - which is just a shipping container after a bit of Home Improvement. She was also kind enough to show us her shack (she was house sitting until her house was finished), and we met her teenage daughter - who was laying on the bed watching after school TV, ignoring her mother cutting up sacks of carrots in the Kitchen. Like builders, teenagers are the same the world over. Whilst the shacks are tiny, and look as though a decent Cape Doctor would blow them down, they are very comfortable inside and their owners are very house-proud.
It is worth doing this tour in the morning as it then includes a visit to one of the Khayelitsha schools (non government funded). They are again just large shipping containers provided by Lions Clubs, one container housing 100 kids.
Capetown on the whole was (in my opinion) the most impressive and liveable city in South Africa - but the beautiful outlook of the people living in the Flats overshadows the beautiful views of Table Mountain. Many of them asked that we tell all our friends to come and visit the "hidden" half of Capetown - and we can guarantee that it will improve your outlook for the rest of your trip. Many thanks to AST and to Gerard 'Nothings a Problem' Smith for organising this great trip for us. |
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