by 2summers | Sep 14, 2020 | Arts and Culture, Johannesburg, Soweto, Tours, Townships/Informal Settlements
As everyone in South Africa knows, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic and our national borders are still closed. This means no international tourism. While this extended travel ban is detrimental to the South African tourism sector, the ban has created new...
by 2summers | Jun 16, 2020 | BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, Johannesburg, Soweto
Welcome to Day 82 of the South African lockdown. It’s both freezing-cold and raining in Joburg — a very rare occurrence. It’s also Youth Day, a South African public holiday commemorating the 1976 student uprising in Soweto. A mural at the June 16...
by 2summers | Jan 22, 2020 | Arts and Culture, Johannesburg, Johannesburg Day Trips, Soweto, Townships/Informal Settlements
Last week I did an all-day tour of Soweto with Eenblond Tours. “Eenblond” means “a blonde” in Afrikaans, which makes sense because that’s exactly what Gilda Swanepoel is. Gilda inside one of the Soweto cooling towers. Gilda and I are...
by 2summers | May 27, 2019 | Arts and Culture, Johannesburg, Museums and Buildings, Soweto, Townships/Informal Settlements
Sometimes in my quest to discover all of Joburg’s hidden places, I miss out on the un-hidden ones. Such is the case with Mandela House, the Mandela family’s former home on Vilakazi Street in Soweto. It’s probably one of the top five tourist sites in...
by 2summers | Mar 14, 2017 | #Gauteng52, Food and Drink, Johannesburg, Markets/Shopping, Soweto, Townships/Informal Settlements
Welcome to Week 11 of my #Gauteng52 challenge, for which I will visit and blog about a new place in Gauteng Province every week for 52 straight weeks. This week I visit the Box Shop, a shopping center and coffee shop on Vilakazi Street in Soweto. A few weeks...
by 2summers | Aug 15, 2016 | Johannesburg, Johannesburg Day Trips, Soweto, Townships/Informal Settlements
I was in a speeding car with three other people, careening toward the Orlando Towers — a decommissioned-power-station-turned-entertainment/adventure-center — in Soweto. “I wonder if they’re going to make us bungee?” someone asked....