Whole families were packed in tiny houses made of containers. Townships were created in the late 19th century but the peak of its “popularity” came in the apartheid times, a dark page in the South Africa history, when “non-white” people were forced to leave their houses and move to special places, designated only for certain race groups (black people, coloreds and Indians).Īreas where people suddenly had to live in were underdeveloped, lacking the basic facilities like running water or electricity. I really can’t explain why such difficult issues interest me so much, especially that they stay in my mind for a long time, haunting me big time. It didn’t take me much to decide that I want to visit more townships, suddenly I felt just have to learn more about life in townships and get a wider perspective on the place.Īnd so after a small change of plans I also got to visit township in Cape Town and Soweto. But this just made me more curious and more interested in the issue.
My initial plan was just to see the township in Knysna as the local tour offered there was supposed to be the best one in the whole country. I just knew I have to visit at least one township during my South African trip, to try to learn about life in these conditions. I’ve heard the name “township” before but all the reading I’ve done couldn’t have properly prepared me to what I was about to experience. The very first thing I’ve noticed were beautiful blooming blue jacaranda trees – I’ve seen them for the very first time ever and just loved them!īut shortly after I’ve spotted some destroyed neighborhoods, people living in collapsing containers.Īs it turned out it was one of the many townships, a settlement that can be widely seen across the country. I had no idea what to expect from South Africa, I only knew basics, and so I was curiously looking out of the window, trying to spot as many details as possible.
I was excited like never before – I’ve never even dreamt of visiting this country yet I was just about to land in Johannesburg, more than ready to discover this mythical place. The plane cut through the last part of clouds and after a long journey, I could finally see the first glimpse of South Africa.
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