Cape Town Township Experience

HALF DAY 9:00am to 1:00pm or 2:00pm to 5:30pm – Included: Walking Tour

Discover how the squalor and the deprivation of the townships of a previously disadvantaged community is being transformed and provided with modern schools, clinics, electricity, clean water, liveable homes and sport facilities. Their struggle against apartheid and their endeavours during these difficult years to uplift themselves through the establishment of community centres and informal trading initiatives like “spaza” shops and “Shebeens”. Get an idea of what is being done about HIV and Aids through aids clinics, youth centres and counselling programs.

We visit three areas which affected so-called “non whites”, namely Black, Coloured and Indian people.

LANGA TOWNSHIP (the sun) Cape Town’s oldest township established in 1927 where a local community guide takes you on a walking tour of…

The infamous “singles quarters* and the hostels, – a product of the Migrant Workers Laws of the previous regime which destroyed families and created a dysfunctional society.

The “new flats” which are the old hostels now converted into smart new family apartments. A chance for decent family living.

An informal settlement, derogatorily called a “squatter camp” – residents awaiting a new home.

SETTLERS “The Beverly Hills” of Langa, built for former civil servants as a smoke-screen to foreign visitors.

A community centre, craft market (shop for locally-made arts and crafts which directly benefit the community), a tavern (shebeen), a pre-school and a township restaurant where lunch is an option.

Langa Taxi Rank – sequel to the Sharpville Massacres of 21 March 1960, as a result of the defiance campaign over the pass laws, led by P.A.C. leader Robert Sobukwe and local resistance leader, Phillip Kgosana

Phillipi and Brown’s Farm – a vast previously “coloured” group area. See many of the government’s new housing development and discover why they were classified “coloured” under previous race laws.

Rylands A so called Indian Group area, where we get an insight into their contribution in the struggle against the political, social and economical injustices of the past.

MEET THE PEOPLE, FEEL THE WARMTH, DISCOVER THE TRUTH
This tour is a moving, learning experience, where you meet the real people of the real South Africa. We contribute a portion of the tour price to community project.

Township Responsible Tourism Policy

Preamble
We are committed to continue the struggle against inherited poverty and deprivation left behind by the Apartheid Policies of the past, by spreading the benefits of Tourism to previously disadvantaged communities in the Townships and on the Cape Flats.
We will share our skills and knowledge, by connecting communities with opportunities, funding, facilitation and volunteers.
We will build itineraries to include local enterprises in craft, food and hospitality. As well as Social-Support projects and Environmental Resources Centers.

Our specific policies with regards to Social, Economic and Environmental Responsibility are as follows.
Social Responsibility.
1. To respect local customs and traditions:
• tourists to dress modestly-avoid large amounts of very visible, expensive jewellery.
• not to pat young children on the head, which means bad luck-stunted growth
2. To include on our tours, projects that work in the areas of health and education.
• the Love Life Center -Youth Development and awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS
• Volunteering- Providing volunteers to High Schools, Self-help Housing Schemes and work-place skills development for job-creation and running of small business.
3. To include regular stops on our tours, to ensure social interaction between local people and visitors.
• Community Centers
• Schools
• Pubs and Shebeens
• Walking Tours through communities-with their permission.
• To facilitate the further training of local guides to become Registered Provincial guides-through mentorship and funding.
4. To employ only registered Tourist Guides, to provide on-going training in the way we conduct our tours, and to re-emphasis our Responsible tourism Policy. Where possible, such tourist guides to be sourced and developed from the townships.
5. To pay employees better than market rates, as well as incentives for maintaining our ethos of High Professionalism and Responsible Tourism.
6. To connect local people with funding and facilitation that exists in the mainstream- for the training of tourist guides (Tourist Guides Registrar) and the establishment of guest houses and small businesses(Department of Economic Development and Tourism)
7. To facilitate the placement of Volunteers at schools, social and environmental projects, who assist in capacity building and supplementary support.
8. Include in our tours a 10-minute presentation by the Siyasaga Township Theatre group – where story-telling is themed on…
• traditional values and culture
• challenges such as crime and HIV/Aids.
• The history of local people in a political and contemporary sense. The play-Isandulela-The Dawn, the story of an old person on the day of our first National Election on 27 April 1994.
The theatre experience adds value and understanding by visitors of local customs, aspirations and challenges. Whilst providing an income to sustain the project.
Economic Responsibiliy.
1. To share the benefits we derive from selling and conducting tours within communities by engaging in the following…
• Make a monetary contribution to all projects visited- from the tour price.
• Include in our tours, service providers at which our tour groups will spend money- food and beverages, art and craft, and accommodation.
• Spend a percentage of our income on Student Development- we take students of Langa High School for excursions to Museums, tourist sites, the University and other places that is outside of the environment of Township children.(This is in addition to those excursions paid for by Volunteers)
• Place Volunteers with local home-stays, who receive an income from providing meals and accommodation.
Environmental Responsibility
• Regular servicing of all our vehicles- to reduce harmful emissions.
• All our vehicles are equipped with a refuse bag, for safe disposal when vehicles are in the wash bay at night.
• Advise and ensure that tourists use designated pathways in parks and gardens, not to collect seeds and pluck flowers and shrubs, and not to feed animals.
• To encourage local people to use litter bins, and to make use of enviro center for free or affordable plants, shrubs, grass and compost- The Tsoga Enviro Center in Langa.