We didn’t have to rush out of bed this morning, with Armando picking us up at 10. We planned to visit the township of Langa this morning, but the first task was to get coffee. Armando took us to his favourite venue, called Truth Coffee. Inside is an amazing collection of antiques including an old wringer washing machine and some old typewriters. In true Armando fashion, he knew lots of people, so we met a few of the staff dressed in amazing costumes, all introduced as Armando’s brothers and sisters. The coffee was excellent and there was a cabinet full of bakery treats that may require a return visit.
Langa is the oldest township in South Africa, having been formally opened in 1927. It was created by the Urban Areas Act 1923, that ordered black people to live in designated areas. It has a history of resilience and has produced some locally popular musicians and current South African cricket captain Temba Bavuma. Residents of Langa figured prominently in the protests and marches against strict apartheid laws introduced in 1960. Currently, Langa has an estimated population of around 120,000 people living in 1.5 square kilometres.
Our guide for this tour is a resident of Langa and started by explaining that essential services like water and sanitaion are provided by the Cape Town City Council. The township provides various levels of accommodation from the temporary favellas, shipping containers (usually divided in two halves), brick flats and finally multiple bedroom dwellings. Alcohol and drug abuse is a problem within the communities and we viewed a project where children who are orphaned or can’t be cared for are housed in a single room house, that was falling into disrepair. The ages of the children spanning 1 – 13 years old. There is a local project that is building a new house that is seeking donations.
As we walked around the different parts of the township I found myself observing that young people are the same wherever you go. Ten year old girls still do cartwheels and love to sing and dance, teenage girls still wear false eyelashes and have amazing hair and boys of all ages still play in the mud. In communities like Langa where unemployment can run at 60%, this shows that these kids have the same aspirations, they just need opportunity. We met a man who has started a local bicycle courier company that delivers whatever people need. We finished our tour with a platter of South African meats barbecued on a Braii. It was cooked in a special sauce which made it delicious, but no vegetables. Overall the tour of Langa was a sobering reminder of how far South Africa has yet to travel.
We came back to the apartment to freshen up before going to the Springboks vs All Blacks Rugby game at the DHL Stadium. I had bought tickets for this game back in February when they went on sale. Although we had seen plenty of New Zealanders around, there were certainly none anywhere near our seats. The pre-match entertainment was topped off by two passenger planes flying close to the roof of the stadium. The game itself was a gripping affair with the Springboks finishing on top by 7 points. I’ve always wanted to see a rugby game in South Africa and the atmosphere was loud and the people sitting beside me were amicable if not a little stressed throughout the game.
We finished off the night with a meal at a restaurant called Bao Down. The meal was an excellent selection of pork belly, beef rib and sweet potato bao buns finished off by a lemon and miso tart that we shared.
Until tomorrow.
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