Three Nights in a Black African Township near Cape Town

October 4 - 7, 2009

I am extremely grateful that the organizers of our trip had the foresight to arrange for us to spend three nights in a B&B in a Black African township near Cape Town. (It could have been arranged near Johannesburg but they were trying to take into account that some of us have not traveled broadly and they wanted us to get used to being in South Africa first before having what might be a more challenging experience of being in a township.)

I think for many of us this was a most meaningful part of our stay, even the highlight so far. I very much enjoyed getting to know Florence and she spared no effort in seeing that we all were comfortable and well cared for. This was also true of the experience of my peers who stayed at a different B&B, Lisiwe's, with an equally warm and hospitable host (actually a couple, Donald and Lisiwe). Florence's home itself was very lovely: we referred to it as "the palace" because of a variety of luxury touches.

The people in the township are very eager to develop businesses and they go to great lengths to make us feel welcome - to introduce us to the local people, to orient us about safety, and to watch over us with care. This includes, of course, an introduction to the taverns and shebeens (small drinking rooms), the local brews and customs.This isn't my preferred way of socializing, but one of our group (a Norwegian), enjoys this method the most. One night he "sneaked" out of the B&B and went to a local shebeen by himself. The owner called our B&B to tell them that one of their guests was there. He said "No, everyone is asleep." When he found out this was not the case he went over there and asked the owner to be sure that someone walked him home safely when he was done.

As in Soweto, there are elegant homes, shacks and everything in between. Staying overnight and getting to know the people this way seems so much more appealing than just taking a Township tour on a bus and talking to local folks in a pre-arranged fashion, at best. While visits by people of European background are increasingly common in the townships, they have essentially no overnight guests who are of South African (SA) background. I am confident that staying in a township would never occur to most of the white folks in SA.

I would strongly recommend such a visit to anyone going to South Africa and to support the township economy by using their services. My host asked me how to increase her visibility and business and I made some marketing suggestions which focused on the uniqueness of what she and the others can offer, rather than just the attractiveness and comfort of their facilities. If I had had more time, I would have loved a visit to the local schools, church etc.to get to know the people more fully. And, of course, I sensed that she and the others were just as happy to get to know us.