Today was the first of our cultural days, led by Gavin, with Mom’s Taxi. We toured Soweto (South West Township), a major informal settlement near Johannesburg with a population in excess of 2,000,000.
From a historical perspective, in SoWeTo are several historical items and events. It is the only place in the world where two Nobel Prize winners’ homes are located. Nelson Mandella and Desmond Tutu lived on the same street in Soweto. We saw where Hector Pieterson was shot by the police and a young friend carried him to the clinic where he was then declared dead. This is recognized as a tipping point in the battle against apartheid.
We also took a tour of Johannesburg, a town built thanks to gold mining.