This morning we met the other people on our tour. There are 24 of us. We were met by our guide, our driver and a nice big bus. We headed for Pretoria, the hometown of Oscar. Of course, people starting asking questions of our guide. His opinion, "He is probably guilty. Yes, the police messed up the investigation, He is from a very wealthy family. And "No", he probably won't be convicted." We drove around Pretoria which seems a lot more 'real' and 'less sanitized' than the areas of Johannesburg we had seen. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. There are three capitals in all. We saw many government buildings. SA did not suffer the economic crash like much of the rest of the world because when their new government started in 1994, the economic minister insisted on laws that kept banks from making unsecured loads. Smart man. Most of the nice homes were enclosed in high walls that had concertina and/or electric wire at the top. Also saw huge piles of yellow tailings -- waste from the gold mining process. SA's gold is embedded in rock so it takes 14 tons of rock to produce 1 ounce of gold. This area's climate is similar to Denver's: high altitude and seldoms gets down to freezing. Also noticed that parking lots (car parks) are frequently covered with canvas awnings to protect the cars from the hot sun. There were Jacaranda trees along every street along with many street vendors selling fruits, vegetables, leather goods, bead work, wooden carving, etc. The population of SA is 15% white and 85% black or colored (mixed).
We stopped at a shopping mall--this was a 'every day' mall, not an exclusive one like we were in before. It was fun to wander through the grocery store and see some very familiar items and some not so familiar.
On to Soweto where we met our guide for that part of the tour. We stopped at a local restaurant for a buffet lunch. Among other things it featured mealie (grits - a real staple in their diet) served with tomato gravy (a thin marinara sauce), cooked carrots and sweet potatoes, cooked spinach, baked fish, chicken, lamb stew, and other dishes. Then we walked to Nelson Mandela's first home (lived there from 1946 to 1962.) It was a small brick house with a bedroom across either end and a kitchen/living room in the middle. It is a museum now. Down the street we saw Archibishop Desmond Tutu's home. His son lives there and it is not open to the public. Saw the Hector Petersen Memorial and Museum. He was the school boy killed by the police when the students rose up in protest over having to use the Afrikaner language in school. His death was a turning point in Apartheid. Many of the Soweto homes were very small with two or three rooms. There were also squatter shacks made out of tin. They had good water, chemical toilets, and no electricity. Soweto has 4 million people living in it and stretched as far as the eye could see.
The day was long and warm. Tonight we have orientation and then a dinner.
We stopped at a shopping mall--this was a 'every day' mall, not an exclusive one like we were in before. It was fun to wander through the grocery store and see some very familiar items and some not so familiar.
On to Soweto where we met our guide for that part of the tour. We stopped at a local restaurant for a buffet lunch. Among other things it featured mealie (grits - a real staple in their diet) served with tomato gravy (a thin marinara sauce), cooked carrots and sweet potatoes, cooked spinach, baked fish, chicken, lamb stew, and other dishes. Then we walked to Nelson Mandela's first home (lived there from 1946 to 1962.) It was a small brick house with a bedroom across either end and a kitchen/living room in the middle. It is a museum now. Down the street we saw Archibishop Desmond Tutu's home. His son lives there and it is not open to the public. Saw the Hector Petersen Memorial and Museum. He was the school boy killed by the police when the students rose up in protest over having to use the Afrikaner language in school. His death was a turning point in Apartheid. Many of the Soweto homes were very small with two or three rooms. There were also squatter shacks made out of tin. They had good water, chemical toilets, and no electricity. Soweto has 4 million people living in it and stretched as far as the eye could see.
The day was long and warm. Tonight we have orientation and then a dinner.
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