One thing that Robin pointed out was that you tend not to see begging on the streets in townships because people maintain a level of responsibility for each other. You won’t get stabbed for visiting a township. People don’t try to rob the tourists walking down the street. There is crime, and there is violence, but this is also a place where people live and want to stay safe. Townships have very poor living conditions, but they are not bastions of crime in the way that many people think they are. Turns out Alex was like nothing I had imagined. Was everybody carrying guns? Should I hide my expensive phone? Would the wrong move get me in trouble? Would someone be shot in front of us?! My heart thudded as we got out of the car. Our first glimpse of Alexandra? Away from the shiny buildings and skyscrapers of Johannesburg, we were suddenly surrounded by color, life, and vitality. “Alex is where people from Soweto go when they want a township experience,” Robin told us. Remember how I mentioned the taxi hand signals in Johannesburg? You signal Alex by making your hand into a gun. “There’s no way I’m not going to a township,” I told her, “but I’ll go with a guide.”)Īlexandra - commonly referred to as Alex - is one of the roughest townships in South Africa. (“Don’t go into those ghettos when you go to South Africa,” my mom warned me before I left. To this day, townships exist in South Africa, in both urban and rural areas.Īnd everyone knows about them.

The townships were segregated by race - black, colored, or Indian - and poorly constructed. Nonwhites were forced out of their homes in the cities and moved to townships, while the cities remained populated by whites. During apartheid, townships were constructed on the edge of cities as places for nonwhites to live.

I knew I couldn’t go to South Africa without experiencing a township. “Definitely use the bathroom before we go,” David added.Īfter an introduction like that, how could we go anywhere but Alexandra?! Or - and this is an interesting option - we could eat in Alexandra Township. “We have a few options for lunch today,” our guide Robin told us. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Email

Define township south africa