Langa is a World of contradiction
Langa is Cape Town’s oldest township.
For most of us it is a confronting sight – a world of contradiction.
There’s a smattering of brick homes, but there are more homes that are made from sheets of corrugated iron that lean to the left or lean to the right. Nothing is straight up and down here.
Washing hangs heavily from clothes lines that are strung from one house to the next. There are no gardens to tend. No lawns to mow. Just dirt inside and out.
Established in 1927 Langa was designated for Black Africans even before Apartheid.
Over the years the township has survived its share of violence, its share of rebellion, and more than its share of retribution.
It is home to more than 52,000 people _ and 99.1 percent of those are Black Africans.
You will need a local guide
It is best that you visit with local guides.
By our standards this part of South Africa is poorer than poor.
And then the contradiction drives past in the shape of a shiny new Mercedes that rolls down the road and the driver gets out and walks into one of the small homes.
“Not everyone who lives here is poor,’’ says our guide.
“This is where people choose to live because it is their home. This is where they are from. This is what they know. They are proud to be from Langa.’’
And that is evident when we are invited inside a couple of these houses. There is not a thing out of place. These homes are immaculate and the people who live here proudly show us around.
No time for nerves
I was travelling with Damien Michie, winner of Fox Footy’s Ultimate Rugby fan competition, who admitted to being a little nervous about the trip into the township.
“Driving into a township for the first time I can’t help but feel some trepidation,’’ he said.
“Would it be dangerous? Would I be appalled by the poverty?
“Climbing off our mini bus the first thing I noticed was the children playing. Locals wandered by going about their day-to-day business.
“The few residents we spoke to were very friendly, if somewhat shy. “They didn’t seem bothered by our presence at all and were happy to pose for photos.
“I got a real sense of people trying to improve their situation through awareness, arts and crafts.
“Visiting Langa township opened my eyes to a lifestyle that was different to my own.
“Would I describe them as poorer? Perhaps in monetary terms. But they seemed far richer in community spirit, artistry and the ability to be happy despite their ‘poverty’.’’
Langa township is 14 kilometres, about 20 minutes, from the commercial centre of Cape Town. It might as well be a million miles away though.
To say the contrast is stark is to understate the obvious.
Welcome to Cape Town’s waterfront
Cape Town, especially around the waterfront area, is like any developing world-class city with buildings that touch the sky on foggy days, shops specialising in the trade of designer labels, and hotels that cater for the endless whims of tourists and businessmen.
The shopping apparently is good. Not that it is my thing but a woman I was travelling with returned from one trip to Zara with six overflowing bags. She dropped them at the hotel and went back for more.
Cape Town is perhaps best know for Table Mountain National Park and Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was jailed) _ although I didn’t get to see either during my three-night stay. The clouds descended to cover the mountain and the seas rose to be too rough for our boat to head out to Robben Island.
Instead I explored the city. Cape Town is safe but tourists, like me, need to be alert – not alarmed – when exploring the city.
I stayed downtown at the Tsogo Sun Waterfront and had the pleasure to meet and dine with executive chef and Master Chef South Africa judge Benny Masekwameng.
Benny knows townships well. He used to help his mother _ his inspiration _ provide the meals to construction workers in the Alexandra Township.
He says his mother, who worked two jobs, taught him how to be successful.
“Sometimes people tell me that I am so lucky to be an executive chef, but luck has nothing to do with it. I am successful because I am true to myself, the values my mother taught me, I work hard, I love food and at Southern Sun I receive the support required to excel,” says Benny.
Something to wine about
South Africa has 18 wines routes and two brandy routes and they are almost exclusively in the Western Cape.
The most popular are in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl.
Stellenbosch is 53 kilometres east of Cape Town and I suggest a good starting point for your wine journey is the Delaire Graff.
Delaire Graff Estate with its striking Cape Dutch architecture has two restaurants, a state-of-the-art winery, exclusive Lodges, a destination Spa and two luxury boutiques.
La Vierge in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is close to the seaside town of Hermanus where earlier on this trip I had gone swimming with the Great White Sharks.
The La Vierge Collection is famous for its Original Sin (Sauvignon Blanc) Jezebelle (Chardonnay) and last Temptation (Weisser Riesling).
There’s many more to visit, and taste, but these are a good start.