Bus tour around Capetown

One of the things I haven't written about yet was our tour of the township in Capetown. It was an add on to the hop on/hop off bus. We spent a couple of hours, just the 3 of us, walking through an area (there are many of them) on the edge of Capetown where the Africans live, as in the poor, blacks. Our guide lived in this community and has traveled to Ireland and several places getting additional community support. An Irish group came over and in 12 days they built a whole bunch of houses. The houses otherwise are like Bruce's garden shed across the street from me in Wellfleet. They are patched together, tiny, with corrugate aluminum roofs, wood slats, etc. whatever they could find to slap on. We went in one that had one bedroom and a living room/kitchen, all of which would have fit in my living room. Two women were in there, one just getting out of bed and the other watching TV. Unemployment in this area for blacks is around 40-50%. So there were packs of young men in the middle of the day just wandering around. Crime is rampant. Chester said he and his wife had moved out of a nearby area because of the crime. Everything is fenced in, locked in, glass topping the walls, and home security is definitely the business to be in in Capetown. This last sentence all refers to the white or more upscale residential areas. Chester said he has blacks in his neighborhood that have good jobs. so people can move if they have the means.



Our guide took us to a preschool with two groups of kids with one young teacher. They sang us a song, and were doing some crafts. But pretty sparse materials around the room. The shelf for "books" didn't have a one! Kids all looked happy and seemed healthy.



We walked by a beautiful new school the Germans had built. An old firehouse/warehouse was slated as a sports center. But they seemingly are dependent on foreign help rather than any improvement by their own government. Our guide seemed to pull away from any political activity, he said, because of the corruption. It seemed so discouraging and depressing!!



After talking with a few people who live here, I've come to accept that they have only gotten rid of apartheid 17 years ago. And things move very slowly! I just think Nelson Mandela and some of the other leaders who sacrificed so much and worked so hard, would be discouraged and depressed as well!! Change takes a long time. I've heard and read the education system is horrific! Kids are passed through grades without qualifying, and there are lots of jobs but for skilled workers. And the blacks aren't getting the skills! There was a beautiful computer room, all well equipped, in the community center - and it was all locked up in the middle of the day. No instruction going on!



As we drove around the country we passed many "townships" on the edges of small towns where they were all clustered together and streams of people would be going home at the end of the day or in the morning coming to work - many trying to hitch a ride, holding out some money to get someone to stop. And we didn't even get into Jo'burg where I heard it's dangerous to go out at night and crime is rampant.



It still has been an enlightening, informational and wonderful visit and more to come as we leave for Zimbabwe and Botswana with our Ultimate Africa trip!