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A day tour of Soweto Township offers you the chance to experience the heart and soul of a busy city that is home to over two million people. Township tours offers the opportunity to spend a day with locals and soak up the electric atmosphere of a South African city that has one foot in a turbulent past and one placed firmly in the future.
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Soweto is not only the largest Township, but a unique city that vibrates with a sense of hope and optimism for a brighter and better future but continues to pay silent tribute to the price its people paid for their freedom and liberty.
Your Moafrika Tours African tour guide was born and raised in Soweto. He’ll keep you enthralled for a full three hours; driving past sprawling impoverished suburbs that remind us that many have not escaped the shackles of poverty and on to modern urban belts that showcase an upwelling of wealth and prosperity.
You can’t believe how big Soweto is until you’ve spent the day with locals there. Soweto is a smorgasbord of history, culture and authentic living; a quick glimpse of daily life in one of South Africa’s most important cities that will leave a significant imprint on your soul.
Come and explore Soweto in a day on a guided tour. Join Moafrika Tours for a fun day in Soweto; walk in the footsteps of the great Nelson Mandela and his good friend, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu down Vilakazi Street that is the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize Winners.
Visit the iconic landmarks of Soweto and meet the likes of Hector Pieterson and Hastings Ndlovu; immortalised as symbols of struggle and oppression, and of hope and resilience. A highlight of a day tour of Soweto is lunch at a local tavern (street restaurant) on Vilakazi Street; the lifeblood of South Africa’s most famous tourist destination. Enjoy authentic African cuisine cooked over an open fire, meet the Shebeen Queens and the Kwaito-loving warm-hearted people of Soweto.
Soweto is located south-west of Johannesburg, the biggest city and economic capital of South Africa. It is also the city travellers to South Africa arrive in if they fly into OR Tambo International Airport. Soweto Township is a sprawling cluster of suburbs once called “townships” and was created in the 1930s as a resettlement area for Black people when the then-government set up segregated residential areas. The name Soweto is an acronym for South Western Township. Orlando was the first township; followed by Doornkop, Klipriviersoog, Diepkloof, Klipspruit and Vogelstruisfontein.
The growth of the Soweto population has been phenomenal, particularly in the period 2001 to 2011. It’s now the largest township and biggest black urban settlement in Africa and, although many of its inhabitants are still considered “poor”; they have a combined buying power of over R4 billion.
The Johannesburg City Council has invested heavily in Soweto; improving its infrastructure, roads and properties. Large belts of impoverished areas merge seamlessly with affluent sections in Soweto; with an eclectic mix of street markets and corrugated shebeens, and fancy shopping malls, hotels for accommodation and entertainment centres.
After the Soweto Uprisings and an intense liberation struggle, the city of Soweto has risen from the ashes of apartheid to become a thriving powerhouse in South Africa’s economic landscape. It started as a temporary settlement for gold field works that arrived on mass during the gold rush era looking for work in the 1880s.
Johannesburg became overcrowded and to eradicate the “black spots” in the city, the government of the Transvaal Government transplanted the migrant workers and their families to shanty towns on the outskirts of town. Numbers burgeoned, and conditions were appalling; finally leading to the people organising themselves and embarking on the squatter’s movement of 1944.
Soweto Township gained some degree of independence in 1983 when the collection of townships shifted from being controlled by the Johannesburg City Council to electing its own Black councillors in the Black Local Authorities Act passed by the government.
The councillors were not given financial resources to run Soweto and housing and infrastructure was not addressed, creating a very unhappy and restless environment.
Another bizarre apartheid-era law was that formal employment was not allowed in Soweto. Residents had to commute long distances to places of work; often leaving home before the sun came up and getting home long after dark. Informal markets sprang up in Soweto and we saw the birth of illegal shebeens (township bars) and the infamous Shebeen Queens.
A long and turbulent time followed as the people of Soweto gathered themselves into a powerful struggle movement that would eventually see the end of oppression and suffering and the dawn of democracy.
The great Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, along with liberation heroes far and wide, relentlessly pursued freedom and equality for all and their heroism is immortalised in the many landmarks and features found today in Soweto.
But you will also find that Soweto is a city of contrasts; it is rich in history, which is one reason to visit Soweto, but it is also home to an exciting new generation that embraces a heady mix of authentic African traditions and modern lifestyles. Soweto has some of the best restaurants in Johannesburg, the nightlife is great, and the people are warm-hearted and welcoming.
It is a multi-cultural city with a predominantly Black population; but you’ll hear everything from Zulu and Sotho to English and Tsonga being spoken on the streets. It is a melting pot of culture, especially among the youngsters who have their own Soweto slang, dress style and gait that makes them uniquely Sowetean.
The people of Soweto exude a cosmopolitan sense of style and there is a lot of Western influence in their modern lifestyles; but on Vilakazi Street, which is the lifeblood of the city, there is still a strong sense of Soweto in everyone you meet.
Make sure that you are wearing comfortable clothes and shoes for exploring, since we’ve picked our favourite things to do in Soweto and hope you get to enjoy them as much as we do.
We can also plan your itinerary with you that will fit into your budget and to make sure your township tour package is full of Soweto hot spots, sightseeing and that you will explore Soweto in the best way possible. You’ll probably have to come back to Soweto for another visit as one day in Soweto is not enough time to experience this incredible, vibey city and its colourful people.
Soweto has some of the best restaurants in Johannesburg but if you want an authentic African township experience; find a hot spot on Vilakazi Street and enjoy the experience. You can keep it formal and dine in an established restaurant or you can do it the Soweto way with meal at one of the popular taverns (street cafes) where meat is cooked over an open fire and served with delicious authentic side dishes. Quench your thirst with a glass of Soweto’s favourite brew.
A good chesa nyama meal is usually accompanied with a glass or two of umqombothi; a popular traditional home-brewed beer made from sorghum mixed with maize meal, water and yeast and left to ferment.
What to do in Soweto today?
Come back to Soweto for another fun day touring the city as there is so much more to do in the busy city than visiting historical landmarks and eating out in Vilakazi Street.
Moafrika Tours is a leading African tour operator of African Tours in South Africa, offering an array of day tours and long-stay tours to South Africa’s most popular destinations. In Johannesburg you can join us for an Apartheid Museum day tour including Constitutional Hill, a Pretoria tour including Voortrekker Monument and the Houses of Parliament, and a Pilanesberg tour or Kruger Park tour for a Big Five safari.
Soweto is an important historical township that played an instrumental role in South Africa’s fight against apartheid, offering visitors a fascinating window into South Africa’s complex past and present. Exploring Soweto gives visitors an invaluable chance to gain a deep insight into South African society today. Second, these tours provide knowledgeable guides who can offer rich insight and context about each location. Soweto day tours provide visitors with a chance to interact with locals, explore cultural attractions, Their unique historical and cultural insights, convenience, and enriching experiences make Soweto day tours an attractive option for anyone interested in South African history and vibrant communities.
On Soweto day tours, visitors can expect to visit an array of popular tourist attractions, such as Vilakazi Street Precinct and Vilakazi Street itself, Mandela House (former home of Nelson Mandela), Tutu House (former residence of Archbishop Desmond Tutu), Hastings Ndlovu’s Bridge on Khumalo Road, Hastings Ndlovu Memorial Bridge on Khumalo Road, Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, Regina Mundi Church (the largest Roman Catholic Church in South Africa), Orlando Towers (decommissioned power station turned city feature), Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (third largest hospital), FNB Soccer Stadium which are all must see attractions.
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MoAfrika tours and the Kruger Safari Co. are destination management companies (DMC) and are not entities of the South African National Parks Board (SANparks).