As said before I am an animal freak and most of the countries I´ve chosen and choose to visit do have incredible animals. In 2012 I´ve decided to go to South Africa. I do always think that it is a shame to travel around and not be able to do all the things that you want to therefore I´ve decided to travel by myself. I had a look around to figure out the best way to travel from one place to another and because I had just 3 and ½ weeks’ time and that South Africa is big I had to find something quick and reliable therefore I´ve opted for a hop on hop off bus with included stops.
I flew to Cape Town which I personally find amazing with the mountains at the back and the sea in the front. At this point I want to give everybody the advice not to believe everything you hear. Before I left everybody was scared about me travelling by myself in South Africa which is considered a dangerous place. Now I am from Milan and there are some places in Milan in which I would never go and which I would never recommend to a tourist. Therefore, it is important that everybody checks all the information before departing. Each place looks more dangerous from home than it is. So please do not give up going somewhere just because somebody thinks it is dangerous because you would regret it forever.
South Africa
General Information
South Africa is located on the southern tip of the African continent & encompasses the independent mountain kingdoms of Lesotho & Swaziland. South Africa is well known for two of the world’s most renowned wildlife reserves, the Kruger and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (it has over a dozen smaller regional parks and reserves as well.
South Africa is full of wildlife – it is home of almost 10% of the world’s known birds, fish & about 6% of the world´s mammal and reptiles. About 2,000 marine species can be seen at some point during the year.
Most of South Africa’s landscape is made up of plateaus covered with rolling grasslands (called highveld) & tree-dotted plains (called bushveld).
South African also known as “rainbow nation” is a country of cultural diversity. Three-quarters of the population (total of about 49Mio) is black (African), about 15% is white (European) & the remaining 10% comprised of people of mixed white, Malay, black descent & people of Asian (mostly Indian) descent. The African majority is composed by many different ethnic groups (the largest of which are Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, & Bapedi). This is the reason why this country has 11 officially recognised languages (most of which are indigenous to South Africa) with English being the official language of commerce and banking, government & official documents
South Africa has 3 capitals: Pretoria is the administrative one, Cape Town the legislative one & Bloemfontein the judicial one.
History
South Africa´s first known inhabitants are said to be the San people (about 24,000 years ago). In the 1400s the first Europeans started stopping on the coast for suppliers while in 1652, the Dutch established the southern city of Cape Town & Dutch farmers began settling in the areas around the city.
In 1910, after wars that left the British in control – the British united four colonies ( the Cape, Natal, Transvaal & Free State) and created the Union of South Africa which became independent. Due to the Apartheid (from 1948) democracy only came in 1994 which is a very important year for South Africa due to the election of Nelson Mandela, the first Black President.
Cape Town info & sights
As said before my first stop was Cape Town unfortunately I had just 1 day therefore I had to choose just a few sightseeing’s.
History
Colloquially named the Mother City – this town perched between the ocean and the mountain, with a national park as its heart, it is the oldest city in South Africa.
It was not until April the 6th 1652 when Jan Van Riebeeck arrived that Europeans first inhabited the Cape. The Cape Town Municipality was formed in 1839.
General info
In Cape Town you see a lot of people walking around taking mini taxis/busses on the side of the road. This way of traveling is cheaper that other ways. I was told that there are no fix stops. Officially it is just for 10 people – unofficially a lot more do sit on the same bus together. Beside the bus driver there is someone who collects the money
Table Mountain
My highlight was Table Mountain which is part of the Table Mountain National Park and home to a large variety of fauna and flora. Geologists say that it was formed under the sea, about 600Million years ago. Glaciers carved it flat, then the mountain gradually rose, thrust up by tectonic forces. It was an island until the sea receded.
On the left of Table Mountain there is Devil´s Peak and on the right Lion´s Head. The top can be reached hiking or via a cable car but please consider that the highest point of Table Mountain is 1085m.a.s. (Maclear´s Beacon) while the cable car arrives at the height of 1067m.a.s. From above you have an amazing view of this incredible town. I went up there with the cable car but there are loads of different routes to get up there that vary in length, nature and difficulty therefore it makes it possible for everyone.
The Castle of Good Hope
Walking around Cape Town (please be aware that there is the Hop on Hop off Sightseeing bus for everyone who is a bit lazy) I got to the castle of Good Hope (also known as the castle) which is the oldest building (built from 1666-1679) and from 1969 it was declared as a national monument. It was built as a fortress during the tensions between Britain and Netherland. The castle has a pentagonal form and during the Second War it was used as a prison and the former cells remained till today.
The House of Parliament
The House of Parliament built from 1875-1884 consists of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. It has been declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). Talking of the Parliament House I would like to make a short excursion talking about the capital of South Africa or in this case the capitals of South Africa.
Yes, because South Africa has 3 capital cities: Cape Town (legislative – it creates, amends and removes any legislation), Pretoria (Executive and administrative as well as the country´s the facto national capital – files are stored, and documents are created and kept) and Bloemfontein (judicial and the seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal which is the highest court for all legal matters not pertaining to the constitution). Three capital cities should allow to have a more balance of power, rather than power being centralized in one place.
The City Hall
Apart from the Parliament House I do recommend visiting The City Hall and the Slave Lodge. The City Hall was built in 1905 and is built from limestone imported from England. On February the 11th 1990 Nelson Mandela made his first public speech after his release – nowadays the building has become a central venue for art exhibitions and concerts.
The Slave Lodge
The Slave Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in town. It was built in 1679 as the Slave Lodge of the Dutch East India Company till 1811. Afterwards the building was used for government offices such as The Women´s Auxiliary Services of the South African Defence Force etc. The building was restored in 1960 and from 1966 it is used as a cultural History Museum.
The Green Market Square
Another stop was the Green Market Square in which you can find loads of souvenirs to take back home – since Cape Town was my first stop I did not buy anything otherwise I would have had to carry everything around for more than 3weeks.
The St. George´s Cathedral
The St. George´s Cathedral also known as the “People´s Cathedral” is well known for its role in the fight against the Apartheid. It is the oldest cathedral in South Africa.
The Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula tour was my second stop and it was characterized by many stops such as Sea Point, Hout Bay, Chapmans Peak Drive, Muizenberg, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.
The drive that from Sea Point leads to the small fishing village of Hout bay is well known for all the beautiful villas with ocean view (they told us that f.e. Dustin Hoffman and Will Smith own a villa here).
The western flank of the mountain Chapmans Drive falls sharply for 100of metres into the ocean making the route just amazing. The guide told us that initially there was no rock protection till a rock fell on a car and unfortunately the driver got paralysed. After suing the state – they decided to add the protections therefore there is a toll to pay to drive this road.
In Boulders (part of the Table Mountain National Parl which consists of Table Mountain and the Peninsula mountain chain Signal Hill) nestled between Cape Point and Simon´s town we stopped to have a look at the African penguins which are nestled really close to the residential area. Thanks to the reduction in commerce pelagic trawling from just 2 breeding pairs in 1982 the penguin colony has grown to about 3000. This area is characterized by pristine clear water and small sheltered bays partially enclosed by granite boulders that are over 540 Million years old. These penguins are an endangered species, they can swim at an average speed of 7km/h and can stay underwater for up to 2minutes. Their black and white colour is vital for camouflage: white for underwater predator looking upwards and black for the once looking down. Penguins have a very sharp beak and can cause serious injuries if the bite or lunge.
In the Cape Point Nature Reserve, we saw some chacma baboons and we started our 5.5km bicycle ride in the free roaming wildlife of the reserve before stopping for lunch.
Our last stop of the day was Cape of Good Hope situated at the junction of two earth´s most contrasting water masses – the cold Benguela current on the West Coast and the warm Agulhas current on the East Coast. Popularly the Cape of Good Hope is perceived as the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian ocean. Geographically, however the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas National Park. In 1938 the local authority proclaimed the area a nature reserve and in 1998 it was incorporated in the Cape Peninsula National Park known as the Table Mountain National Park since 2004.
Plettenberg Bay
Plettenberg Bay (known as Plett) was my next stop. I got there late in the evening and unfortunately by the time the bus driver gave me my backpack I had realized that a guy who got off before (thank god, I was looking at him when he got off and figured out he had my same backpack) took my backpack instead of mine. Thanks to the list of the bus driver (list with names and hostel names) we manage to get in contact with him. Unfortunately, due to the distance the backpack would not reach my hostel till the day after which was a problem because first I did not have the contact lenses kit (I slept with my contact lenses) and second (in that moment the worse thing) I did not have any cloth with me.
Tenikwa Wildlife Centre
The day after I had booked a tour at the Tenikwa Wildlife centre and the dress code was talking about long sleeves, long trousers and closed shoes but I had a skirt, a T shirt and a pair of tongues. Two girls who were travelling with me on the same bus gave me a long sleeves t-shirt and long trousers and luckily, I could buy some socks at the Wildlife Centre (not cheap!) and I could hire some boots as well otherwise I would have not been able to take the tour.
The Tenikwa Wildlife Centre started in 2002 when the owners started rehabilitating injured birds – nowadays it is one of the largest non-profit rehabilitation Centres in the Western Cape accepting a variety of animals (between 200-450 animal’s pro year). Thanks to the tourism they now have a specialized wildlife hospital, high care stabilisation area, laboratory, marine rehab pools, raptor flight-fitness enclosure as well other specialised enclosures.
No wild animal is turned away and are overseen by a specialised vet to have a full recovery and to release them into the wild. The release is agreed in conjunction with the Nature Authorities taking into consideration were the animal was found, the circumstances that led to the event and the chance of survival after the release. In accordance with the Cape Nature Conservation no animals under rehabilitation cannot be viewed by the public, since a natural feat of humans is essential for their survival once they are released.
The Cheetah walk
The day started with the Cheetah walk (“my” Cheetah was called Dooma a 5-year-old male) which consists in walking with the cheetah through indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest and Cape Floral Fynbos. I should probably say that it consists of the cheetah walking you around because it is Dooma who decides where to go, when to stop etc. The program coincides with the naturally-active times of the cheetahs in the wild. By the time I did this tour a harness was used nowadays I have read that the rules have changed and now no harness and no touching are allowed.
During the walk I could see some similarities to my cat. The way they smell around and the way they mover their mouth after having smelt sth. At one point he got so into a smell that he started running – obviously I had to drop the harness considering that cheetahs can run up to 110km/h. After a bit Dooma came back and we finished our walk.
Cheetahs differ from leopards by their smaller body structure and head and they are characterized by square snout and dark tear mark running from eye to jaw.
The Tenikwa Animal Photographic Tour
I have combined this activity with the Photographic Tour which allows you to get up close to the other gorgeous wildlife cats of the Centre giving you time to take pictures and just watching them moving around – simply fantastic. There I manage to see leopards, servals and caracals.
The Leopard
The leopard which is considered one of the big five. Compared to the other wildcats it has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is like the jaguar but generally it has a lighter body. It is marked with rosettes densely packed and without central spots.
The Serval
The serval is a medium sized cat (between 54-62cm height and weighs between 9-18kg) and it is characterized by a small head, large ears a golden yellow to buff coat spotted and striped with black, and a short black tipped tail. It has the longest legs of any cat relative to its body.
The Caracal
The third one and my favorite one is the caracal which is an exceptional climber and jumper. It resembles a cross between a leopard and a lynx (reaches between 40-50cm and weights between 8-18kg) and its characterized by his tufted ears, two black stripes from the forehead to the nose, a black outline of the mouth and white patches surrounding the eyes and the mouth. The one I was lucky to see had two amazing blue eyes which simply hypnotized me.
The Monkeyland Sanctuary
The Monkeyland Sanctuary (opened to the public on April 1998) was my second stop of the day and is home of a multi species of primates (around 11 species and 550 primates).
Monkeyland is working with the South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (which consists in Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary) and with groups such as Green Girls in Africa which encourage responsible tourism. The primates get physical and emotional rehab.
The visit consists in 1hour guided tour into the 12hectare forest. I found it interesting and you literally walk past the animals. I remember walking on a small wood bridge loaded with monkeys.
The Birds of Eden
After Monkeyland I decided to take a walk at the Birds of Eden which is a single dome hosting over 200species and nearly 3500birds.
My self-guided walk started with a bird pooing on my glasses but other than that I found it an effective way to see loads of birds flying around. I was happy to find my backpack once I got back at the hostel.
The Robberg Nature Reserve & Marine protected area
On my second and last day in Plettenberg bay I´ve decided to visit the Robberg Nature Reserve and Marine protected area home of around 6000 cape Fur Seals. Here I decided to snorkel with seals which are playful animals. It is lovely to see Fur Seals swimming and diving in their natural environment and since they are really curios animals they do come really close to you.
Jeffrey´s Bay
I´ve decided to stop for one day in Jeffrey´s Bay which is the Surfers Paradise of Western Cape. This town was known as a hippie hangout in the late 1960s and early 1970s nowadays it is one of the fastest expanding area of the country. Even though this small town is filled with restaurants, shops, cafes etc I decided to stroll down the beach (I did not take surf lessons due to an old ankle injury which never settled back despite an op) with just one goal – get a tan and saying goodbye to my whitey skin – at least for a couple of weeks.
Port Elizabeth & the Township Tour
In Port Elizabeth I took a Township Tour. This tour covers around 70km and exposes the diversity of people from deprived areas, middle class and elite suburbs.
Port Elizabeth is the industrial centre of the Eastern Cape, where Africans Shanty dwellers scrape a living on the dusty fringes of well-tended middle -class suburbs. In 1820 it was the arrival point for 4000 British settlers who doubled the English -speaking population of South Africa. Fort Frederick, overlooking the harbour, is a stone fort built in 1799 by British Forces to prevent the arrival of the French.
In Port Elizabeth there are a few Victorian buildings. Port Elizabeth was named after Elizabeth Donkin (you can find a pyramid in the Donkin Reserve which in 1938 was declared a National Monument) wife of Sir Rufina Donkin. Here you can find a lighthouse a chair with a surfboard look. In 2010 just before the football world cup a new monument was constructed. It is a woman holding a chair – it seems like the woman is asking to sit down and spend some time in Port Elizabeth. (Tourism) as well. Here you can find a Nelson Mandela statue as well. Our tour continued in a part of Port Elizabeth with brightly coloured re-furnished 19th Century Settler houses. I was told from the guide that poor people use to come her to buy food etc (cheaper than somewhere else).
The next part of the tour was dedicated to the visit of Townships. We did not get out of the car in the first Township. I was told that 70% of the people do not have a job therefore there are loads of hair salons and carwash on the side of the road. People do walk km and km to get to the supermarket. Hens get sold on the side of the road and are stuffed in little cages, telephone boxes can still be found, goats and cows walking freely in the townships, loads of dogs can be found everywhere living in really poor conditions trying to find some food in the trash left aside the roads, garbage trucks should come to collect the rubbish but it seems like they can´t manage to do it in time leaving people surrounded by trash everywhere. Even in the Townships there are high, middle and poor classes. The upper class has beautiful homes while the lower class lives in shacks that look all the same and have solar panels on the roof. It was Nelson Mandela who started building these shacks after being released from Robben Island. They are still building shacks for all the people who are on the waiting list.
When we arrived at the second Township we got off the car. This Township was constructed on a non-safe area with loads of toxic materials. My tour guide told me that the tour operator is trying to move the Township somewhere else. This Township has no electricity and the water must be collected from a tap in the “centre” of the Township. Our last stop was a school where we were told that everything gets taught in English even though the official language is Sesotho.
4 Day Kruger National Park Safari
One of my last tour was the 4 Day Kruger National Park Safari which was the reason why I had decided to go to South Africa at first.
On the way we stopped at the Kapama Cheetah Centre (Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre). The centre is home to many endangered species, such as wild dog, cheetah, lions, vultures and many more.
General Info about the Park
We started with a Safari on the second day from the Orpen gate which is the most central gate. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves of Africa. It covers an area of 19.485 square km. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898 and it became the first South African National Park in 1926. It opened to the public in 1927 and it is part of the Great Limpopo Trans frontier Park a peace park that links the Kruger National Park to the Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) and the Limpopo National Park (Mozambique).
The Safari itself
The first day was just amazing we managed to see all the big five – yes you got it right we were lucky to spot lions, one leopard (just for a few seconds he was crossing a street and we were a bit far away – unfortunately I did not have my camera ready therefore I don´t have photos), rhinoceros, elephants and cape buffalo.
The term big five was coined by hunters and it refers to the 5 most difficult animals to see and hunt.
All the days of the Safari started early and were spent in an open vehicle driving around trying to spot the big 5 and other animals. Each day was spent in different spots which allowed us to have more chances to see as much animals as possible.
On the third day we did a night game drive in the Thornybush big five game reserve which is a 14.500-hectare private reserve.
Some info about the animals that can be spotted
At this point I would like to make a short excursion talking about the Kruger Park animals which I have seen and impressed me starting obviously with the BIG 5.
I have already spoken about the Leopard a bit above therefore I will start talking about lions.
Lions
Lions are Africa´s largest and strongest carnivore. They are so powerful that they can carry twice its own weight in their jaws. They are very social animals, live in prides and are mainly active during the night while they are lying in the shade during the day. Males are larger than females and adult males usually have a large mane while females don´t. Male can weigh from approx.180Kg to 240kg while females from approx. 120kg to 200Kg. The average lifespan of these animals is ca 15years.
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros date from the Miocene era and weigh over 2t. Rhinos are herbivore, their eyesight is poor while their sense of smell and hearing are very good – for its corporation this animal is very agile. Their lifespan goes from 35 up to 40 years. His main predators are sadly humans who kill them for their horns and therefore rhinos are part of the critically endangered species.
Elephant
The elephant is the world´s largest land mammal, weighs up to 7t and reaches 3.3m height (at the shoulder) Their lifespan is around 70years. Their trunk is very sensitive and can detect water underground and it even enables them to pick up the smallest thing. These animals normally live in herds.
The Cape Buffalo
The cape buffalo is a large African bovine that can weight up to 1000Kg – the base of their horns come very close together forming a shield and the distance between the two ends of the horns can reach 1m.
The giraffe
The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world reaching a height of 5m with its incredible long neck. Males can weigh up to 1200kg while females up to 900Kg.
Crocodiles
Crocodiles are the second largest reptile (the saltwater crocodile is the largest) and can reach up to 6m length and 1000Kg weight. Their jaws hold 64 to 68 sharp pointed teeth which are replaced if they get broken.
Chacma Baboon
Chacma baboon is one of the largest of all monkeys with a length of up to 115cm (male) and 84cm (female). The average weigh of the male is around 31kg while the average weigh of the female is around 15kg.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus can weigh up to 2000kg (male) and 1700Kg (female) and spend their day resting in water or in sandbanks during the winter. Their lifespan is about 40years – this animal can eat up to 130Kg grass per day and can stay underwater for up to 6minutes. They can walk on the bottom of the dam or riverbed and can run at a speed of about 30km per hour.
Plains Zebra
Plains zebra or Burchell´s zebra can measure up to 1.4m at the shoulder and weigh up to 320Kg (female) and 340Kg (male). They live in small family groups and their lifespan is about 20years. The colour of the zebra is never pure white but ochre.
The Warthog
The Warthog is a wild member of the pig family. It is a medium-sized species with a length up to 1.5m and a shoulder height up to 85cm. Female weigh up to 75kg while male up to 150Kg. These animals can be identified by the tusks protruding from the mouth and curving upwards.
The Vervet Monkey
The Vervet monkeys have black faces, grey body colour and can weigh up to 8kg (males) and 5.5Kg (females).
The Black baked jackal
The black baked jackal is a very ancient species. With his reddish coat and a black saddle that extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail it is like a fox. It weighs up to 13kg, up to 48cm height at the shoulder and up to 81cm in length.
The spotted Hyena
The spotted Hyena are mainly nocturnal animals and are scavengers as well as hunters. Spotted Hyenas have the strongest jaws of all predators. Despite most of the other animal’s female (up to 80kg) are larger than male (up to 70kg). Their lifespan is about 20years.
The blue wildebeest
The blue wildebeest is a large antelope that can reach 240cm in length, up to 145cm in height and up to 290Kg weight for the males and 260kg for the females. Both sexes possess large horns that can reach 83cm in length for males and 40cm for females. The average life span is 20 years.
The impala
The impala is the animal I have seen the most during the Safari – our guide used to call it the McDonald of the Kruger National Park because it is one of the best food option for all carnivores living in the park. Male can weigh up to 68kg and females up to 52Kg. These animals live in herds, can jump up to 3 m in height and 12m in length.
The Kudu
The Kudu is a woodland antelope and has a lifespan of about 14years. These animals are one of the largest species of antelope – they are very agile and can jump higher than 3m. Bulls can weigh up to 270kg and up to 160cm tall while cows weigh up to 210kg and 100cm tall. Adult bulls have horns while the cows are hornless.
The Cape Glossy Starling
The Cape Glossy Starling is a bird and has an adult length of about 25cm and a weight of about 100gr. The plumage and the black and blue colours are the same for male and female while their eyes are orange.
The crested barbet
The crested barbet has a thick bill and a very colourful plumage (speckled yellow and red face, a small black crest, a yellow belly with red speckles, black wings with white specks, a broad black band on its neck, a yellow head and a black and white body and the red markings on the end of the body. It can reach a length to 24cm and a weight of 80gr.
The Three Rondavels
On our way back to Johannesburg (called Jo´burg from the locals) we headed towards the Blyde River Canyon where we stopped at the Three Rondavels view point. The Three Rondavels are three round mountain tops with slightly pointed tops (like the round or oval African Homesteads made with local material called rondavels). From this viewpoint you can look over the canyon to the three Rondavels on the other side of the northern edges of the Drakensberg range of mountains.
Johannesburg
General Info
I stayed in Johannesburg for a couple of days. Jo´burg is the largest city in South Africa. It was established in 1886 following the discovery of gold on what had been a farm.
Johannesburg Sights
The Apartheid Museum
I started with the Apartheid Museum with the section dedicated to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. He was central to every stage of South Africa´s epic struggle against Apartheid. He started a new radical approach in the 1940s to try to free South Africa and lead mass struggle of the 1950s. in the early 1960s he started the Umkhonto we Sizwe. At the trial called Rivonia Trial Mandela he was sentenced to life prison for his involvement in sabotage and violence in 1962 and was therefore sent to Robben Island. Frederik Willem De Klerk Beginning in the mid-1980s, initiated and led the negotiation process that culminated in South Africa´s first democratic elections on April the 27th 1994 which he won making him become the first president of a democratic South Africa and the first black president of South Africa, according him the iconic accolade of “Father of the Nation”.
Nelson Mandela won a Nobel Price in 1993 – He retired in 1999 and died in Dezember 2013 at the age of 95.
The visit of the Apartheid museum was emotionally tough– you get the feeling of segregation as soon as you get to the entrance where you get divided into black/white or nie blankes/non whites.
The museum communicates Apartheid by using dark images and sounds bringing into mind images of detention, oppression and division.
This racial segregation existed from 1948 (adopted by the SA government after the election of the National Party (NP) at the general election) until the early 1990s and was based on baasskap (white supremacy), which encouraged state repression of Black, Coloured and Asian South Africans. The first apartheid law was established in 1949. It was the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act. From 1960 to 1983 Non White South Africans were removed from their homes and forced into segregated neighbourhoods in the intend to restrict the Black population to ten bantustans (tribal homelands) loosing their South African citizenship (because they were absorbed by the bantustans). The 1970s and 1980s are known for the internal resistance to apartheid which caused death and detention. Between 1987-1993 negotiations between the National Party and the African National Congress took place – leading to the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 and a democratic election in April 1994.
Soweto
Afterwards I went to Soweto which is the abbreviaton of South Western Townships (which were fromed starting from the 1934) where we stopped to visit some sightseeing. Soweto was a separate city from the late 1970s to 1994 and originated as a collection of settlements on the outskirts of Johannesburg, populated mostly by native Africans workers from the gold mining industry.
Soweto came to the world´s attention with the Soweto uprising. This is the reason why we visited the Hector Peterson Memorial. Hector Peterson was a South African Schoolboy killed during the Soweto uprising when police opened fire on students protesting the enforcement of teaching in Afrikaans. Soweto and other townships became the stage for violent repression.
The Regina Mundi Cathedral
Another stop was the Regina Mundi Cathedral which is the largest Roman Catholic church in South Africa (also known as the “people´s church” because of its role before, during and after the anti- apartheid struggle).
Mutswaledi shanty town
Mutswaledi shanty town was our last stop. Shanty town is a settlement of “houses” made by plywood, corrugated metal, sheets of plastic and cardboard boxes. These areas often lack in proper sanitation, safe water supply, electricity and hygienic.
The Lion Park
My trip to South Africa ended with a self driving safari at the Lion Park stopping at the cub world in which I spent most of the time cuddling little cubs. I had thongs and they loved to play/bite them which was somehow and sometimes a bit scary. The teeth of these gorgeous animals are really pointed, and you can feel them as soon as they lay them on you.
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