September 22, 2003 

THE history of Soweto, its role in the struggle for liberation in the country, its prominent citizens, its vibrant life and principallandmarks were laid bare to visitors on Thursday as part of the launch of the Decade of Democracy campaign.

The Decade of Democracy launch kicked off with the City of Johannesburg announcing a R2,5-million grant from the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to construct a tourism information centre in Soweto to display the biggest township in Africa in all its splendour.

To get a foretaste of the Soweto experience the high-powered tourists, including Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, City Manager Pascal Moloi, mayoral committee member for finance Councillor Parks Tau, Chief Operations Officer Sibongile Mazibuko, and other guests were treated to a two-day tour of the township, which culminated with a picnic on Friday afternoon at the refurbished Thokoza Park in Rockville.

Mayor Amos Masondo (right) shares his memories on a walking tour in Vilakazi Street

The tour was intended to showcase preparations for the celebration of two major events next year - the township's centenary and the 10th anniversary of the first democratic elections.

Straight from a lengthy council meeting, the mayor abandoned his usual official vehicle on Thursday afternoon and relaxed with guests from the tourism industry and the media, as the tour bus took off for the township.

Along the way, guides from the Soweto Tourism Development Association pointed out major sites, roads and buildings that had played a major role in the history of Johannesburg, in particular as a result of the discovery of gold in 1886.

Clearly elated at the rediscovery of ordinary life, Masondo mingled with the guests, chatting informally about his days growing up in Soweto. "It really feels good coming back here as a tourist," Masondo said as he checked into one of the sprawling bed and breakfast establishments in Vilakazi Street, Orlando West - the "only street in the world to have housed two Nobel Peace Prize recipients, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu", according to the tour guides.

On 16 June 1976 the street immortalised itself as the place from where the students began their march against the imposition by the apartheid government of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in black schools.

It made sense then that Friday's activities should begin with guests making that famous walk up the street before visiting the Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela's house and Kliptown, itself with an indelible place in the country's history as the place where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955.

The Hector Pieterson Museum is built on three levels and takes visitors on a journey through events of June 16 1976

By their own accounts, the guests "slept like babies" on the Thursday evening in the nearby B&Bs, having been treated to a sumptuous meal and drinks at the Masakeng Pub and Restaurant in Mofolo.

As the tourists made the famous trek on foot down Vilakazi Street, the experience of walking a path that to many symbolised a turning point in South Africa's history was not lost.

At the Hector Pieterson Museum, the June 16 Uprising is relived through photographs, eyewitness accounts and video footage. It's a testimony that filled visitors with a mixed sense of pride and sorrow.

The stop at the museum was a natural precursor to a visit to Kliptown - the place where the ideals for which the students died in 1976 were enshrined into the Freedom Charter.

"The Freedom Charter is the cornerstone of the country's Constitution and Bill of Rights," said the guide. "It represents both the ideals of freedom and democracy in action. People of all races gathered here to reaffirm their commitment to the struggle for freedom in South Africa, listing all the freedoms we enjoy today, one by one, in a charter."

For this reason Kliptown was selected to house the tourism information centre. It would be the first tourism centre established by the City, said the mayor, and "forms the cornerstone of a programme of new tourism information centres to be rolled out over the coming year by the Johannesburg Tourism Company. It will be a place where tourists will be able to get a multi-faceted overview of Soweto in a world-class multi-media format. Tactical themed exhibitions and special activities relevant to important dates and events will support these presentations," said Masondo.

The Hector Pieterson Museum is built on three levels and takes visitors on a journey through events of June 16 1976

The tour would have been incomplete without a stop at the famous Regina Mundi Church in Rockville. The huge venue was home to some of the most spirited gatherings of activists, including Mandela and Tutu. Masquerading as a church service, some of the most influential strategies in the anti-apartheid war were plotted from the pulpit, in the auditorium, and under the Holy Cross of what would then be referred to as the "Soweto Parliament".

"Many of us have long dreamed of speaking from this podium," said Moloi, as he mounted the stage. Moloi was joined at the podium by Masondo, resident priest Father Musi Mazibuko, entrepreneur Welcome Msomi, and European Union ambassador Michael Lake. They all addressed the tour group.

The tourists were then ushered upstairs to see a permanent photographic exhibition of the history of Soweto, featuring pictures by Bongani Mnguni and Jurgen Schadeberg.

Then it was on to Thokoza Park for the picnic.

The fleeting visit could not do justice to all the exhibitions, historical accounts and general experiences.

As the tour drew to a close, Mayor Masondo was able to reflect: "It was a unique and uplifting experience. It gave us an opportunity to interact with a wide range of the township's people, as well as with tourism industry people and important stakeholders. I was especially excited to see that more and more people are beginning to utilise the B&Bs, as they play an important role in the development of tourism in Soweto and indeed in the greater Johannesburg."

As the sun started to set, the guests were reluctantly transported back to the Metropolitan Council head offices in Braamfontein, from where the Decade of Democracy Tour had begun.