Soweto, as an area replete with the history of struggle and resistance, provides great interest and entertainment as a tourist destination.
Foreign tourists, in particular, relish the informal vivacity of Soweto's shebeen culture and tasting the unique local cuisine. The nightlife offers a choice of clubs with some of the liveliest music available.
But the real attraction for many visitors to the region is its history, perhaps most importantly represented by the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum (011 536 0611) in Orlando West. Hector Pieterson was one of the first children to die, shot by police, on 16 June 1976, the start of the Soweto Uprising. Many world leaders have visited the memorial to pay their respects.
Other sites of historic interest in Region D include Morris Isaacson Secondary School in Jabavu, which was deeply involved in the uprising; and the Regina Mundi Church, where many politically charged services and funerals of activists took place. The church bore witness to much of the anger and pain of the apartheid struggle.
Another magnet for visitors is Nelson Mandela's former house in Vilakazi Street (011 936 7754). Sowetans boast that they have the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house is also in Vilakazi Street. Walter Sisulu's home is in the same area.
Sowetans are passionate about the sport, especially soccer, and Region D is home to the Elkah, Jabavu, Dobsonville and Lenasia stadiums. There are also four stadiums in the Diepmeadow area. A variety of other sport is catered for by different complexes and swimming pools, including a boxing academy in Nancefield, a basketball academy in Jabavu and a bowling green in Klipspruit West.
Major sports events take place on a regular basis and add colour and entertainment to the lives of residents and visitors.
The Oppenheimer Complex is an attractive park with a hall for functions and parties. After walking up the tower's internal staircase, visitors get an aerial view of Soweto.
The best known of the region's restaurants is Wandie's Place (011 982 2796) in Dube, the brainchild of the pioneering Wandie Ndala. It has become extremely popular with tourists. Other popular restaurants are Pallazo di Stella (011 982 1380), which is also in Dube and specialises in pizzas; and Soweto Cappuccino (011 936 1998) in Orlando West, where the speciality - as the name suggests - is high-quality coffee.
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