28-07-2014: Celebrate Women’s Day with City Sightseeing
National Women's Day commemorates the national march of women to petition against the pass laws that required South Africans defined as "black" by The Population Registration Act to carry a "pass".
Throughout history, women in South Africa have played a prominent and effective role in the struggle for equal rights. As sung by the women who marched on this auspicious day in 1956 - "Now you have touched the women, You have struck a rock, You have dislodged a boulder, You will be crushed."
A wonderful way to learn more about the role that women had in the fight against apartheid is to visit some of the sites in Johannesburg that commemorate their efforts. One such place is the Kliptown Open Air Museum, built in dedication to ANC stalwart Walter Sisulu. This wonderful museum has a large section dedicated to the women who played a part in the anti-apartheid struggle. Hear the story through vibrant artworks, photographs, song, narration and newspaper clippings.
Kliptown is one of the oldest districts in Soweto, and is an area steeped in history. It is most famously known as the site where in 1955, 3000 people came together to adopt the Freedom Charter. See the 10 tenets upon which the South African Constitution is based. Another popular landmark standing
Explore Soweto with City Sightseeing
Undoubtedly the best way to explore these and other sites in Soweto is with the 1-Day Bus + Soweto Combo or 2-Day Bus + Soweto Combo tours offered by City Sightseeing. City Sightseeing partnered with Kgomotso Pooe and his dynamic entrepreneurial company SO WE TOO, to add an exciting extension to their existing Red City Tour that offers sightseers a personal, in-depth and unforgettable tour of Soweto’s hot spots. (SO WE TOO won the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the inaugural Lilizela Tourism Awards.)
The Soweto tour extension visits six stops along the route – starting with Soccer City on the outskirts of Soweto. From there you stop at Diep Kloof, before reaching the renowned Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital – listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest hospital in the world in 1977.Visit the Orlando Towers next where the world’s highest 70 metres Suspended Catch Air Device (SCAD) Freefall is located. The landmark is popular for bungee and base jumping and abseiling. Afterwards, enjoy a drink or some braaied meat at the shisa nyama and shebeen, Chaf Pozi located at the entrance of the site.
Drive past the famous Orlando Stadium, the first ever sports facility built for black South Africans in a residential area and then hop off at the Hector Pietersen memorial in Orlando West - a work of art that allows you to soak up the events of June 16, 1976 that became a catalyst for the Soweto Uprising as the story is recounted by your tour guide.
The Soweto Tour ends at the Kliptown Open Air Museum in Walter Sisulu Square, which stands a few metres away from the 4-star Soweto Hotel. The City Sightseeing Soweto tour extension starts, and ends, at Gold Reef City, where you will be met by your Soweto tour guide and a driver who will take you on the tour in a comfortable air-conditioned Soweto Red minivan.
The Bus + Soweto Combo tours offered by City Sightseeing give you not only a tour of Soweto but also a ticket for the Red City Tour, which takes you to all the top stops around the city centre – with hundreds of things to see and do.
Women’s Day on the Red City Tour
Learning more about the women behind the struggle whilst on the Red City Tour is also a must – with stops such as the Apartheid Museum - a world-class facility with mesmerising and interactive displays that include lots of video and film footage and is set within a remarkable building - a celebration of the human spirit for overcoming adversary.
This is the perfect place to take the kids - walk through and explain the displays to them and witness the efforts of those, many of them women, who were involved in the anti-apartheid struggle. After exploring the museum you can then stop and enjoy a coffee, cool drink or milkshake at the coffee shop and enjoy some retail therapy at the curio shop.
Constitution Hill is an important, interesting and symbolic place. Johannesburg boasts a large number of heritage sites, but leading these is Constitution Hill which comprises a series of museums located in former prisons, including the Old Fort, the notorious No 4 Prison and the Women’s Jail. The Women’s Jail is a Victorian brick building, which was built in 1910 and held both black and white female prisoners, however in separate sections. Here you can learn about the inmates - the vast majority of who were incarcerated here for pass offences or political activism.
The hillside is also home to the Constitutional Court - South Africa’s highest court (the art collection housed within the court building is also a must-see, featuring conventional art pieces, as well as objects of arts and crafts that are incorporated into the building itself).
Everyone should be able to say that they have experienced eclectic Soweto, that they have had a taste of the struggles and efforts of South African women who fought against apartheid - and the City Sightseeing Red City Tour and Soweto tour extension are the perfect way to do all of this in a safe, comfortable, fun and informative way that you will never forget.
Tickets can be purchased from the City Sightseeing Tour Offices at the Gautrain Park Station and inside Gold Reef City; online at www.citysightseeing.co.za or on the bus using a debit or credit card.
The Red City tour runs from 09h00 until 15h40, 7 days a week. During the week the Soweto tour extension has three departure times - at 10h05, 12h05 and 14h05. On weekends the Soweto tour has five departure times – these being every hour from 10h05 until 14h05. City Sightseeing can be contacted on 0861 733 287.
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