History and heritage were the focus of a sho't left round Alexandra, when the Johannesburg Tourism Company showed the sites to a group of tourism stakeholders.
TOURISM stakeholders, business owners and members of the media took a sho’t left into Alexandra and found the area rich in cultural diversity – and even managed to get a glimpse of Nelson Mandela’s first living quarters in Joburg.
A musical welcome for visitorsA musical welcome for visitorsAs part of its activities for Tourism Month, held in September each year, the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC) invited stakeholders to accompany its officers on an informative Kasi Tour of Alex on 29 September.
Issuing the invitation, the company's chief executive officer, Lindiwe Kwele, said: “JTC, the Alexsan Kopano Community Library and Alex Tourism are joining forces and inviting stakeholders to spend some time in Alex to experience its tourism offerings."
It came after South African Tourism launched its Tourism Month campaign, Sho't Left, in August. Speaking at that launch, Phumi Dhlomo, the regional director of Africa and domestic tourism at South African Tourism, explained: “Sho’t left means a short trip or quick getaway.
No matter where your sho’t left takes you, a new experience lies around every corner of this beautiful country. There is no such thing as a wrong turn in South Africa.”
Kwele added: “In keeping with the Sho’t Left campaign – and South African Tourism’s focus on domestic tourism during Tourism and Heritage month in September – we’re encouraging tourism stakeholders to enjoy seeing Alex from a tourist’s perspective, discovering all the places of historic and cultural significance in this vibrant township.
The tour begins at Alexsan KopanoThe tour begins at Alexsan Kopano"It is intended that this intervention will lead to the development and promotion of the Alexandra Culture and Heritage Route, driving tourists and visitors to Alex to enjoy spending time there and experiencing its heritage.”
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Resource centre
The tour passed places of interest such as the Alexsan Kopano Resource Centre via the home of the late cabinet minister, Joe Nhlanhla; the Alex Stadium; and the Msomi Gang headquarters.
The gang hung out on Eighth Avenue, and had a second base on 12th Avenue. During the 1940s and '50s, gangs ruled the township and from these buildings they conducted a reign of terror on township residents. At the time, the ANC also used the building on Eighth Avenue.
Gwen Rabothata, the centre director at the Alexsan Kopano Resource Centre, welcomed the community members, delegations, tourism stakeholders, media and tourism business owners by explaining the centre's history.
“The community centre emerged in 1986, when community leaders had an objective of bringing the people of Alexandra together. It was officially opened in 1992 and will be proudly celebrating its second decade early in the ensuing year.
Mandela Yard, the house where Nelson Mandela used to liveMandela Yard, the house where Nelson Mandela used to live“This centre is different from other community centres in South Africa and many in the international domain. Whereas many community centres provide mostly charitable work, we are a hub of a comprehensive range of services which comprise library services, computer centre, outreach programmes, extramural activities, counselling, pro-bono legal work, and skills training,” he said.
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Mandela Yard
From there, it was on to Mandela Yard, the humble abode where Mandela lived during the early 1940s, when he first moved to Joburg. It is being transformed into a heritage attraction.
The yard and the room that he rented will be developed into what will be known as the Mandela Yard Interpretation Centre. It is on the corner of Hofmeyer Street and Seventh Avenue, and is occupied by a local family at present.
Diagonally opposite Mandela Yard is The Heritage Centre. The building houses archival material, exhibitions and interpretive signs that mark over 100 heritage sites that have been identified in Alex.
Kings Cinema on Second Avenue was the next stop, followed by the Alex Plaza shopping mall, St Huberts Catholic Precinct, Alex Clinic, male and female single dormitory hostels, LM Taunyane Primary, Zanele Mbeki’s former home, the Far East Bank, the Altrek Sports Facility and then Tsutsumane Village, the Gautrain Marlboro Station, and Itlhokomeleng Old Age Home before stopping for lunch at Alcari Restaurant.
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Sho't Left
Tourism Month’s campaign, Sho’t Left, was designed to get South Africans out of their homes and neighbourhoods and exploring their beautiful country. It started on 1 September and is aimed at encouraging locals to travel locally, celebrate diversity and ultimately boost the country’s tourism sector, which generates over R20-billion for the gross domestic product each year.
Transformation: Shacks are gradually making way for modern flatsTransformation: Shacks are gradually making way for modern flatsDomestic tourism is the backbone of a sustainable and robust tourism industry. “So we want to convince South Africans to travel their own country, to spend some of their money here and not only internationally. It is good for the economy and it is good for job creation,” said Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
He was speaking at the launch of Tourism Month on 25 August in Tshwane. Van Schalkwyk said there would also be an emphasis on skills development for those working in the industry and those wanting a career in tourism.
Dhlomo said: “More South Africans are able to travel, as the deals are affordable. A person earning a gross income of between R5 000 and R15 000 per month can afford to travel their own country.”
The Department of Tourism aspired to increase domestic trips from 30,9 million in 2009 to 54 million, increase the contribution of domestic tourism to the gross domestic product to 60 percent, and assist in achieving targets set by the sector to create 225 000 jobs – all by 2020.
In 2008, about 32,9 million domestic trips were undertaken compared to 35,9 million in 2007. South African Tourism said about 29,7 million domestic trips were undertaken last year compared to 30,3 million in 2009. Last year, 43 percent of adult South Africans travelled the country, with an average of 2,2 annual trips per traveller, up from 2009’s average of 2,1 annual trips per traveller.
Domestic tourism contributed 79 percent of all tourism volumes in 2010; however, the local sector only contributed 23 percent of direct tourism spend.While there was a decrease in the number of people travelling domestically, there was an increase in the average number of trips taken and a slight increase in spend, the department said.
“The strategy for the new Sho’t Left campaign is founded on South Africa’s ability to deliver diverse, memorable, enriching and affordable experiences around every corner. The campaign highlights the unexpected wonder of a country filled with memories waiting to be made,” said Dhlomo.
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Alex history
The Jukskei RiverThe Jukskei RiverAlex is known for poverty, squalor, being over-crowded and underdeveloped – despite being located a stone’s throw from the affluent Sandton suburb, north of the CBD. The area as a whole includes Old Alexandra and the relatively new areas of the East Bank, Far East Bank, Marlboro Industrial, Wynberg, Kew and Marlboro Gardens.
The township dates to 1912, when a farmer named Herbert B Papenfus divided the property – that was then called Cyferfontein – into 338 lots, two parks and a square, and set about selling these lots to white buyers. He had little success and only a few properties were bought; whites were reluctant to buy in the area because of the prevalence of disease.
In their book, ALEXandra (Wits University Press: 2008), Philip Bonner and Noor Nieftagodien write: “When Papenfus found himself unable to sell his property to whites, he had the plans for the estate redrawn. In 1911 official approval was given to redivide the land into 2 308, 144 x 82 foot lots, three squares and one reserve. The intension now was to sell off the plots exclusively to coloured and African purchasers [this also included Indians]. By 1916, 200 houses had been erected and 900 coloured and African families had taken up residence.”
The new township was known as Alexandra, named after Papenfus’s wife or daughter. With swelling shack settlements, untarred roads, no sewage systems or street lights, Alex turned into a ghetto. While the rest of Johannesburg lit up at night, Alex remained in shadow and was given the colloquial name Dark City.
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