Soweto Johannesburg: Township History, Mandela House & Tours

Soweto (South Western Townships) is South Africa's most historically significant urban area — the crucible of the anti-apartheid movement, birthplace of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, and home to 1.3 million people. A guided visit here is one of the most powerful and educational experiences in Africa.

Key Sites

• Mandela House Museum (Vilakazi Street) — Nelson Mandela's home from 1946 to 1990. The modest red-brick house tells the extraordinary story of the man who would become South Africa's first democratic president. Entry R80.
• Hector Pieterson Museum — commemorating the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when police opened fire on schoolchildren marching against Apartheid education policies. The famous photograph of Hector Pieterson being carried by a classmate is one of history's most powerful images. Entry R60.
• Vilakazi Street — the only street in the world to have housed two Nobel Peace Prize laureates (Mandela and Tutu). Now lined with restaurants and shebeens (informal bars).

Tours

Lebo's Soweto Backpackers runs celebrated bicycle and walking tours with local guides. Tours from R350 pp. Booking recommended. Guided tours provide far richer context than self-driving.