Our Langa Township Tour in Cape Town explored a side of the city few visitors see. But is slum tourism an indulgence for tourists or does it serve a greater purpose?
At only 1.5 kilometres square, Langa is one of the smallest townships in the city. Ten years ago it was home to 50,000 people, but like many townships, it has grown rapidly as job opportunities in the city draw workers and families from the surrounding countryside. There are now about 80,000 people in Langa and the township is struggling to cope.
In recent years, entrepreneurial souls – knowing wealthy westerners are engaged by their poverty – have introduced tours to townships such as Langa. While there a many great things to do in Cape Town, we were drawn to exploring this other side to the city, but were unsure if it was the right thing to do.
Should we be inspecting other people’s poverty and misfortune? Are we helping this township or making their situation worse?
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END OF APARTHEID AND NEW RIGHTS FOR BLACK CITIZENS
We park outside a shop on the edge of Langa, just off junction 12 of the N2. Being the only white people, our guide spots us quickly and rushes up to welcome us warmly. His name is Nathi and he is keen to begin this Langa Township Tour; to show us his town, his friends and his family.
Walking down a narrow dusty alleyway, we enter a small shack and are introduced to Shadrack, or ‘Shooter’ to his friends. But he also goes by the name MacGyver, thanks to his ingenuity in building every inch of his wooden and sheet metal home which we are sitting in now. The shack is small but homely and pristinely clean. There are pictures all over the walls, not only of his family but also the people who have visited him over the years. An empty bottle of Johnny Walker Gold Label stands on a shelf. His face, of an indeterminate age, is lit up by a broken blender he has converted into a lamp, as he regales us with the story of his life and his township.
Shooter was a police officer during apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. This institutionalised racial segregation legalised state oppression of black and coloured peoples by a white minority. As a black officer, he was not permitted to arrest white criminals, and was subordinate to white officers, even of lower rank. He was not only distrusted by white colleagues, but also by black citizens, for whom the police were the physical embodiment of an oppressive government and its unjust laws. He left the force, in 1993 just as the apartheid era laws were coming to an end.
We ask him what has changed most in the township in his lifetime. He doesn’t describe houses going up, or infrastructure being built. He doesn’t talk about development or integration. Instead, he basks in his rights. “Twenty-five years ago, I got my legal rights. The right to go where I want, when I want. The right not to be stopped for no reason. The right not to be arrested for forgetting ID papers. I became a free man. This is what has changed the most, and it is everything”.
He explains, that as democracy came to black citizens in South Africa, the government ceased to be his enemy. It got out of the way of him building his own future. And the police force became the police service. It went from using force to subjugate the townships to providing a service to support their citizens in their quest for a better life.
THE WORKERS OF CAPE TOWN BUILD THEIR LIVES
And building better lives is exactly what the people of Langa are doing. Every morning they get up and head into the city to be restaurant servers, office and factory workers, drivers and builders. They head into the suburbs to be gardeners, cooks and cleaners. Cape Town is built and run on the back of the people of Langa and townships like it.
Yet many also earn their living in the township itself. Two women, with the street as their office, are brewing beer in large plastic barrels in a cramped, smoky alley between self-built tin sheds. Their brew is bubbling away. It is only 1.5 to 2% alcohol, but if you drink enough, Nathi explains with a grin, it works just the same. Round the corner, a small factory with two kilns produces hand-painted ceramics that are shipped to European and American Universities.
Three women, clad completely in black, stand in a pile of broken charred wood and building offcuts. Their faces, illuminated by light brown fire resistant paint, loom out of the darkness. They are selling firewood and sheep’s heads. Sheep’s heads are a delicacy here and served to the older generation as a sign of respect. Cheeks, eye sockets, and tongue are the choicest parts. But sheep are few and demand is high, so they ship the heads in from New Zealand.
Next on our Langa Township Tour, we cross a car washing business. They can clean a couple of hundred cars in a day, and in three days can make more than workers heading into town. It’s a profitable business. Nathi says he has tried to explain to them the value of saving, of putting money aside each week, for a rainy day. But his words of advice do not always find a receptive ear.
He is saving though. He has a girlfriend and in order to get married, he must present a dowry to his future wife’s family. Eight to twelve cows is customary. But just like sheep, there are few cows in the city, so money has taken its place. A cow is 5,000 Rand, so marriage costs about 50,000 Rand (US $3,500). A significant outlay on a low daily wage.
But some have made a success of their freedoms, worked hard and saved. Nathi takes us up to the ‘Beverley Hills’ of Langa. Locals that have made it and want to remain in Langa’s tight community of friends and family live here. Houses made of concrete, with running water and electricity. This is where locals dreams have come true.
EXTREME POVERTY & GOVERNMENT HELP
But for everyone that lives in Beverley Hills there are hundreds living in poverty. We round another bend on our Langa Township Tour and are faced with 6 shipping containers. Sunk into the dirt in a small plot of unclaimed land. Each shipping container houses two families, often up to 12 people. Conditions are cramped and dark. There is barely room for each person to sleep. In winter they are cold and in summer baking. The stuffy air often forces people out of their homes and onto the street.
A woman is outside, perched on a low small stool, washing clothes in a bucket. Another is making her way to the toilet block a couple of hundred metres away, where 100 people share 5 toilets. But while these shipping containers are incredibly basic they are still home. Inside they are spotlessly clean. The ubiquitous satellite dish, bolted onto the shipping container, provides entertainment for the family and the outside is decorated with cool modern graffiti.
Shooter’s shack is also on unclaimed land, down a dark narrow alleyway, surrounded by more than a hundred other tightly packed buildings of wood and scrap metal. With three tiny rooms, his is the largest in the area. But he too has no running water and has to share his neighbour’s electricity.
Shooter, and many others were forced to move to their temporary self-built homes when the government decided to upgrade their government accommodation. But that temporary move was in 2007. Eleven years later Shooter, and many like him, are still waiting to return.
I ask him how much longer he will have to wait. He shrugs. I ask him if he finds it frustrating. “Yes, of course”, he replies, “but Rome was not built in a day. I have my rights, I am a free man. I can be patient and in the meantime I will build my own life.”
But as a tourist on a Langa Township Tour, it’s not the intangible improvement in rights that strikes you. It is the destitute poverty and squalor that lingers in parts of the township. There is obvious pride in Langa, yet hundreds live in temporary shacks and shipping containers with no running water and few facilities. It feels less like the government has got out of the way to allow people to build their lives, and more like it has abandoned them to their own devices. Exploring parts of Langa, it appears Rome is not getting built at all.
SLUM TOURISM & POVERTY PORN
Wandering the streets on our Langa Township Tour with Nathi, there is one awkward moment. A drunken man walks up to us, slurring words in his local Xhosa language. It’s unclear what he is saying, but it looks like he wants money. Nathi tells us to ignore him, but the drunk man is persistent.
It’s at this point that we first appreciate what tourism means to Langa, and to Nathi. He’s very quick to intervene, stepping between us and the drunk man, to ensure we don’t feel intimidated. He gets the help of 3 local women, who appearing from nowhere, whisk our drunk friend away.
Nathi explains that Langa’s tight-knit community can exert powerful peer pressure. Drugs and violence are not common here. But drinking alcohol is legal and more socially acceptable. In a township with not much else to do, drinking cheap beer is a favourite social past time.
But the encounter with the drunk man forces us to ask ourselves: should we be on a township tour in Cape Town in the first place? Are we welcome or are we simply indulging our curiosity? Are we making things better or worse? But Nathi thinks tourists help. For years people in Langa associated the white man with police and oppression. Tourism has changed that. They see a different white man. One that engages with them, is curious to discover about their lives in a peaceful and polite manner. And one that leaves a tip.
THE VALUE OF A LANGA TOWNSHIP TOUR IN CAPE TOWN
As a tourist, taking a township tour in Cape Town, it is hard to see how much the rights of the people here have changed from 25 years ago. But walking around the houses and through the slums of sheet metal, past the library, the police station, the arts centre and the shipping containers, it is easy to see the good and the bad. People trying to make their lives better and communities trying to build a better future. But while no doubt things are improving, you are still struck by the poverty and squalor of much of the living conditions.
As a tourist, if you spend 5 days in Cape Town and just sip cocktails on the front at Camps Bay, eat in the restaurants of the V&A harbour and taste wine in the vineyards of Constantia then you have barely seen Cape Town at all. For many of the workers who have built this amazing city, live in areas that you never venture and in conditions you never see.
A township tour in Cape Town opened our eyes to how the vast majority of its citizens actually live; taught us to think more deeply how politics can affect people’s lives; and hopefully helped build better trust between the black and white communities of this city.
BOOK YOUR LANGA TOUR
This half-day Langa Township Tour includes District 6, Langa and Gugulethu. Pick up can be arranged from the city centre or Atlantic seaboard hotels including Camps Bay. The tour lasts 3 hours.
HOW TO HELP
If you are interested in helping some of the poorest people in the world live better lives, we highly recommend you explore GiveWell. GiveWell assesses which charities are the most effective at improving people’s lives for every US$ (£ or EUR) donated. Travelling the world regularly inspires us to help those that are less well off than ourselves and we donate to GiveWell recommended charities every year.
WHERE NEXT?
As one of our favourite places to visit for winter sun, great hiking and incredible wildlife opportunities, we’ve been to South Africa several times. Here’s some more reading you might find useful.
TRAVEL TIPS
How to design your own South Africa itinerary
DRAKENSBERG REGION
10 reasons to visit the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains
Hiking to the stunning Tugela Falls
Hiking to the top of the Tugela Gorge
WILDLIFE
27 incredible African safari animals and where to see them
10 tips for seeing the most animals on a self-drive Kruger safari
A BIG THANK YOU
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Paul & Mark
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Such a good article. I had a similar experience in Cape Town; we were taken to Khayelitsha. It was (for me) a wonderful experience: meeting the locals, including a particularly amazing youth choir, and talking to local people who worked in the NGO space trying to provide services within the township. It was incredible but yes, upon reflection I can recognise the complete privilege of my situation – one must be careful not to activate the “white saviour complex” in such situations. On the one hand, it didn’t sit well with me, making a tourist experience out of such a situation… but at the same time, I do believe tourism acts as a force for good in many ways (not least being in terms of transparency). So, I’m not sure what the answer is but I absolutely commend you for opening up this discussion.
I tend to agree that tourism can act as a force of good. It especially helps when tour guides come from and are embedded in the community and visitors arrive open to engagement and with an enquiring mind. Thanks a lot for your comments. Much appreciated.
Very interesting read on Cape Town. Its not the typical thing to do while travelling but definitely a MUST do to know more about the town. I like trying to know more about different people culture, the story behind small town and this is one interesting town.
We do too, and it is not always easy as language and cultural differences can restrict our ability to communicate. We think a tour like this is one of the easier ways to overcome those challenges.
Fascinating read. Thank you for openly discussing this. I was not even aware tours like this existed and I’m not certain how I feel about it. You’ve definitely given me food for thought on this topic.
These tours are relatively recent, but seem to be quite successful, so perhaps they will spread. Good luck working out how you feel, I am still doing the same!
Such an eye-opening story, didn’t have an idea of this side of Cape Town. Hoping to visit South Africa one day!
When you do, let us know how it goes. Thanks.
Awesome article! Sometimes we forget about real-world tourism such as this, and take our lives for granted.
Agreed. Experiences like this, even if rare, can help to keep us grounded and grateful.
Great information! We will always see the good and bad when we travel and appreciate both.
Awareness is key to improvements. Thank you for the link to GiveWell Charity. I have not heard of this one but will pass on as needed.
Hi Debbie, I highly recommend Give Well. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a email. Mark
That post is so well done. Worth a thousand posts with “x things to do” that other bloggers make. I great introduction to the actual life of Cape Town, about people and their struggles. I value such documentary-style posts a lot and always love reading. Get more content like this in the future!
Thanks for that Alexander. We are trying to increase content like this and aim for at least one from each country we visit. Look out for the next one from Namibia in a few weeks time. Appreciate the feedback.
Wow, this post is very inspiring to know how people live actually. Always tourist sees the beautiful landscapes or monuments but they neglect the people living behind it. We should also learn to know about the hardships and actual living of people. You have captured beautifully the living in Langa Township.
Thanks Yukti, it’s great to see the beautiful parts of a city, but it’s also good to see the real place from time to time.
Great article! We’ve heard a lot of great things about Cape Town. Truly, you won’t appreciate the beauty of a place without living their like a local.
It is certainly a city of remarkable contrasts. As you say, its good to see both sides.
This is a well detailed and informative post. I only about knew about the glamorous life of South Africa, i didnt know side of the country existed. I guess you always discover more about the country when you take the off the beaten road.
Thanks for sharing it
You are welcome. We always like getting under the skin of a country, even just for a day.
Hi Mark! I congratulate you for creating such meaningful article. My meager knowledge of Cape Town’s (and South Africa’s) battle for freedom goes only as far as Nelson Mandela’s fight against racial discrimination. Your story of Shooter is an example of how these people value their legal rights, something that they never had before, something that’s enough to make them happy despite still being trapped in poverty. It’s difficult to have an exact answer to your main question but by writing about your experience, you have opened our eyes to be sensitive about associated issues of joining this tour.
Thanks for your comments, Jing. The one message we certainly got loud and clear was that they value having their rights. Probably something we often take for granted until meet people who haven’t always had our fortunate way of life.
It must have been an intense experience to explore Langa Township and its dark history, learning about the atrocities during apartheid. I always like such experiences where you get to meet people who’ve been through the worst and have made it out, made something of themselves and are proud of it because it makes you realise that the world isn’t an easy place for a lot of people yet there are such strong and inspirational people all around! What a lovely experience to have interacted with them in their own township.
Absolutely agree Medha, they were very inspiring people to meet. It helps to put a lot in perspective when you have an experience like this.
I really enjoyed reading this Paul, and thank you for highlighting another kind of tourism in Cape Town. I know it may not be for everyone, but if this type of tourism benefits the people living there, then I’m all for it. It’s also inspiring to know they don’t all feel the same animosity towards white men too.
Thanks, Lisa. It’s probably not the experience that draws people to Cape Town but we found it a very rewarding one. We felt no animosity towards anyone while we were there, just a desire to move on with their lives.
Axing article. I read and appreciated each and every word. I totally understand your ethical dilemma and I was glad to know what the locals think. As a reader i found your your quite enlightening. You learnt a lot and we learnt a bit too from you
Thanks very much, glad you found it an interesting read. We learnt a lot from the people at Langa and it was a very rewarding experience. Puts the whole Cape Town experience in more perspective.
A great post about a part of this country which is not so promoted and kept hidden from the outside world normally. We always see the best parts but places like these have so much life in them yet never promoted. Tourism can bring changes to places such as these. The story of Shooter is an example of how they know their rights now and something they never did before. Woukd love to visit it some day.
Thanks, Amar, I hope you get to visit someday as well because it’s a very enlightening experience. It was a bit of a dilemma for us as well but an experience that we were very grateful for and one we would recommend to any tourist to Cape Town.
I love these sensational stories you write. You’re spot on with everything…. the images, the analysis and not mention the learning experience. Shadrack is a biblical name and I can only image where he got the name shooter from. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Daniel, Yes we never quite got the story of where the name Shooter came from, guessing it had something to do with his time in the police force but there we some questions we didn’t want to ask!
Thanks for this post. We have been to Cape Town twice and both times I considered a township tour but the thought of making people’s lives a tourism curiosity put me off. I am sure we will visit Cape Town again, it is a beautiful city, and next time I might take the plunge and do a township tour.
It’s a tricky one, but they certainly made us feel welcome. We’d recommend doing a tour if you have the time, you definitely get to see another side of beautiful Cape Town which can be balancing in itself.
Very interesting read! I faced the same question in Brazil. They do tours of the favellas there. I didn’t end up doing one but I am sure I would have learned a lot. The money also probably would have helped but charity donations can do that too. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard
Thanks, Anisa. I think the difference with doing a township tour versus giving to a charity is that you are supporting someones local business, rather than giving to a cause. So it really depends which you’d prefer to do.
This is exactly what I am struggling with, so I decided not to go while in South Africa. I feel like I’m there to see how poor/bad others are, and I don’t need to go on a tour to see/know that. But on the other side, if it helps the community without imposing some emotional or otherwise strain on those living there, I would be more open to it. #theweeklypostcard
That’s the same questions we were asking ourselves. They certainly gave us the impression that they wanted tourists to come, but it’s still hard to escape the feeling that it’s voyeuristic.
This is quite a Catch 22 post. On one hand tourists can learn something from the poverty, and perhaps try to help out in some way they otherwise would not have, but I struggle with the idea of exploring someone else’s misery as if it’s a tourist attraction. Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
Agreed. They are certainly open to receiving tourists and made us feel very welcome. For us, it is more about the incomplete picture you get of Cape Town without seeing first hand the way a lot of the population are still living.
I like your post but I don’t have a straightforward answer to your question – whether tourism would be good for townships like this in Cape Town. My question is, what do they do with the revenue earned from such tours? Do they want to channel the funds earned from tours to help improve their living and working conditions, or will they continue to remain in the same conditions because that’s what draws tourists? I wonder, if they would consider having a sustainable tourism model whereby the revenue earned helps to improve their conditions and they continue to draw in tourists by having a museum to share their history & success stories (even if it’s work in progress), promote their specialty (crafts, skills, etc) and so on. Sorry if my comments are too long but these are thoughts running through my mind as I ponder about your story. Thanks, cheers 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
Thanks for your comments, Kat. One thing to keep in mind is that a township tour like this is not a charity donation. What you are doing is supporting someone’s local business who lives in the community. So you are helping that person and their business. There is a centre where you can meet more people are purchase local crafts – this money goes back to the community and they have charts available to see where it is all going.
Very interesting article. I think you make a very good decision to go visit the Langa Township. I’m sure tourism will really help this community and it’s an eye opener for the visitors as well. Much too often we get used to our good, comfortable lives and forget there are so many other people who struggle like this. #TheWeeklyPostcard
Agreed. It’s a bit of a dilemma but it’s very easy to see Cape Town as just a beautiful city when there is another side to it which visitors don’t often see. Thanks for your comments, appreciate it.
Such an interesting, and thought provoking post. It’s a tough question and one Im not sure I know the answer to. To see it for ourselves helps improve understanding and hopefully change, but is it exploitation? Thanks for a great article… K #TheWeeklyPostcard
Thanks for your comments, Keri. It’s hard for us to say whether it’s a good thing to do or not, even after doing it. But, they were very friendly and it’s an eye-opener to see a different side to Cape Town.