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South Africa Apartheid Route |
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This
trip will not only give you an insight into the history of apartheid and the
birth of our new democracy. It will also take you through some lovely
scenery.
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| Day 1 |
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Fly in to Johannesburg, relax.
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| Day 2 |
| Do
a tour of Soweto, where you will be shown the Hector Peterson memorial, the
Regina Mundi Church and many other sites which have a fascinating history.
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| Day 3 |
Visit Museum Afrika and the Apartheid Museum at Gold
Reef City.
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| Day 4 |
| Drive
towards Durban, stopping near Midmar, to see the small monument where Nelson
Mandela was arrested prior to the Rivonia Trial. Go through the city of
Pietermaritzburg, where you will find a statue of Mahatma Gandhi built on the
place where he was arrested for riding in a whites only train carriage. He
claimed that his policy of passive resistance started then and there. Try to hit
Durban on a weekend, and spend the evening at the Rainbow Restaurant one of
South Africa?s oldest Jazz venues, and a place which has had a multicultural,
non-racial vibe for years.
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| Day 5 |
| Leave
early in the morning and drive through the beautiful rural Transkei, which was
once a nominally independent bantustan. Conveniently on the N2, is the small
village of Qunu, where Nelson Mandela grew up. You can see his house (the new
one, not the one he lived in as a child) from the road. A museum is planned.
Head off towards Hogsback, a lovely forested mountain retreat.
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| Day 6 |
| Visit
the University of Fort Hare, where many of our leaders studied, but only if you
have been able to organise a guide, otherwise it just looks like a small country
university. Then drive down to Grahamstown, stopping in Kingwilliamstown to
visit the grave of Steve Biko (more about him later). In Grahamstown, do an
?alternative? historical tour of the city. It?s quite an eye-opener if you
compare it to the standard fare dished up as historical truth. (We all know
there is more than one truth, anyhow.) Either continue on to Port Elizabeth
(about 100 miles) or overnight in Grahamstown. Spend the night in either
Grahamstown or Port Elizabeth.
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| Day 7 |
| Do
a cultural tour of Port Elizabeth, taking in the cell where Steve Biko was
tortured before his death, and the South End Museum.
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| Day 8 |
| Fly
to Cape Town. You could drive but it is a long way so, if you decide to drive,
rather take an extra day, stopping over in Plettenberg Bay or Knysna and
enjoying the scenery.
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| Day 9 |
| Do
an escorted tour of Langa, Gugulethu, Nyanga and Crossroads, where much of the
action of the anti-apartheid struggle happened. A visit to the Bokaap and its
museum will give you an insight into Cape Town?s Muslim community.
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| Day 10 |
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course, you can?t possibly miss Robben Island, where many of our present leaders
were incarcerated. The District Six Museum is well worth a visit, and you can
stand on the Grand Parade, looking up at the wedding cake facade of the City
Hall ? from which Nelson Mandela gave his first address as a free man in 1992.
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