Langa

After visiting the District Six Museum and seeing the remnants of an old community, we visited Langa, the oldest existing black township in the Western Cape. It was established in 1927 within the terms of the 1923 Urban Areas Act. The name Langa means “sun” in the Xhosa language, but the name of the township is actually derived from the name Langalibalele – a famous chief who was imprisoned on Robben Island for rebelling against the government.

Our first stop was the Sinebhongo Community Garden. Run by the mothers and grandmothers of the community, their aim is to feed and teach the community. They train people in the community to cultivate their own gardens at home as well as school children, and encourages them to teach others.

Sinebhongo Community Garden lot

Cabbage

Banana bunch

Watermelon

Eggplant

The Guga S'thebe Cultural Center was opened in 2005 and is now the site of many community and cultural activities. A host of community classes are held here, including bead work, photography, and the making of traditional garments and pottery. Performances by local groups are often held in the outdoor amphitheater.

Entrance to Guga S'Thebe Cultural Center

They explained the pottery making process to us and showed us the kilns they worked with. I bought a hand-painted espresso cup. It was too beautiful to not bring home.

Pottery produced on-site

The young people are not only trained in instruments but also performance. They jumped at the chance to show us what they had been practicing. And their hard worked showed. They were even gracious enough to invite us to play some of the instruments with them. Needless to say, they will remain the stars on their stage.

Fred imitating Art

Like all neighborhoods, Langa has different types of housing. Townships were a way for the apartheid government to control "who" was "where" within the city. Initially the housing that was built in Langa were for non-European male migrant workers. Each apartment had four sleeping rooms, one common space and a tiny cooking space.

Migrant worked housing

Sleeping room, initially intended for 1 male

Kitchen

Aside from basic desire for freedom, the apartheid government underestimated the human desire for the family unit. A flat that was intended for 4 men, now held four families. Eventually the housing stock evolved to accommodate the evolution of the population.

New townhouses being built

Drive thru Langa & Joe Slovo informal settelement

Although new housing is being built, the after-effects of apartheid policies still linger today. Providing enough adequate housing has long been a struggle in South Africa and continues to be. Considering the history of forced removal, internal displacement,  and disenfranchisement; the people are not to keen on leaving their homes to allow the government to build new ones. So the progress is slow.

Shoe shopping

Tailor shop

I know in the United States of America, we're used to strip malls as a primary location for business. However it was encouraging to see mom & pop businesses all over the place. You can do some shoe shopping, get a dress altered, and have bite to eat. What's great to see is that even though the official unemployment rate is pretty high, the people are entrepreneurial.

Uncle Milo @ Lelapa

Lelapa is one of Langa’s big surprises, where people from all over the world come for lunch or dinner.  Lelapa, meaning ‘The Home’ was established in October 1999. Sheila & Monica Mahloane (mother & daughter) converted their home to create a restaurant serving tradition township cuisine and invite guests to experience a bit of the township life.

Lelapa isn't a place to just pop in for a meal - you have to book in advance so that fresh food can be purchased and meals prepared. But planning ahead is worth it: Monica and her mother cook up a smorgasbord of delicious and primarily wheat-free dishes - typically a 20-dish buffet, with live music. Apparently reggae is universal, because this is one of many time that everyone around (not just the group of mostly Jamaicans I was traveling with) burst out a Bob Marley tune.

A little 7 minute video, Langa Township walking tour, following the My Natour team on their exciting trip around South Africa - 6000kms in 28 days. This highlights parts of Langa we didn't have time to see.

Beluga's on your right

We wrapped up Day 4 with dinner at Beluga. The space was this architect's delight. Fitted in an old mill building, the exposed brick and wood floors go on forever. The lighting scheme gives the illusion of an intimate setting, even though the restaurant seats 120. And my food was phenomenal. Though I was very tempted to have sushi again, I ventured out and ordered the kingklip. Kingklip is a deep water fish with a mild, sweet flavor with firm and dense flesh resembling monkfish, but softer and with large loose flakes. I've not had fish this great since...well, ever. Unfortunately it's hard to come by in the US, so another trip seems in order.

Non-buyers remorse.

As we waited for our taxi to take us back to our hotel, I spied this lovely painting in an art gallery in the commercial complex of the Foundry. I still look at it and wish I'd done more to try to purchase it. Oh well, I'd rather have non-buyer's remorse than buyer's remorse. Maybe one day the ostriches and I will be reunited, until then I will continue to travel the world.

Tomorrow awaits us and so does Robben Island.