TOURISM
R U O Y E R O L EXP OWN BACKYARD eto Out and about in Sow
The Orlando cooling towers
oweto is an amazing place with an incredible vibe and history. Famous worldwide for its role in South Africa’s freedom struggle, Soweto never sleeps. Not even its own residents could hope to do justice to all its attractions, because they are always growing in number. We highlight some of the top attractions, but encourage you to explore on your own!
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to teach at the University of the Witwatersrand. He went on to develop the literature of isiZulu and siSwati, and assisted in compiling the isiZulu dictionary.
Home of the brave
Tower of power
All roads lead to Vilakazi Street, probably the most famous street in Soweto.
Craving adventure? Why not take a power swing across Soweto? Head for the brightly coloured cooling towers of the decommissioned Orlando Power Station.
It’s a street where two Nobel Prize winners lived, namely Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu! Mandela’s house is now open to the public as the Mandela House Museum. A humble, four-room, red-brick ‘matchbox’ house built in 1945, Mandela House showcases the Mandela family’s memorabilia, paintings and photographs. Outside, you can still see the bullet holes and scorch marks from petrol bombs on the walls. Not far from the Mandela House Museum is the Hector Peterson Museum. This is on the corner of Moema and Vilakazi Streets, and commemorates the youth killed by police on 16 June 1976, the day when the students rose up against the forces of oppression. The street itself is named after Dr. BW Vilakazi, who was a poet, novelist and intellectual, as well as the first black man 46
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Adding to the popularity of Vilakazi Street are the celebrated restaurants Nambitha and Sakhumzi, where tourists can dine on local cuisine.
After admiring South Africa’s largest mural on the cooling tower walls, you’ll be strapped into a harness and an openair elevator will take you 97metres up into the air. Climb the floating staircase and you will reach the viewing deck, where you can enjoy a breath-taking 360º panorama view. To get back down, you can take the elevator – or you can step onto the jump platform. Under the guidance of experienced jump masters, you can choose to either drop down into the cooling tower or swing between the towers. Feel your heart race as the view breaks up into a kaleidoscope of colours. There is no adrenalin rush quite like it. The Power Swing experience is located at Dynamo Street, corner Old Potch Road, Orlando, Soweto, Johannesburg. For more information, call +27 (0)71 674-4343 or Office +27(0)12 345-5114.
