On Wednesday 12 October, the Form IV African Languages girls were lucky enough to spend the day exploring the diverse, historical culture of Soweto.

We began our day in Kliptown, the area that gave birth to the Freedom Charter. Here, we walked through the Kliptown Museum, observing and learning about the history of the area and the charter. Afterwards we drove past the famous Regina Mundi Church, as well as Morris Isaacson High School, on the way to the Soweto Theatre.

The vibrant colours of the architecture were a sight to behold, but the tour we received inside was equally as amazing – not even the summer heat could spoil the tour as we slurped on multi-coloured slushies. We ended the tour with a mini-photoshoot outside the theatre.

We later drove to Vilakazi Street to explore Nelson Mandela’s house and the street itself. Lunch was served in Orlando East at Baza Baza Roadhouse, a restaurant owned by a St Mary’s Old Girl – Khanyi Makhaya (nèe Nkabinde), mother to Lwazi, a matric student.

Outside the restaurant we were met by traditional Zulu dancers, who mesmerised us with their dancing and singing. For lunch we had mouth-watering braaied chicken and beef, served with green salad and chips. Stuffed to the brim at the end of our meal, a few of the girls danced and sang with the dancers to express our gratitude. Exhausted, we ended our day with a well-deserved nap on the bus back to school.

Minenhle Molefe

Form IV