We began our day by visiting the District 6 Museum. There, we learnt the confronting stories of the Apartheid era, especially of those affected in District 6. We learnt how the residents of District 6 were forcibly removed from their own homes, often resulting in their houses being demolished all because of the colour of their skin. We were all certainly touched and the next bus ride was very quiet to say the least.

 

We then moved on to a driving tour of Langa Township and arrived at Mokone Public Primary School. We were overwhelmed with kindness when we were greeted by some beautiful singing by a group of the primary students.

 

 

 

After this, we engaged in some games of netball and soccer with some of the primary students. Who had the most points at the end of the games is not important. Let’s just say that Australia was well represented and in our eyes, we’re all winners.

After presenting Mokone Primary school with our boots, shoes, clothing and equipment donations, we went for lunch at Nomzamo’s Butchery in the heart of the township. We were provided with a variety of meats and a dish called ‘pap’ and we all tucked in with our hands, just as the locals would (except for our vegetarian and vegan students who were also well looked after).  We then embarked on an hour long walk around the township, learning the ins and outs of the Langa lifestyle. The Langa Township was a vibrant and cohesive community. PIC 3

 

 

At the Cape Town United School of Football, we trained with the Under 13’s team and got to know a lot of the players. We played some short games where they out-skilled us by far, meaning next year’s South Africa Tour Students should probably start training! After training, we then caught up with the Senior Soccer team where we presented them with their brand new track suits as well as several duffle bags of donated boots and equipment. We also donated several duffle bags of shoes and equipment for the affiliated women’s netball team.

 

 

 

We then invited some of the junior players and few of their coaches to join us in finishing the day with a dinner at LeLapa. This restaurant has operated out of a converted house since 1960. We enjoyed some fantastic live music and we all had fun learning how to play the instruments and dancing with the locals. The food was sensational. We enjoyed great music and enjoyed a great variety of delicious foods, including Kudu and Ostrich.

 

 

 

In all, this day opened all our eyes and changed our perspective of South African townships.

 

– Olivia Martin & Alex Avern-Taplin