Soweto is a township in the suburb of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa. The name is an abbreviation for South Western Townships. It is infamous for being as one of the most deprived areas in Johannesburg (colloquially known as ‘Joberg’). Numerous informal settlements and shanty towns exist within Soweto.
A famous landmark in Soweto is the Orlando Power Station which is a decommissioned coal-fired power station. The two brightly mural-painted cooling towers are prominent features in Soweto. The towers are used for bungee jumping while the platforms surrounding the towers are used as recreational areas including a disco.
Another place of interest in Soweto is Mandela’s House which exhibits artifacts (memorabilia, paintings and photographs) in a previous home of Nelson Mandela. It is a red-brick house built in 1945 which still contains bullet holes as well as scorch marks from petrol bombs thrown at the house. To visit Soweto’s landmarks, we would recommend Viator’s Soweto Highlights Tour (USD 70) which includes both Mandela’s House and the Orlando Towers, amongst others.
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