Africa Day One: Soweto Township

Somewhat confronting a few hours after stepping off an international flight from Sydney, Soweto remains something of an epic location for any visitor to Southern Africa. Having said that though, it's certainly not a place for the faint-hearted. Many of the Africans living in the informal camps have nothing other than a piece of rusty tin over their heads. No fresh water in the huts, no electricity, no sanitation, no roads and little prospect of finding jobs.
 

An 'informal' township inside Soweto - several hundred illegal migrants live here, with no running water and only these few chemical toilets serving the community...

One of the locally born residents of the same camp. He has learned enough English to show those tourists that are interested enough, how things work in this place...

Here's a shot of a young kid that just came up to us and asked to have his photo taken.
Nothing more.

Local sorghum beer isn't that strong - although if you drink enough of it, clearly accidents can still happen.

Tangerine, a young Sowetan woman who sold us a coffee at one of the cafes that cater for the occasional Western visitor.

Although this encampment was exceedingly rough, many of the 'better' suburbs inside Soweto showed some prosperity and had significantly better facilities.