Column: Township tour in Cape Town through the eyes of Stephanie
Stephanie is living the good life. Stephanie moved to Kenya, fell in love instantly and now lives in South Africa. From there she writes columns Bart's Booklet. So is this one, about one Township tour in Cape Town. For a moment she dives into the other life of cosmopolitan Cape Town, she drinks coffee at Sikilela and cycles through a township.
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In Kenya I am used to the fact that everyone seems to be in three different businesses. The next day I see the askari (guard) who sells our wood fire at the market in his mobile hair salon cutting hair and not much later he offers me a taxi ride. It is very normal to wake up in the morning and start a new business that same day. Don't talk, just polish.
Here in South Africa it is not much different, although the relaxed vibe in Cape Town sometimes makes you forget that there is still work to be done. We can't hang out in the vineyards all week and my old body can't handle that anymore. Since January I have been setting up an office for a Dutch marketing company in this beautiful city. We are working hard with a great team of South Africans and I learn more about the history and customs of this special country every day.
Because you won't believe it, but in addition to cosmopolitan Cape Town, there is a whole world of citizens who are not jet-setting here. To the business vibes in all facets, this weekend we will be sipping coffee with Sikilela (34 years old) and cycling through a township where he will introduce us to various companies. After 10 years of working in coffee shops, including a number of years in the UK, Sikelela Dibela decides to open his own business in his 'kasi' (neighborhood).
Sikelela lives in Khayelitsha township. He saw the coffee culture in the big city every day, but when he came home there was nowhere to meet for coffee. Of course that happened, but always at someone's home and we all know how wonderful it is to have a “terrace”. According to Sikele, a cup of coffee can solve all your worries. People come together to unwind. Catch up. Or treat yourself to something tasty after a long day at work. Sikilele filled this gap in the market and opened a coffee shop at his home 4 years ago. At Sikis Koffee Kafe (@sikis_koffee_kafe) the beans are roasted themselves in a gigantic oven in the back and you immediately feel at home. You take a seat at the bar or plop down in a chair surrounded by the buzz on the street. This nice vibe overwhelms the feeling of insecurity, because that is what people often immediately refer to when talking about townships.
Khayelitsha is the largest township in the Cape. When you fly to Cape Town, this is the first thing you see when you drive towards the city. Khayelitsha means 'new home' in Xhosa. The townships are a remnant of Apartheid, which was abolished in 1990. At that time, the white government placed blacks and coloureds in a cordoned-off area outside the city. The conditions at that time were poor, the soil was infertile and the shacks (houses) were self-built from corrugated iron and wood. About 400.000 people live there and unemployment is estimated at 70%. Those who do have work leave en masse early in the morning by train to Cape Town, but this has improved in recent years. There are many projects in which brick houses are built and running water and electricity are installed. Various projects are also being set up to create more employment. You can imagine that this takes time, but all improvements are welcome. It is good to understand that townships are not the same as slums. It indicates a certain area, within which various formal (brick houses) and informal (self-built shacks) dwellings can be located.
It may be a high crime area here (reported and indicated on large billboards along the road), but a warm blanket falls over you when you walk around here. I am greeted with a broad smile and pleasant conversations about the everyday things of the day. As almost the only white person, I don't get strange looks and that makes me feel welcome. There is a lot of activity on the market on Sundays. Everyone knows everyone and there is chatter on every street corner. You see children playing here and I get the feeling that people are proud of what they have built here. Despite the - in Western eyes - poor conditions, you feel that there is a community here full of zest for life. Ubuntu, connectedness. This means that everything is shared with the community. If someone has had a good month at work, he helps the neighbor when things are going wrong. I think that is the best experience of living in Kenya and South Africa, but I will tell you about that another time. Back to Siki!
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The townships are often a source of creativity, because there is a lot of free time and it creates a form of entertainment. Siki takes us through his hometown. With a nice cup of beer in hand, we jump on our bikes to gain new experiences. He introduces us to various business people and we are overloaded with energy. The baker makes breads from spinach that are sold in the city at fancy bakeries. The potter makes beautiful tableware that is sold for big dollars in lifestyle shops. We meet young people who set up their own clothing lines. I enjoy meeting these real craftsmen and businesswomen. An entrepreneur lives in every street and we are received with enthusiasm. There are of course more nuances to this story and I will elaborate on that next time, but for now I can only say; contact Siki and experience a special day with him. He has now also opened a business in Calermont and organizes meetings in the coffee shop with music where people from all over come together. While the townships may initially evoke a feeling of pity, you will experience that there is more joy here than behind the high fences in the Blaricum residential area.
We end the tour with an old-fashioned braai on the street. Chicken leg from the kitchen and half a liter of ice-cold beer. We do a dance in the local disco and take the matatu (taxi) with ghetto blasters back home. This is how I prefer to spend my weekend. Thank you dear Siki for this beautiful day!
