Today more than 90 world leaders came together to pay their respect to Nelson Mandela in Soweto, the place where he lived when he was a young man.
Soweto is on many itineraries of visitors before they carry on for their African safaris in Kruger Park. It is a large city with about 3 million people, a buzzing life, well known sights at the Hector Pieterson Museum, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (the third largest hospital in the world) and Soccer City (built for the Worldcup in 2010).
But the most visited place in Soweto and especially now is the former Mandela family home, a humble house in Orlando West, also called the Mandela Family Museum. It has a rather interesting collection of memorabilia of his life in the four inter-leading rooms. It is part of every Soweto Tour and although it is small, it gives a glimpse of the world leader and the private person he was.
It is worth seeing Soweto, its history, its diversity and what it achieved in recent years with restaurants, hotels and shops like modern places elsewhere in the world.
Happy traveling Mandela’s path!
Ute Sonnenberg for www.rohoyachui.com
