The Township of Soweto

                                 A township is where the blacks where forced to live in the days of 

                                 of Apartheid.  There are townships all over South Africa and Soweto

                                 is one of the biggest.  (SO-South, WE-West, TO-Township.)

Soweto continued

The homes are small and very old but they take great 
pride in their yards.  They are usually very tidy and clean.

         A community water source.

   Setting up a little store for the day.

 Getting a haircut from a friend.

These women are moving large bales of refuse to a center
for recycling.  

Journey through old Joburg (Johannesburg)

The Jacaranda Trees of Johannesburg

                             The Jacaranda Trees are beautiful and cover the city of Johannesburg.  Too
                             bad they only bloom for about 6 weeks every year.

Johannesburg Today

 

                           After Apartheid ended, the whites were so afraid they built these stone walls 

                           around their houses.   Most have barbed wire around the top like a prison wall. 

                           However, crime is very high here so it's probably a good idea.  A SA doctor said

                           Great Britain sends their soldiers here to train in the Trauma ER before they go 

                           to Afghanistan because they have so many gun shot victims everyday.                

                          These fellows are weeding each stone by hand.  Don't they have Round-up here?  
                          The unemployment is about 30% so maybe this is a way to give people a job.

Nelson Mandela's Home

 The Roberts, The Harms, The Heningers-Canadians serving in Durbin, The Evans from Congo
serving in the DRC (the Congo)

                  This is Nelson Mandela's home under heavy security.  But of course, silver-tongue
                                      Grandpa smoothed the way so we could get a few pictures.

LIttle Mazzy's School

 

This is our dear Sister Thoba's granddaughter named Mazzy.  Thoba has been so much help to us as new missionaries since she knows so many influential people in South Africa.  This child has been through a lot (father murdered, mother a model and gone a lot) so Grandma is trying to raise her and work at the Area Office as well.  She comes to the office after school often and waits for Granny.
She is such a delightful, intelligent child.  We love her and her Granny.