Western Cape: Day Two

An early start had us up and off to visit Khayamandi, a township just outside of Stellenbosch.

The name means "sweet home", but the reality is far from it. Khayamandi is home to over 20, 000 people, most of whom live in shacks cobbled together with corrugated tin, random aluminium scraps, plastic tarps, and other refuse. The majority are unemployed with a lucky few being employed by surrounding farms.

Of all the sights we were scheduled to see, this township was the one I was most looking forward to. Wildlife is fascinating but to connect with fellow human beings and understand how others live, I think, is the most precious duty of visiting other countries.

We pulled into a parking lot surrounded by wire-topped fencing and cautiously climbed out of the van to meet our guide, Songa. He was about 35 years old, small in stature, but held a smile that could brighten up a room.

With little instruction as to where we were going or what we would be seeing, Songa set off towards the township shacks and we hurried to follow behind him. We hadn't walked 2 minutes before a group of small children came running towards us, yelling "teacher! teacher!" (most white people in the township are working for NGOs and are addressed as 'teacher').

A little girl ran full-tilt directly to me and stopped herself only by grabbing tightly onto my right leg. She held on for a good 20 strides until Songa told her to hold my hand instead. She was a beautiful little girl with the biggest, most expressive eyes.

I smiled and put my hand atop her hair as I was walking.

Soon I felt another little person to my left and similarly moved my other hand to cup his head.

My arm immediately recoiled once it didn't touch cushy hair, as I was expecting. In its place his scalp exposed a colony of swollen, crusted red scabs. No doubt the results of picking at lice, flies, or worse.

In a township where many are infected with HIV/AIDS, even the simple act of interacting with a child must be approached in a safe, aware manner. It was certainly a wake-up call for me to realize that I can't go about acting as carelessly as I did back home.

Our tour lasted a little over 45minutes and the things I saw were as heartbreaking and shocking as one might expect.

The shacks do not have running water, though there are government public washrooms sprinkled around. It works out to approximately 50+ people per toilet. As for electricity, only those positioned around electrical poles are lucky enough to link up their cords and steal it. I saw one post with over 30 users. Most homes are the size of a large bathroom and house, on average, a family of 7.

The dirt pathways around the shacks were narrow, twisty, and unpredictable. Foul-smelling water trickled down alongside us at some points, while spilled garbage and dead animals also made frequent appearances.

Feral cats, but mostly dogs, were everywhere. Without proper spaying and neutering programs, controlling the animal population is pretty much impossible. And obviously the primary focus is on getting the human population under control first. But a large, uncontrolled animal population comes with its own concerns: safety, nuisance, the spread of animal-borne diseases and illnesses. I think an animal-based NGO could do wonders for Khayamandi.

Everyone we met along the road during our tour were friendly and welcomed us with a nod and a good morning greeting. Songa explained his people understand the need for these tours as he estimates that one out of every five people end up returning to the area with an NGO or go ahead and make a donation to help the community.

One thing he made clear was that the crisis facing these townships is not hunger or starvation. It is housing and unemployment. These are the two key issues facing the South African government as a whole today. They have pledged to have all shack owners moved out and into government housing by 2015... but this target date leaves me feeling skeptical. There are millions of people living in townships and with only 11% of the South African population paying taxes, there is not a whole lot of money to build these promised houses with.

As a privileged, spoiled Canadian, the township visit was certainly a harsh pill to swallow. But I would love to visit again. There is so much good to be done in communities such as this one. Songa told us one American girl came for a 5 month work placement and is now on her third year there.

The Khayamandi visit was followed up by something a little (okay, a lot) more upbeat: wine tasting.

Yumm!

A young South African man named Adriaan walked us through a tasting of 6 locally-made wines (it may have been closer to 8...) at Fairview Estate Vineyards. It wasn't even noon yet, but who was keeping track??

We also had the opportunity to taste their cheeses. If buying Chakalaka cheese is available in Canada, I definitely recommend running out and grabbing some. Chakalaka is a spicy South African relish and added to creamy cheese, it is just divine! Plus, I mean, the name itself is just fun to say out loud. 

Fairview makes the brand 'Goats Do Roam' wine that Adriaan tells me is available back home. Please try it out (the Goatfather is tasty!) and let me know what you think!

 This vineyard scarecrow had his World Cup jersey still on! 

Our drive through the rolling South African vineyards was spectacular. We are heading into spring right now, so the vines were just beginning to show signs of blossoming. The amount of wineries in the area was staggering. I would love to make the same drive again in summer once the grapes are dripping from the vines.

The day concluded in a seaside town named Hermanus. It reminded me a lot of Gimli: boutique shops, outdoor patios, a tourist-laden pier with a constant barrage of sea gulls and birds.

Hermanus is most famous as being the best land based whale watching spot in the world. In the late winter, early spring months, Right Back Whales love to come into the bay to enjoy warmer waters on their way down to Antarctica. At pretty much any time of day, a 15-20 minute wait will reward you with at least one sighting.

We were lucky enough to see a few of our own. Though they never breached like the ones in Simon's Town, it was still neat to see them once again free as can be in the ocean waters.

Our accommodation for the night was wonderful -- a three bedroom mini apartment, complete with our own kitchen, two bathrooms and real beds! I hate bunk beds, for the record.

But after the visit to Khayamandi that morning, you won't find me complaining much.