Introduction

Prior to the 1994 democratic elections, urban tourism in South Africa was strictly confined to so-called 'White areas'. The reasons for this were twofold. Firstly, apartheid legislation prohibited visits by members of the 'White' community into areas designated by law as 'Black' townships. Secondly, such townships were widely regarded as 'no-go' areas due to perceivably high levels of crime and violence. The urban Black townships in South Africa differ from other deprived areas predominantly as a result of circumstances that prevailed during the apartheid regime. Barred from constituting an integral part of 'White' cities, the townships were developed as dormitory towns, far removed from central business districts and White urban areas. Whilst these townships facilitated the exploitation of Black labour, the lives of the 'rulers' and the 'ruled' were kept strictly segregated. Soweto, the focus of this study, is a sprawling urban conurbation constructed with the specific purpose of housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for White settlement. With a population of over two million, it remains an overwhelmingly Black-dominated city.

Soweto, which has a rich political history, first captured world attention when it became the centre of political campaigns aimed at overthrowing the apartheid regime. The 1976 uprising, during which students protested against the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction at the racially segregated Black high schools, and the political strife of the 1980s, turned the eyes of the world on the city. Today, Soweto has come to symbolise the political freedom of the new South Africa. The legacy of repression, pain and violence makes this township an unlikely tourist destination.