East London, South Africa

We went on a township tour in East London and experienced a very interesting journey through the various living areas of the towns people of East London. We visited a preschool in the shanty town area where there were thousands of homes built of metal roofing material or other packing material along with a few buildings of cinder block or shipping containers. Interestingly enough thought there were some who had made some money and had jobs that had satellite dishes and nice furniture within the confines of the little shanties. The people choosing to continue living there even if they could afford other housing because of the community that they experience in these area. We traveled to schools and other parts of town where the government was being very active at providing housing that was pretty nice. Then around to the previously white areas that were very nice and could be plunked into any American suburb without change and fit right in. Now they were becoming more mixed but were still largely white. This is the one area that just about everyone in South Africa agrees is not going fast enough. I get the feeling though that they are moving along about as fast as we did in the US after the days of Jim Crow and the civil rights movement. I think everyone wants to move a little faster then that and I do wish them to best. The country looks like one that will be fantastic to live in when they get some of this sorted out.Read more