Hop on a bus to see a new side of Joburg
Clinton Moodley and Masego Panyane enjoyed an exhilarating ride and found peace in the city
Clinton Moodley
TO BE honest, I didn’t think much of Joburg as a place where one can have a fun filled holiday until I stepped on board the Joburg version of the city sightseeing bus. I decided to go on a Sunday afternoon, after a three-hour drive back to Gauteng from Limpopo.
The sunny weather set the tone for a memorable and educational tour of the iconic City of Gold. There are two tours, the Green Route and the City Tour.
The tour paints a totally different one from the one I know. The city has another side, one with the homeless walking about on Jan Smuts Avenue or some setting up a place to sleep under the large bridges in the city.
Then there are the leafy, lush suburbs we all fell in love with where cosmopolitan living runs high. On the streets are women enjoying lunchtime cocktails with friends at a restaurant, on the other side there are young boys playing a game of football.
On the bus, there is remarkable diversity, ranging from friends and tourists to couples.
On the Green Tour, one can enjoy picnics at Zoo Lake, see animals at the Joburg Zoo or go back in history by visiting the Military Museum or Constitution Hill.
The City Tour, which links Constitution Hill,the Mining District, Carlton Centre, Gold Reef City Casino Hotel and Braamfontein.
The voices of different people in the audio that plays in the bus paint a picture of a rainbow nation, comparing black and white lifestyles and how they can now mix as one.
I loved hearing Nelson Mandela singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star after we passed the Nelson Mandela Children’s Home.
The bus trip is insightful, even for locals.
As we crisscrossed the city, we were introduced to the south side of Joburg, which the guide said did not get the recognition it deserves. I agree. I saw the bustling townships of the working class; men drinking bottles of beer on the side of the street, laughing casually.
Some places to visit in the south are the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for hikers.
Make sure you hear the Daisy de Melker story; it will leave you on the edge of your seat. As I rushed off to the airport, I was glad that I was able to see a new side to Joburg.
Masego Panyane
I HAVE lived in the South Western Townships (Soweto) for two decades. I have been in and out of Joburg because it’s the place I went to school and now work in. But aboard the open-top City Sightseeing bus, I was exposed to a slightly different city from the one I know and love.
The commentary by the guides reflected an important dynamic that exists in Joburg. One of the narrators, Lebogang, humanised the experience of thousands of black residents when she recalled growing up as a child under apartheid and visiting her mother in the maid’s quarters of the house where she worked as a live-in maid. The tour also acknowledged the economic make-up of the northern and southern parts of Jozi, giving voice to the tensions in the city.
The bus has 17 stops if you decide to do the Red and Green Bus tours.The tour’s main starting point is Rosebank, with the bus service also offering passengers a shuttle service from Sandton hotels. We started with the Green bus tour from Rosebank.
The narration of golden nuggets of historic tales is interspersed with music that is uniquely South African. Whether it’s Dr Mageu and Oskido, crooning about the the perils of blowing your newly received salary in the city’s taverns, or Freshlyground’s Zolani asking if you heard the news in Doo Bee Doo, the trip has just the right music. By the time we reached the first genuine skyscraper in Africa, the Carlton Centre, the soundtrack featured
Stimela sam saseZola by Mbongeni Ngema, telling the tale of a young and smitten man going to catch a taxi outside the centre to see his lover in Zola, Soweto.
The tour can also include 10 stops in Soweto, including the country’s biggest hospital, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital; the Orlando Towers; the tourist haven and home to two Nobel Prize winners, Vilakazi Street; as well as the poignant Hector Pieterson Memorial. We, however, did not go on the Soweto tour.
By the end of the trip, I had a newfound appreciation for my beloved Egoli.
Visit citysightseeing.co.za for more information about bus times, fares and stops.
Clinton and Masego were guests on the City Sightseeing Bus Tours.
On the green tour, enjoy picnics at Zoo Lake, see animals at Joburg zoo or visit Military Museum or Constitution Hill