Alexandra Township, or Alex, in Johannesburg township is a sobering example of the cramped and underdeveloped conditions in which the National Party forced non-whites to live.

Entering a township as an outsider can be difficult and evoke concerns of the inhumanity in this segregation. Thankfully, I visited Alex alongside members of the Alexandra Development Forum, a community service organization that empowers residents with marketable skills to better qualify for employment opportunities. Their insight helped me understand the current issues and developments happening in townships today. I felt that experiencing the townships was important in my understanding of Apartheid on a visceral level; I wanted to truly feel the impact it had on those oppressed and gain an authentic vision of South Africa’s past, present, and future.

Many residents of townships like Alex call one room shacks their homes. Often constructed with found materials, corrugated tin roofs, and no plumbing, these sometimes shelter families of five or more. Conditions are certainly tough in these communities, but the sense of community I felt and the kind spirit I witnessed were undeniable. Everyone I spoke with was willing to answer my questions about living there.

From the District Six Museum. District Six is a community in Cape Town that the government demolished in the 1960s, displacing more than 60,000 people in favor of segregated townships on the city’s outskirts. The National Party declared District Six a “slum fit only for clearance” to justify its demolition. In actuality, this mixed race community living in harmony was proof against the Party’s beliefs in racial segregation, based on the Group Areas Act of 1950. This law stated that people could only own property in sections marked off for their race. Forceful removals happened in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and all across South Africa - uprooting countless people from their homes.

The museum is a reminder of District Six’s past. On the museum floor is a large map with handwritten notes from former residents - signatures indicating where their homes had once been. Noor, the museum’s founder, informed me that the city is redeveloping District Six, and former residents are slowly moving back. He vowed to return soon to his home community as well.

Reflecting on History: The Soweto riots.

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