Over the last two weeks I have ventured into the townships with one of my colleagues for lunch on two occasions. Mr X knows the townships like the back of his hand and some of the places we stopped at I don't think I will every find again. The first time we got amagwinya (vetkoek or fatcake which is a ball of dough deep fried in oil) with sliced polony at one of the informal takeaways doing business from a shipping…
In the township it isn't necessary for a eatery to have menus to hand out to patron. This take away joint has their menu painted on the outside wall to attract clients. Orders are put through the window in the middle and I assume the lady hanging on the gate will then prepare your meal for you to take away. Or eat just there leaning on the window sill like the guy in the middle of the pic.
This is the last post in this short series featuring the UDDI's Despatch Eco-Hub. Part of their vegetable garden project is a very innovative hanging tomato garden. The tomato seeds were first planted together before its going to be replanted into cut off plastic two liters cold drink bottles. These containers will then be hung on the fence with wire creating a tomato "hedge". Very good idea if you are short of space.
One of the main projects at the UDDI's Despatch Eco-Hub is a very innovative tyre garden. Two tyres are fixed onto of each other, filled with soil and veggies planted in them. It a great way to recycle tyres as well as establish a veggie garden where the soil may be of bad quality or there may not be enough space for a garden. They can quite easily be moved around as well. The other thing tyres are used for at the…
The Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative (UDDI) recently established their first Eco-Hub as a pilot project in the Despatch township of Khayamnandi. The project is about "transforming hot spots into green spots" and involves the empowerment of members from the local community to do something for themselves, their community as well as the environment. One of the components of the project is a recycle station where residents can separate glass, paper, plastic and cans with a fifth bin for grass cuttings…
Andza's Tavern in Motherwell is one of the more popular taverns in the city and are frequented by both locals as well as tourists. During a recent media visit that I got to accompany we went to Andza's for a... wait for it, snoek braai. Township folk (just like us white Afrikaners) love their meat and usually they have lamb, steak or chicken braaiing over the coals when you get there, so going to a tavern and being served fish…
It’s so easy for us to go to the local supermarket or fruit and vegetable shop to buy some fresh veg for dinner, but what do you do when you don't have money to just go and buy left and right? Vegetable gardens are a fairly common sight in the townships and some people put a lot of effort into theirs. This little vegetable garden stands behind a shack in Ramaphosa Village and at first glance you can see spinach,…
Although the government has built a couple of million new houses over the last 18 years since democracy, there are still many people in the townships living in informal settlements in shacks made of corrugated iron and wood. These shacks stand in Ramaphosa Village, an informal settlement close to New Brighton.
One of the best spots to have a bird's eye view of Port Elizabeth's townships are the view point at the top of the suburb of Kwamagxaki. Kwamagxaki first developed as a middle class black suburb and most of the people who lived there during the apartheid years were civil servants like nurses, policemen and municipal employees. The lookout spot was used by the apartheid police to keep an eye over the townships to identify areas of unrest.
Chicken is a very popular meal in the township, mostly because it's cheaper than red meat. The residents usually buy chicken from vendors on the street with the chickens being sold either live or plucked.