Things to Do in Soweto

Soweto is an acronym for South Western Townships, created during apartheid as a segregated residential area for Black South Africans working in Johannesburg.

The 1976 Soweto Uprising, a student-led protest against forced Afrikaans-language education, became a pivotal moment in the anti-apartheid movement and is commemorated annually on June 16.

Nelson Mandela lived in Soweto for 35 years before his imprisonment, and his former home at 8115 Vilakazi Street is now a museum open to visitors.

Vilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners—Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu—lived as neighbors.

Soweto is home to over 3 million people, making it one of the largest urban townships in South Africa and a vibrant hub of music, art, and entrepreneurship.

The township is famous for its street food culture, particularly kota (a hollowed bread roll filled with chips, egg, and sauce), which is an iconic Soweto snack.