Spread the word!
(Last Updated On: March 17, 2019)Traveling back to Cape Town from wine country takes us past the Cape Flats.



It would be entirely possible to fly into Cape Town, tour the city and peninsula and remain oblivious to the vast poverty that lies at the edge of this modern, sparkling city. That would leave a huge gap in understanding and appreciating this complicated part of the world.
As in Soweto, the lives of the people living here are varied – there is more to this place than the grinding poverty visible from the highway. However, the sense I have as a tourist drifting by and idly listening to the local news (there have been on-going riots in the Cape Flats while we have been touring the rest of the city) is that the situation here is more dire, depressing, and desperate than that of Soweto.
It is a very visible reminder both of how far South Africa has come and the immense challenges it still faces.
2011 South Africa itinerary
Spread the word!
Related Posts
Cape Town through the bus windowOur city tour took us past Cape Town’s major sights, but without time to stop anywhere. Cape Town City Hall Jan van Riebeeck, Commander of the Cape from 1652 to 1662, supporting the home-town soccer team Iziko Castle of Good Hope (South…
Vibrant Bo Kaap in Cape Town, South AfricaOriginally the home of slaves imported to the Cape of Good Hope during the 16th and 17th centuries from Malaysia, Indonesia and various African countries, Cape Town's Bo Kaap neighborhood has retained much of its colorful character. Today the neighborhood is home…
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South AfricaKirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is on our tour itinerary for tomorrow, but I’m guessing that the tour will not allow enough time for me at the garden (I am known for being able to spend an inordinate amount of time in gardens),…