Orlando Towers

Soweto is an awesome township to hang out in. This past Freedom Day I met a lady from Soweto amongst a group of other new people she stuck out because of her bubbly personality and her whole approach to life. My one friend also pointed out that she loves people from Soweto because only in Soweto will strangers take you in and treat you like their very own family member.

Tourist attractions include the Orlando Towers where bungee jumping is the new craze! You find the Hector Petersen Memorial in Kliptown. The Largest hospital in the continent the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is also situated in Soweto. Vilakazi Street is the most popular street in the whole Township.

Vibrant residential areas such as Diepkloof, Meadowlands and Pimville have produced many talented individuals that we see on TV today. Musicians, actors, painters, writers and everyone involved in the different art forms prefers living in Soweto as a number of like-minded individuals populate hang out spots.

At the moment Soweto is undergoing major changes with property development projects underway. Jabulani, Orlando and Lufhereng are some of the places which will soon define Soweto’s look in the 21st century.
The best way to determine which area of Soweto you prefer is by exploring all of Soweto.

Image courtesy of http://www.allaboutcityguides.com

For food and music, try the backroom lounge in Pimville, a series of entertainment is also available there and it’s a nice place to spend a Sunday evening. Chaf Pozi is dominated by young people looking to have a good time. The crowd at Chaf Pozi is young, funky, vibrant and extremely friendly. If athletics is more your beat than you have got to attend a few games at the Fiat Sports centre in Meadowlands.

Try doing something different on a date like touring Soweto, you will see the township in a whole new light and maybe even discover things that you didn’t know were there initially. The bicycle tour is also a good way to tour and keep healthy at the same time.

In September The Soweto Festival/Expo at Nasrec will showcase everything unique about Soweto.
Be it a cure for insomnia or “chronic” boredom, Soweto has entertainment for the young and young at heart.

The Soweto Towers are a bungee jumping site for residents of close to the Gauteng area. The distance from where you jump to the ground is 100 m in height. There are technicians and trained specialist that will guide you through the jump.

Be it fighting demons, maybe you are closing a chapter in your life… or you just an adrenaline junky.  The Orlando Towers are the perfect place to bungee jump in the urbanised Gauteng province.

Before jumping you will see the panoramic view of the city. Taking the plunge into the blue skies will be something that you won’t forget anytime soon. The experience cost just R450 and if you want, you can buy a DVD for just R150.

Gather a few of your friends, a relative or go there alone and take the plunge at the Orlando Towers. Bungee jumping is a bit extreme but it’s something definitely worth doing.

Avoid bus and taxi routes, this is the best way to get yourself frustrated… rather use back routes out of the township. Try leaving early, depending on the time you need to be at work leave 10 – 20 minutes earlier than usual.

If you have flexible working hours rather leave early, before the morning rush that way you can get off work early as well and avoid the afternoon rush. Or vice versa; leave late and get to work at 9am and then leave after the traffic rush in the evenings at 6pm.

Schedule meetings for mid-mornings this will make your commute a lot faster as everyone is at the office around that time. Appointments scheduled after lunch will also be met as there is no traffic congestion at that time.

Use gym as an aid, if you struggle with traffic in the afternoons then head to the gym after work. If morning are your problem; leave extra early, go to gym and then go into the office after.

Image courtesy of: http://www.sport24.co.za

The whole idea behind the Lufhereng project is to make it a mixed-income residential area. Schools, clinics and a number of recreational facilities will be present. By the end of the project 24 000 units in total should be built.

The name Lufhereng is a combination of Venda and Sotho words which come to be interpreted as “a place where people come together to fulfil a united commitment”. The name may be regarded as the foundation for where the idea of a “mixed” community comes from.

The project has a few beneficiaries which really need houses from this project. The Lufhereng project was started out in 2010 and upon completion Lufhereng will be one of the places that will experience a property boom.

With all the housing developments in Soweto, the place to be at the moment is the south western township. Orlando, Jabulani or Lufhereng; where ever you decide to live, these property developments will ensure that you love your new home.

Picture courtersy of: http://www.joburg.org.za

The mayor is presented with a memento of the launch of the Orlando Ekhaya project.

Property developments in Soweto have been a trend in the last decade. The Orlando Ekhaya projects which was started up in the year 2008. A new project development is the Jabulani Heights project.

Designed for people in a catch–22 situation of earning too much for a subsidy but not enough to buy a home, the Jabulani projects appeal to people who want the best of both worlds; living in an upmarket community but being in the township at the same time.

The property development is located very close to a mall, hospital, theatre, fire station, municipal office and most importantly filling stations. Location was carefully considered when formulating the Jabulani project; developers had to make sure that residents had access to amenities, transport routes and were closely located to their places of work.

The Jabulani project consists of three-story blocks of flats totalling 4 200 units. A few apartments are also under construction in Protea Glen. RDP projects near the Jabulani Mall are also part of the Jabulani project.

The aim for the Jabulani Project is to make the Jabulani area the new CBD of Soweto. Soon people from different walks of life will be hanging out in Soweto more specifically Jabulani with all the developments going on, Jabulani will be the heart of Soweto soon!

Image courtesy of http://www.joburg.org.za

• Hector Pieterson Memorial: this museum is situated not far from the spot where 12 year old Hector was shot on the 16 June 1976 during the Soweto uprising. Today it’s a symbol of resistance to the brutality of the apartheid government.
• Kliptown: is the oldest district in Soweto, famous as a site known as the Congress of the People, where 3 000 gathered together in 1955 to write the Freedom Charter. It later served as the basis for South Africa’s liberal constitution.
• Vilakazi Street: most famous street in the Soweto Township. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived here, how many places can claim that two noble prize winners lived in the same street?

Soweto has quite a lot to offer from memorial parks to bus tours that travel in and around the township. This alone should give you reason to visit the township and soon.

• Research: the more you know about the property the better, also have an open mind on other potential houses that might be on offer don’t settle for one house.
• Get an Agent: they know more about the area, the different neighbourhoods and what best suits you and your budget.
• Go Online: a number of houses are online and some sites are updated on a daily basis meaning you get to see new houses that are on the market. Make it a priority to go and see the actual house because pictures can be misleading.

Buying a house can at times be daunting but it doesn’t have to be, if well researched, one can own the perfect little home. Also having an open mind helps, don’t limit yourself to one house do make an effort to see others that happen to be on offer, after all this is your home.