The Red Locations Lodge ladies

The Red Location (Backpacker) Lodge in New Brighton has a special story to it. I don't know all the details so I will give you the short version of it. The building that the Lodge is situated in used to be a beer hall back in the days. Beer halls led to many men drinking … Continue reading The Red Locations Lodge ladies →

New Brighton Station

As the main railway station in the townships, the New Brighton Station saw a lot of action during the apartheid years. Visiting the station today you can still see the railing that divided the bridge across the rail into "Europeans Only" and "Blacks Only" sections. On 26 June 1952, the volunteers for the Defiance Campaign which … Continue reading New Brighton Station →

Sheep heads also known as Smileys

*Not for sensitive viewers*Believe it or not, but sheep heads, known as smileys, is a township delicacy. The heads are thrown in the fire where all the hair are burned off. The "cook" then uses white hot irons and blades that are pushed into the fire to burn and cut off the remaining hair and unwanted … Continue reading Sheep heads also known as Smileys →

Red Location Museum tour

A group being taken on a guided tour of the Red Location Museum in New Brighton. The museum represents the struggle years specifically in Nelson Mandela Bay with exhibits remembering people, places and activities in the townships.

Township tour

Township tours are very popular with international visitors to South Africa. Often locals can't really understand why the tourists would like to go and see the townships. A few weeks ago we (we being me and my colleagues) took about 50 locals on a township tour with a difference and afterwards they couldn't stop talking about it. … Continue reading Township tour →

Container hairdresser

Hair salons in the township is a dime a dozen yet its apparently a very good business to be in and they all make a decent living. I took a peek into one of the containers (and with containers I really mean most of them operate from shipping containers) in New Brighton the other day … Continue reading Container hairdresser →

Township fast food outlet

I seem to be getting to know more and more township spots to go and grab something for lunch (see Tsisha Nyama and Beef stew and liver). There are also a number of places I've been shown where you can stop for a snack like vetkoek or roosterkoek, amongst them the container near Red Location Museum where this lady works. … Continue reading Township fast food outlet →

Olof Palme Road

Swedish visitors to the Red Location Museum in New Brighton always stand in amazement at the fact that the street in front of the museum is called Olof Palme Road. Olof Palme was the Prime Minister of Sweden until his assassination on 28 February 1986 and a big supporter of the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. … Continue reading Olof Palme Road →

What used to be Esitishini Cafe

Right outside the New Brighton train station stands the ruin of what clearly used to be Esitishini Cafe. Does it have any significant historical links? I really don't know and didn't pick anything up on the net. I did think that it would make for a nice picture when I saw it though. Why was … Continue reading What used to be Esitishini Cafe →

Buying amagwinya

Today's post follows on yesterday's Takeaway in the township post. Here one of the mamas who run the shop is busy putting the fat cakes into a plastic bag for us. Caroline commented on the previous post about the grille and that it shows something about the area where the take away is in. The grille does form part of the … Continue reading Buying amagwinya →