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Bus ride to Vilakazi Street
- Details
- 05 April 2011
City officials took a Rea Vaya bus to the official opening of the Vilakazi Oral History Exhibition in Soweto, which captures the rich history of the area.
A LEISURELY drive across town on a Rea Vaya bus, spotting some of Joburg’s interesting sites, and then a stroll up Vilakazi Street in Soweto – this is how some members of the Joburg mayoral committee and City officials spent Saturday, 3 April.
They were on their way to the township for the official launch of the Vilakazi Oral History Exhibition and on the drive were reminded of Johannesburg’s rich history. The trip started at the Joburg Theatre Station on Loveday Street, near the Metro Centre.
All the time confined to the BRT route and stopping at no particular station, the bus drove past the Johannesburg Art Gallery Station, giving its passengers a feel of the rush of Joburg CBD on a month-end weekend.
DOWNTOWN
They watched as minibus taxis and pedestrians fought for right of way at intersections, and people thronging the pavements, out shopping.
They also saw the progress on bus lanes for Rea Vaya’s Phase 1b, which was in most cases still at road digging level.
Once complete, phase 1b will directly connect the people in the southern part of Joburg to the northern suburbs of the city.
Most of the crew were familiar with the history of Chancellor House, but at Chancellor House Station, they heard it being told again for the benefit of those who did not know. The building, on Fox Street, was designed by architect Frank Jarett and built around 1948.
The second floor held the law offices of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in the 1950s. The building is across the road from the courts, where Mandela and Tambo often represented their clients.
In 1952, Mandela was brought before the same court and charged and sentenced under the Suppression of Communism Act. The law office ran for eight years, from 1952 to 1960. Both men were arrested in 1956 and tried for treason. The Treason Trial ran for four years before the charge was dismissed against the remaining trialists in 1961.
The bus also passed the famous FNB Stadium, which hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ opening and closing matches under the name Soccer City. It is the largest stadium in Africa, with a capacity of 94 700. Approaching Soweto, the passengers could see a few blue and red Rea Vaya bus stations in the distance.
The trip ended by a Rea Vaya bus stop at Vilakazi Street, where they disembarked the bus and strolled along the refurbished road, taking in its vibe and rich history.
They walked past Mandela House (not too far from the Rea Vaya bus stop), where he once lived with his family and which is now a national museum, the spot where Hector Pieterson was shot and finally, the Hector Pieterson Museum, which is two blocks from where he was shot. Hector became the iconic image of the 16 June 1976 Student Uprising after a photograph taken by photojournalist Sam Nzima of the dying Hector being carried by another child while his sister ran next to them, was published around the world. He was killed at the age of 13 when the police opened fire on protesting students.
The walkabout ended at Uncle Tom’s Hall, behind the Hector Pieterson Museum. At the hall, formal proceedings about the purpose of the day began.
PIOTRANS
PioTrans’ corporate affairs manager, Eric Motswane, talked about the recently introduced Rea Vaya bus operating company, PioTrans, and reminded people of how far public transport in Joburg had come.
The company started operating on 1 February 2011.
“After more than four years of talking, negotiating and engaging with the City’s political and administrative leadership, more than 300 taxi operators from Soweto have decided to accept the change and look forward to exploring the development and growth potential of the new public transport system in the future,” Motswane explained.
He shared that Sowetans talked with nostalgia about the days and years when they had to walk long distances, play soccer in dusty streets and open areas, spend time in tiny shebeens and queuing for taxis for hours.
“We are proud of our past but today we highly appreciate new and fancy restaurants, attractive and famous cultural and heritage places, green soccer fields, new schools, colleges and the new Rea Vaya system, which has been upgraded as one of the best in the world.”
He said he and his colleagues from the taxi industry still could not believe that they owned and ran the first taxi industry-owned bus operating company in South Africa, which was setting a trend in public transport in the country for many years and decades to come.
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