Woke up this morning feeling a bit better from jet lag and had a wonderful breakfast by our host Felicity. We then went to a large mall to find a cd my son Kevin wanted. We met up with our tour guide and started off to Soweto. I was amazed to discover that Soweto is home to over 4 million people. It is a huge city contrary to the term township. It is also a study in contrasts. The housing ranges from shacks built of corrugated tin with no electricity or water and mounds of garbage everywhere to beautiful houses with well maintained gardens. Our tour guide said the area could be described as poor, middle class, and well to do areas. It is obvious that much still needs to be done. We drove past one subdivision of very neat well built homes that are not occupied because the authorities did not plan for any utilities such as electricity, water, or sewer when they were built! So they sit empty with thousands of people needing housing. There are 2 huge soccer stadiums in Soweto. One of the places we stopped at was Regina Mundi, a Catholic Church. The church is located in the middle of Soweto. it was built in 1964. Its main feature is the vast interior, that can accommodate as many as 5000-7000 people. Due to the role it played as a place of gathering for the people of Soweto in the years before, during, and after the anti-apartheid struggle, it is often referred to as the people's church. Regina Mundi played a major role in the struggle against apartheid. Since political meetings in most public places were banned, the church became the main place where Soweto people could meet and discuss events of the day. Even funerals often ended up as political meetings. During the Soweto uprising of June 16, 1976, when students were shot by the police in Orlando West many of the demonstrators ended up at Regina Mundi. The police entered the church, firing live ammunition. No one was killed, although many were injured and the church itself, as well as its furniture, decorations, and symbols (for example the marble altar and the statue of Christ), were damaged. Both the interior and the external walls of the church still bear the signs of the shootings. You can see bullet holes in the ceiling in many spots. Many of the Truth and Reconciliation meetings were held at the church after Apartheid ended. We also visited the Hector Pieterson museum which is on the site of the shooting by police of the young man whose name is on the museum. It was his killing that led to the riots in Soweto that raised world attention. Well, I will end this for now as dinner is almost ready. Tomorrow we will start off on our trip to the area we will have a safari. But first we must drive 1,000 km.