Township and Wineryby Dale P. Haiducek
Departing from our resort-like apartments lying within view of the Atlantic Ocean, we 19 Spartans made our way across Cape Town. Led by our good-humored guide, Salie, and piloted by Salie’s quiet, respectful driver, Michael, our bus crossed the bustling city center, passing the utterly vacant District Six and rounding Table Mountain, to reach Langa, a Black township established under Apartheid.
After briefly visiting the St. Francis Adult Education Center in St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, we observed the Naledi Pottery Project in action, housed within Guga S’thebe, a building created to combat unemployment in South Africa by teaching new generations of artisans how to create and market art for self-sufficiency. Having spent yet more rand on lovely jewelry, polished pottery, and a yamulka fashioned out of pop cans, we arrived at Tsoga Tours. There Salie handed us off to Xolani Sipoyo who was to guide us through the depths of Langa for the next hour and a half. Here we gained an insider’s perspective on living in a Black township, touring government-built working-class housing, hostels, the “wealthy” housing of Beverly Hills, and the informal shanty town settlement on the periphery of the township.
Sobered by the sights of cramped, hastily constructed living quarters, we drove to the vast vineyards of Cape Town. Surrounded by the withered grape vines of winter, together we dined at Neethlingshof for a final farewell meal, savoring good food and good company. Satisfied and somewhat saddened by this last luncheon together, we made our way to the final stop on the tour, Nelson’s Creek Winery. Here Victor Titus “edutained” us on the finer points of growing, extracting, fermenting, and, our favorite, tasting wine. Now feeling quite good about the day, Salie and Michael took us home.
The Epic Poem about Our Eye-Opening Day
Our boy Salie, that fine old bloke,
Got us started off right by telling a joke.
Seems the leader of Zimbawe wasn’t doing so well
So he went to Heaven but they sent him to Hell.
Ol’ Mugabe accidently left his luggage up there,
Sent two men up to bring it back to his lair.
“Go get my three bags of money if you please.”
Angels nabbed ‘em, “He’s already sending refugees!”
All aboard, Michael got our bus rolling
Through the city center we soon were patrolling,
Past statues of long deceased white guys,
Including Portugese explorer Bartholomew Diaz.
Now he may have landed on the Cape first,
But the Blacks were here—it’s for their land the Europeans thirst.
City Hall was constructed in 1905
For Queen Victoria when she was alive.
Nelson Mandela addressed the whole country from here
In 1990 when South Africans lived in fear.
The government let Madiba out of prison that day
And began to send Apartheid on its way.
A big open field still marks District Six
Where the government ruined people’s lives just for kicks.
They hauled in bulldozers and flattened the place
That proved people could live together—people of every race.
You may wonder how Salie knows so much,
Rattling off names and dates and events and such.
Turns out our guide was part of the resistance movement
Out on missions our faithful guide was sent.
He detonated bombs and set fire to principal offices,
Fighting Apartheid and people supporting its injustices.
Now more in awe of our knowledgeable guide
At Guga S’thebe art center our bus arrives.
Here we watched beautiful pottery being made
For thousands of World Cup mugs are these artisans now being paid.
When famous people make their way to Cape Town,
Like Bill Gates, George Bush, and other leaders make their way down,
The Nadeli Pottery Project is called into action
To make commemorative plates and reduce unemployment a fraction.
We all thought this program was so neat
We bought the fruits of their kilns cooked in 600 degree heat.
Xolani Sipoyo of Tsoga Tours now showed us the way
And asked our expectations of what we might see today.
This having been a completely unique experience
No one answered and for a while simply remained in silence.
Finally we compared it to Richard’s Bay and Nkandla
Expecting to find even more poverty here in Langa.
We started with a working-class house in the township
That once had two bedrooms, common room, and outdoor toilet.
In ’96 families were handed the deeds to their place
So they now owned and could expand and improve their space.
Every house gets 6,000L of free water here
Say the people: “Save water, drink beer!”
The hostels turned out to be a sadder sight
But the government is slowly upgrading their plight.
An apartment has 6 bedrooms with a family in each
But new apartments—one per family—sure has that beat.
Of that cramped space we had gotten our fill
Saddened by Apartheid which affects people still.
Onward to Pre-Primary School for a bit of a show,
For children make teachers’ hearts melt, as we all know.
Small little kids did some song and dance numbers
Showing school pride to this group of white newcomers.
Dalukhanyo School started in a big open field
And now they have buildings—from the weather do they shield.
Having said “Enkosi” to our little friends in the school
(That means “Thank you” in Xhosa—learning languages is so cool!),
We moved on out to Beverly Hills.
Still in Langa, we walked past windowsills
Of houses built to cover up the township from the world,
And hide the tragic places blacks had been hurled.
But keep walking and we soon came to the edge
Where people are living barely on life’s ledge.
Here the improvised housing and small little shacks
In this area thousands of people are packed.
Pit toilets and electricity the government has provided
And the plan is to have the residents all redivided
Into new hostels that are now being constructed,
Away from the shanties now being destructed.
We took leave of Langa Township and Tsoga Tours
Heading to the vineyards and winelands that lure.
At Neethlingshof the MSU group dined
Sharing a meal for the very last time.
Sad as we were to soon be departing
Yet glad to have shared the time here so fleeting.
Many a tear lay in our eyes
As the group made its formal good byes.
And off to Nelson’s Creek Winery we go
To Victor Titus we say, “Hello!”
He’s here to be our edutainer
In one an educator and entertainer.
In 1987 Alan Nelson bought this wine estate
Where they grow grapes and make wine in the very same place.
The first wine came out in 1993
To make champion wine—that was the key.
In 1996 they made the South African Champion Chardonnay
And in ’97 Nelson gave his workers 9.4 hectares, not making them pay.
So came about the first black-owned wine
New Beginnings it’s called, and my it is fine!
Victor edutained us on growing wine grapes.
We all decided that this place is great!
Of 132 hectares, two-thirds are red grapes
The rest are white—discrimination! What a disgrace.
A destemmer gets the grapes all alone
A thrasher squeezes till mash is shown.
The mash is pressed; the juice flows inside
Into tanks does it rest, then add yeast and some pride.
Oh, boy! Here’s where it starts!
Yeast fermentation makes alcohol from the sugar part!
When the wine is “dry” of all the sugar
They may let it sit even longer.
Tannins make your wine taste dry
Sitting around breaks down these guys.
Aromas come from “lees” or used yeast
That could make the wine better at least.
Finally it’s moved to barrels to be drunk,
So into 19 chairs we all sunk.
First you look at the wine and the color
For white, more oxidation or sugar, the yellower.
For red it’s a slightly different story
A browner rim and it’s in older glory.
A pinker rim, and it’s still young yet.
But this may be the wine you usually get!
Next you give the fine wine a smell
Give it a swirl, then you’ll smell it well.
Now the best, you give it a taste
Let it linger in your mouth—it’s not a race.
If the smell and the taste are the same flavor
Buying a bottle would do you a favor.
And then we did.
