How I Fell for Jozi... Again ; First the Lions, Then the World Cup... Robert Mayes Turns Tourist in His Home Town to Find a New Johannesburg Ready for the Spotlight [Eire Region]

Summary

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Deep in the township of Soweto, not far from the beautiful new stadium that will host the opening of next year's soccer World Cup, a railway line separates two very different worlds.

The newly opened Soweto Hotel on Freedom Square, the township's first four-star hotel, is a haven of luxury, decorated in warm, earthy tones with plush furnishings, home-crafted tapestries and photographs of jazz musicians.

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Extract

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How I Fell for Jozi... Again ; First the Lions, Then the World Cup... Robert Mayes Turns Tourist in His Home Town to Find a New Johannesburg Ready for the Spotlight [Eire Region]

In the reception, images of Nelson Mandela and other icons of the struggle have pride of place. I caught the news on a flat-screen TV, had coffee, orange juice, sliced fruit and yoghurt from the extensive breakfast menu.

Yet barely a stone's throw away - or more appropriately, the kick of a ball - is Soweto's oldest and poorest settlement.

A footbridge over the line leads to old Kliptown, a shanty town with no proper sanitation, no electricity and fewer than 50 water taps to serve its 45,000 people.

Shacks of corrugated iron jost...

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