I have been given a few labels in my life but perhaps the label I am most proud of is that of a Jozi nationalist. I love Johannesburg because of its multiculturalism and I love Johannesburg even more when I can show this diversity to Joziphobic friends (no thanks to the Western media) who may be passing through my city.
I often ask my friends to give me a few days to change their minds. My cultural tour of Johannesburg starts with walking to Gold Reef City and letting my guest know Johannesburg’s gold-mining roots. After all, there should be some explanation for the yellow mounds all over the city. I will then walk them across to the Apartheid Museum directly opposite Gold Reef City.
Weighed down with the history that the Apartheid Museum gives, a few rides back at Gold Reef City always brings the lightness back.
I always ensure Soweto is on the itinerary for my guests. I start by taking my visitors to the less well-known Alf Kumalo Photography Museum in Diepkloof, a museum with an unusually varied number of photographs by one photographer. Travelling further into Soweto, I take them to Orlando West Extension where we make a stop at the Hector Pietersen Memorial. The day culminates in a late lunch and sundowners at Nambitha on Vilakazi Street.
The next day I take them on a different route — heading north. Rosebank Mall I find less pretentious than Sandton, so I have no issue taking guests there. Our first pit stop will be Exclusive Books in the Zone where I shamelessly point out books by South African authors, insisting that whoever I am with purchases at least two books by local authors. My record for persuasion has thus far been 100%.
We will buy music next door at Musica before grabbing lunch at my favourite sushi restaurant, Tsunami, where I look important because the waiters know my name.
I think a roundabout tour of Jo’burg cannot be considered complete without a trip to Newtown. The shopping trip usually begins at the Oriental Plaza and ends up at Newtown’s Sophiatown restaurant. If I’ve got a guest who needs an introduction to the edgier side of local cuisine then we order masonja (mopani worms) as a starter before moving on to the rest. A visit to Newtown is incomplete without swinging through Xarra Books (there’s a lot of African music on sale here, too).
The day in Newtown often ends at the Market Theatre. But my ideal Jo’burg cultural tour includes a shisa nyama (outdoor street braai) and a visit to my favourite African jeweller, Grace, from Southgate, whose number I have on speed dial.
Finally, for the best local cuisine, I generally recommend Zukiswa’s home-cooked, world-famous ulwusu and umgqhusho (it’s been eaten by different people from across four continents, so it qualifies for international status).
Zukiswa Wanner is the author of Men of the South, published by Kwela Books, released this week