Nomavenda Mathiane

As Pastor Thandi Sithole walked into the bereaved family’s shack, at the back of the main house in Mapetla, Soweto, she was hit by the smell of poverty. "It’s difficult to explain it, but poverty has a smell," Sithole said. "The mother of the deceased sat huddled in a corner next to a rickety chair. A few weeks ago, she buried her four-month-old granddaughter. Now the mother was dead.

It is early in the morning outside house No 3426, in Chiawelo Extension Two, Soweto, and Lawrence Ramadisa is putting out his wares. He arranges boxes of shiny green apples, cabbages, beetroot and spinach. Radamisa is one of the growing number of entrepreneurs in Chiawelo and the fruit and vegetable stall is just one of his ventures.

A year ago, Cedric de la Harpe did not know Soweto. He was a northern-suburb resident running a security and cleaning business. An official visit to Soweto in July last year to celebrate the awarding of the Soccer World Cup to South Africa was a turning point in his life. Today, he spends most of his time in Soweto.