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Stuff from Johannesburg

Ride into History: Uber celebrates Heritage with discounted rides to South Africa’s iconic sites and museums.

Advertorial:
Ride into History: Uber celebrates Heritage with discounted rides to South Africa’s iconic sites and museums.:

As South Africa gears up for the much-anticipated Heritage Day, Uber is delighted to announce a special mobility activation that will allow South Africans and international visitors to connect with the country’s rich cultural heritage. From September 23rd to 30th, users will be able to indulge in discounted rides to some of the most iconic Heritage sites and museums in the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Durban.

September is a month of profound cultural significance, culminating in the nationwide celebration of Heritage Day on September 24th and Uber is thrilled to be a fraction of this celebration and to leverage the cultural momentum that surrounds it. During the activation period, everyone that would like to explore the history in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Durban will gain the opportunity to appreciate discounted rides to some of these cities’ most iconic Heritage sites and museums:

• Johannesburg: Constitution Hill, South African National Museum Of Military History, Hector Pieterson Memorial, Mandela’s House, Apartheid Museum.
• Pretoria: Union Buildings, Melrose House Museum, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Freedom Park Heritage Site & Museum, Voortrekker Monument.
• Durban: Durban Holocaust & Genocide Centre, The Durban Central Post Office, House of Chief Albert Luthuli, The Dilapidated Durban Railway Station, KwaMuhle Museum.
• Cape Town: Iziko Slave Lodge, Table Mountain, Castle of Qualified Hope, District Six Museum, Robben Island.

“For over 10 years, local and international tourists maintain relied on Uber to enrich their sightseeing experience. We want to continue leveraging the power of our platform to connect them with South Africa’s history and culture. By making it easier and more affordable to visit these iconic sites, we hope to encourage exploration of the rich tapestry our country’s past and present has to offer,” said Kagiso Khaole, General Manager at Uber in Sub Saharan Africa.

How does it work?

1. Open the app.
2. Enter the promotional code for the city you are in:
a. Johannesburg and Pretoria: HERITAGE1
b. Cape Town: HERITAGE2
c. Durban: HERITAGE3
3. Enter your destination among the selectable sites and museums in each city and delight in two trips at 50% off.

About Uber
Uber’s mission is to aid – everywhere and for everyone. We started in 2009 to solve a simple problem – how carry out you access a ride at the touch of a button? With over 10 billion trips later, we’ve started tackling an even greater challenge: reducing congestion and pollution in our cities by getting more people into fewer cars.

Uber is available in over 54 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Joburg, Pretoria, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), East London, Polokwane, Cape West Coast, Worcester, Emalahleni / Middelburg, Garden Route, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), Newcastle, Mthatha, Thohoyandou, Upington, Margate, Richards Bay, Welkom, Phuthaditjhaba, Ermelo, Queenstown, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Abidjan, Kampala, Accra, Kumasi and Dar es Salaam). Overall, the Uber network is available in over 10 000 cities in over 65 countries. To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, or register for Uber at www.uber.com/go. For questions visit www.uber.com.

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Sophiatown: The Lost “Paris of the Transvaal”

Sophiatown’s golden age was the 1940s and 50s. It was a dense, vibrant, and often dangerous neighborhood, characterized by “backyard” rooms, shebeens (illegal speakeasies), and a sophisticated social scene. It was the birthplace of Kwaito’s ancestors and the legendary “Marabi” music—a blend of traditional African rhythms and American ragtime. The streets were home to the most iconic figures of African literature and music: Miriam Makeba found her voice here; Hugh Masekela received his first trumpet from a local priest; and the writers of Drum magazine, like Can Themba and Bloke Modisane, used the neighborhood as their muse. They dressed in Fedora hats and double-breasted suits, channeling the style of Hollywood gangsters and Harlem intellectuals, creating a world that was cosmopolitain, intellectual, and radically multi-racial.

However, the “Bohemia” of Sophiatown was an existential threat to the National Party’s vision of total racial separation. The government viewed it as a “black spot” in a white area. In 1955, the state launched Western Areas Removal Scheme. On the morning of February 9th, 2,000 heavily armed police officers moved in, forcing families into trucks at gunpoint. They were relocated to the newly established matchbox houses of the South Western Townships (Soweto), 20 kilometers away. The resistance was led by figures like Trevor Huddleston, the Anglican priest whose church, St. Joseph’s, still stands today. Despite the slogan “Ons dak nie, ons pola hier” (We are not moving, we are staying here), the bulldozers were relentless.