Multi-faceted meetings in Soweto

APART from its great conference
facilities, Soweto’s chief attractions
for corporates desiring a multifaceted
meeting experience include
its fascinating history and adventurepacked
team-building activities.
The 48-room, four-star Soweto
Hotel & Conference Centre
in historic Kliptown caters for
conferences of up to 60 delegates,
cinema-style (50 schoolroom).
Bigger groups of 100 delegates
(cinema-style) can be hosted at the
nearby Soweto Information Centre.
Guests are entertained by local jazz
artists at the on-site Jazz Maniacs
Restaurant.
A half-day Soweto itinerary,
recommended by Ahaah Shuttle &
Tours, includes a stop at Orlando
Twin Towers, where visitors enjoy
a Kasi-style braai at Chaf-Pozi
restaurant; a walk around Kliptown’s
historic Walter Sisulu Square; a stop
at Bolo’s Place with its collection
of Kliptown antiques; a visit to
Ubuntu Kraal to sample locally made
Soweto Gold craft beer; and a walk
around the Vilakazi Precinct with its
Mandela Family Museum and Hector
Pieterson Memorial. Culinary tours,
a cooking experience and a craft and
art tour are also on offer.
Clients seeking a more authentic
township experience can stay at
Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers. The
lodge offers guided bike, tuk tuk
and walking tours of Soweto, where
visitors interact with locals, enjoy
a township braai, take part in a
drumming session, enjoy a spot of
dancing, visit a traditional healer and
even attend a church service.
For conservation enthusiasts, Bay
of Grace Tours takes visitors on
bird-watching and cycling tours of
the township, focusing on Soweto’s
green areas. Cycling tours start at
the Eyethu Lifestyle Centre, where
visitors can enjoy lunch, view art
exhibitions and enjoy wine tastings.
Soweto Outdoor Adventures is
Soweto’s only adventure centre,
offering quad biking, go karts,
paintball and bungee jumping
packages, which make for great
team-building adventures. Owner,
Kgomotso Pooe, has also created
SoWeToo Tours, which operates the
Soweto leg of the CitySightseeing
Joburg tours, with pick-up at the
Gold Reef City stop. Options include
a standard Soweto tour as well as
tailor-made private tours.
To really mingle with Soweto
residents, TKD Tours offers the
Soweto Exchange tour, where
guests travel around the township
on local public transport, lunch at
the home of a Soweto family or in a
shebeen, and explore Soweto’s offthe-beaten-track
places. TKD Tours
also offers walking and cycling tours
of Kliptown.