On the Southern edge of one of the Country’s most famous townships, Soweto, lies the equally Historic Avalon Cemetery.
The biggest cemetery in South Africa lies in Soweto, as is the final resting place of many heroes of the struggle. It is also the site of the Mendi Memorial. The Avalon Cemetery opened in 1972 during the height of Apartheid, it was reserved exclusively for Blacks. It spans 1.72km2 is filled with 300 000 graves!
The huge extension was officially opened on 9 February by Matshidiso Mfikoe, at the time a mayoral committee member for environment and corporate services. Before Avalon opened, Sowetans were buried in Nancefield (Klipspruit) Cemetery. That burial ground opened in 1912 but is now full except for second or third burials.
Just beyond the entrance, to the left, there are Memorials dedicated to struggle activists Lilian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph. During Women’s Month in August 2010, the graves of Ngoyi, Joseph and Maxeke were declared National Heritage Sites. (The Cemetery has Memorials to other heroes as well.)
To the North, near the Train Station, lies the Mendi Memorial. In this Cemetery you’ll find the graves of Joe Slovo and Hector Pieterson.

City Parks says: “Avalon continues to play an important role, not only for Sowetans, but for all South Africans, as the country moves from an era of violent struggles to one of reconciliation, and the graves of those who fought for justice continue to be the site of homage for many visitors.”

Liliesleaf Farm is the location where prominent leaders of the opposition to South Africa's Apartheid Government used to attend meetings in order to plan their resistance. Today visitors can visit the Farm and learn about the fascinating History.
The story of Liliesleaf Farm is one of incredible strength, power, passion and struggle. Liliesleaf Farm is situated in Rivonia off of George Avenue. The Farm is the location where prominent resistance leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Joe Slovo and Ahmed Kathrada used to meet, and seek shelter during the Apartheid years. "Liliesleaf was an old house that needed work and no one lived there. I moved in under the pretext that I was a houseboy or caretaker that would live there until my master took possession. I had taken the alias David Motsamayi, the name of one of my former clients. At the farm, I wore the simple blue overalls that were the uniform of the black male servant." An exert from Nelson Mandela's book: "Long Walk to Freedom".

At Liliesleaf these individuals and others would meet to hold key debates around political strategy, military policy and the steps forward in the political struggle against South Africa's oppressive Government. The Apartheid laws of 1948 had meant that racial discrimination was officially institutionalised and legal, these laws and others seeped into every aspect of life for non-white South Africans, dictating where they went, where they lived, who they married and which jobs they were allowed to do. From 1948 through the 1950's and into the 1960's the racial discrimination intensified and the treatment of non-white citizens got worse and worse.
During this time the Government introduced 'states of emergency' at intermittent times. These times meant that police or other Government officials were legally allowed to detain or imprison anyone they wanted to without a hearing or a trial for up to 6 months. Many of the detainees died in prison, some simply 'disappeared' while others were badly beaten and tortured. The prisoners who did receive a trial were sentenced to death, banished or imprisoned for life.
As the situation worsened, more protests were held and the police brutality increased forming a vicious cycle of demonstrations, death or injury for the protesters and then more demonstrations. In March 1960 the Apartheid Government declared a state of emergency, arrested over 18 000 people and passing a law that made it illegal for members of the opposition to meet in public! Despite feeling as though the secret location had been identified! A number of the leaders met, for what was supposed to be the final time at Liliesleaf Farm, on the 11th July 1963 to discuss a plan to over throw the Government which they called: "Operation Mayibuye".
However the final meeting would prove to be one too many and the South African Police swooped down on the Buildings after they received an anonymous tip off that Walter Sisulu might be in the premises and managed to capture a number of senior leaders including; Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba and Ahmed Kathrada. Nelson Mandela was already imprisoned at the time, but he did visit Liliesleaf Farm regularly!
As a result of these and other laws the leaders of the Communist Party decided to find a secure and secluded property where their leadership could meet in secret and the site they chose was Liliesleaf Farm. The house was 'purchased' by a fronting company and a member of the Communist Party; Arthur Goldrich and his family moved into the front farm house to act at the owners while the out buildings and thatched cottages were used for secret meetings. The move to the farm would result in the 'birth' of the ANC's military wing; Umkhonto we Sizwe. The resulting trial would become famous around the World as the Rivonia Treason Trial which imprisoned many resistance members for over 25 years. The arrest of these leaders was a major blow to the resistance and the struggle for freedom, but the resulting trial forced the World to focus on South Africa and the human right's atrocities that were occurring in the Country!

Today visitors can explore Liliesleaf Farm and take guided tour around the different Buildings and Areas. With the help of state of the art audio and visual displays, passionate guides teach you about the history of the farm and explain the historical and political importance of the events that occurred there. The house and surrounding buildings have been restored as authentically as possible and over 60% of the buildings now display their original brickwork.

The Liliesleaf Farm museum in Rivonia has closed its doors after millions could not be accounted for. (2nd of September 2021) Read the article tagged in: 'Further Reading'.

The Quanza was a four-masted steamship of 942 tons which went ashore at East London, on Sunday, 26 May 1872 at 5am. She struck the rocks, just East of the Orient Beach -- close to today's Wimpy, on the Esplanade. No lives were lost. The 'Quanza' was at anchor, where it was thought to be sheltered, loading a cargo of about 3,000 bales of wool destined for London. She was almost ready to sail when she was struck by a heavy southeaster wind. Her anchors dragged and soon she was perched on the rocks.

The ship had been built in 1865 and had originally been named Yorkshire. In 1868, when she was transferred to a Portuguese flag, she was renamed: "Quanza". In 1871, she was returned to the British flag.

She was one of seven ships to founder that morning. The others were sailing vessels. There demise was as follows:

1)'Queen of May': 314 tons, smashed on the rocks to become a total wreck.

2)'Refuge': washed onto the sand with a full load of cargo, all damaged/

3)'Martha': 191 tons, washed onto the sand with a full load of cargo, all damaged.

4)'Elaine': smashed on the breakwater, bottom up, with a full load of cargo.

5)'Sharp': 204 tons, driven onto the rocks but the best part of her cargo would be saved.

6)'Emma': washed onto the sand, but had already discharged most of her cargo.

The problem was that East London still had no proper Harbour. Indeed, a sandbar across the mouth of the Buffalo River meant that only small vessels of less than 80 tons, could enter. The rest had to anchor outside the Harbour, where lighter vessels would meet them, to load or off their cargo. 

Nearby is the place which was inhabited by the COELACANTH FISH in the ocean for over 350 million years and was once thought to have gone extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period. However, on December 22, 1938, a living specimen was discovered among the catch of a fisherman in South Africa.

A curator at East London Museum, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer avidly collected local naturalistic specimens, such as rocks, feathers, and shells. One day, she received a call from a local angler, Captain Hendrick Goosen, who caught a large, strange fish off the Chalumna River. It was, to quote Courtenay-Latimer, “five feet long, a pale mauvy blue with faint flecks of whitish spots” and “covered in hard scales, and it had four limb-like fins and a strange puppy dog tail.”

When a new Suburb was created in 1883. It was situated overlooking where the Quanza had been wrecked -- it would become known as the Quanza Estate. The street running directly up from the shore through the middle of Quanza Estate would be named Quanza Street. In 1904 the Municipality constructed a pair of bathing pools on the rocks at the spot where the Quanza had founded.

The pools would be known as the Quanza Pools. They were constructed as a result of an initial accident when the Town Engineer was experimenting with explosives. He blasted a great hole in the rocks, there after water rushed in. The resulting pool became a popular place for women and children. As a consequence, the Town Council decided to build a proper pool there. In fact, two pools were built: one for Men, the other for Women and children. The protests that ensued, however, saw the Council change its mind: sexually mixed bathing was allowed for the first time in the larger pool, while the smaller one remained the domain of the women and children.

Grootvadersbosch Farm offers a comfortable guest house named; 'Snelsetter', built in 1735, this Historic Homestead is largely maintained in its original state. The Farm offers a great opportunity for visitors to see agriculture and nature working side by side.
Grootvadersbosch Farm is the Heidelberg district, about 250 km from Cape Town. This Farm is one of South Africa's Historic treasures. The Homestead was built in 1735 and 6 generations of the Moodie family have lived here since 1818. Keith and Michele Moodie will welcome you to their dairy Farm! The Farm offers a great opportunity for visitors to see agriculture and nature working side by side. Of the 2500 ha, only 25% is farmed, the rest is Fynbos, forest and Renosterveld. Keith's bird list for the Farm stands at over 180 different species! There is also a variety of buck, bushpigs, porcupines, aardwolf, honey badger, leopard, lynx... the list goes on...There are many walking trails on the Farm and mountain bike routes. The Historic homestead dates back to the early 1700's & is largely maintained in it's original state. The handcrafted Yellowwood ceilings, floors and doors are all beautifully maintained. The rooms are furnished in old Cape style. The Strawberry Hill Farmhouse (now a guest house) was built in the late 1800’s by Thomas Dunbar. Thomas Dunbar was a renowned land surveyor of the time who was responsible for the layout of the Towns of Sedgefield, Voorbaai and Hartenbos. He, after building the Strawberry Hill farm house, moved onto the property to retire. The name 'Strawberry Hill', comes from the wild strawberries that were found across the Farm Hilltops.