Ruslana (Canadian), Cedric (France), Sylvain (France), Dave (Australia) and Rasmus (Norway) makes up the team advising a Shoe-shining operation here in Johannesburg.Thinking we were going to become excellent shoe-shiners, we were surprised to learn that our entrepreneur already had move onto new hunting grounds. We plunged straight into the launch of a shower service to townships near Johannesburg.
Townships date back to Apartheid times when non-whites were designated to live in certain areas. Though some townships have been upgraded, most still do not have hot water, or even running water to their homes. Daily hygiene is therefore limited to collecting water from a nearby source, and possibly heating it up in your home, or washing straight from the tap in the street.
Many people from the townships commute to the city for work where transportation hubs allow for very efficient modes of transport. Arriving at 5am, people were already queuing up to get on their way into town for work. Small taxis (industry standard is the Hiace) go to different points of town, where only experience and asking for advice guides people of the right line to join. With the chilling minus two degrees and masses of people, we were amazed at the adherence to queue-etiquette and the evident orderly system of what in the beginning seemed like complete chaos.
Our location-scouting brought us various township areas (more toilet areas than we could count), downtown train stations etc, and even allowed us for some very local food experiences. The driver of our bus is a police officer and provides for our safety in a country that is known for its crime. It is a bit of a nuisance having to stay in a close group all the time. That said, I have had nothing but positive experiences with South Africans – and the early AM trip also gave a good counter-perspective to the safety concerns. Knowing when to hide your camera is obviously the case as in any other developing country. But in spite of being the only two white people/abelungu (Xhosa word deriving from the white break of the sea) walking around Soweto pre-sunrise we had no negative experiences, but rather were met by curious interest and smiling faces.
Lastly I have to express our groups love for our entrepreneur. As one of the first generation to graduate from higher education after Apartheid he did not find a space in normal business world. Instead he started numerous ventures, and numerous failures but a continuing drive to succeed is one of the key qualifications of Lere. Every problem is met with one hundred new solutions, and whenever we have a problem to be solved he is on the phone within minutes to find the appropriate person in government or otherwise and gets in the door whichever way is possible.
I am writing this as I am watching another cultural event here in South Africa - Rugby: The Springbucks are playing the New Zealand All Blacks. Currently the local team is up 14-3 so the mood in the bar is good!
To one and all; Hambani kahle
Rasmus
Queues for bus in morning
All sorts of services are offered in the township
If you dont have a mobile, numerous phone "kiosks" are available
Lere´s shoe shine meets IMD MBA - Two cold gentlemen out treading the streets of Soweto in the early morning
Getting to work in the morning can take several hours if you live in the townships
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