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Set in the northern part of Soweto, Orlando West and Dube qualify as two of its more affluent suburbs, with a number of sights and the greatest concentration of places to eat and drink. Orlando East, across Klipspruit Valley from Orlando West, was the first part of Soweto to be established in 1932, and the area is fairly easily accessible off the Soweto Highway (M70). Here, Hector Petersen Square , named after the first student to be killed in the 1976 uprising, has a memorial to Petersen and the other students who died. Alongside, a new museum is due to be completed in the near future, showing images associated with the Soweto uprising, including those taken by famous black photographers, including Peter Magubane and Sam Nzima. Nearby is Vilakazi Street , a few hundred metres to the southwest, once home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Mandela's bungalow is where he lived with Winnie in the late Fifties and early Sixties, before his imprisonment on Robben Island, and where Winnie lived until exiled to the Free State (from which she returned to an imposing brick house with high walls and security cameras, just down the road). On his release, Nelson insisted on returning to his old home, but its smallness and lack of security proved too much of a strain, and he moved out of Soweto. Opened up by Winnie, tours of the old bungalow, Mandela House (daily 10am-4.30pm, R15), mix fascinatingly mundane memorabilia and large amounts of pro-Winnie propaganda. Rather spoiling the scene is a new coffee shop and restaurant crudely tacked onto the outside of the house, an unsubtle attempt to milk a little more cash from the huge numbers of tourists who pass this way. About 1.5km away, near the junction of Klipsruit Valley (the M10) and Potchefstroom (the M68) roads, is Regina Mundi Church , Soweto's largest Catholic church and the focus of numerous gatherings in the struggle years. Again, its impact owes more to historical aura than anything particularly notable about its features, although with so few large buildings in the township it achieves a certain presence. Inside, look out for the art gallery displaying and selling the work of various Sowetan artists. Regina Mundi and the thousands of churches around the township play a vital role in visitors understanding Soweto. Church services here, as in all townships, are friendly affairs, with liberal doses of fantastic music and, depending on the denomination, religious ecstasy too. Be prepared to give at least a small testimony (a brief rundown of your spiritual life to date). Services last several hours, but no one will think it a crime  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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if you leave before the end. Other tourist attractions will undoubtedly develop, such as Freedom Square - currently a combination of wasteland and taxi rank - in Dube , where the ANC's Freedom Charter was proclaimed to thousands in 1955. In the meantime many visitors enjoy paying a visit to the various shebeens , restaurants and even coffee shops that are making a big effort to attract outsiders as well as locals. We've listed the best in "Eating".
Your Tips For Orlando West and Dube
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