On visiting South Africa there is one piece of advice most people will give you: don't go to the townships. In a country where holidays are often tainted with paranoia and the constant question, "Is it safe?", it is easier to stick to the beach resorts and game parks.
Sadly, that means shutting yourself off from a large part of South Africa's "Ubuntu", or "humanity to others", as the Xhosa say. Ubuntu - the essence of being human - is one of the founding principles of the new South Africa. Hence the creation of organised township tours by bus, and sometimes on foot. But if the thought of "touring" a township sounds like poverty tourism, then what other options are there?
These are the awkward and uncomfortable questions that have haunted my family holidays to South Africa over the years. Always there was a nagging thought in the back of our heads that "surely, there must be another way?"
So when my dad and I planned to visit Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape – the seaside city where England will be playing their third World Cup game against Slovenia today – we thought long and hard about how best to incorporate a visit to a township. Without the tour bus.
My dad, who grew up in Port Elizabeth, had not been back in 16 years and, like most white South Africans, had limited experience of townships. His father ran a pharmacy in Korsten, a black area of the city, in which my dad passed much of his time as a boy. There, under the apartheid system, he witnessed the beginnings of the forced removals and creation of townships outside the city in the mid-1950s.
My dad eventually emigrated in 1976, just as townships earned their reputation for violence and unrest, when riots and protest marches kicked into gear. Subsequent trips back to South Africa included only the briefest of visits to Port Elizabeth's Kwazakhele township, home to Evelyn and her family who cared for my grandfather; a family whose lives became closely intertwined with our own.
On this visit though, we headed out unguided, our purpose to test if this is a place that tourists can visit independently. New Brighton seemed the obvious choice – it is the oldest township in the area, and bursting with history. It was the birthplace of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the ANC, home of leading political activists such as Govan Mbeki, and the backdrop for many of Athol Fugard's plays about black South African life.
Most importantly of all, New Brighton has created a world-class museum in the heart of the settlement.
Red Location Museum is a very special piece of architecture that sits – without high walls, electric fences or armed response security guards – in one corner of New Brighton. The "red" refers to the red oxide painted on the corrugated iron shacks to protect them from rust, a recognisable feature of the area. Extraordinarily, Red Location has created an internationally renowned attraction without having separated itself off from the community it sits within.
Township life went on uninterrupted as a woman carrying a sack of maize on her head took a shortcut across the forecourt of the museum, kids played on homemade go-carts, and a stray dog ran through the dust. The manifesto of the museum is to serve the local people as well as the tourists, acting as a powerful and living archive of the area's history. The project, which is part funded by Sweden's Museum of World Culture, is currently building a library, marketplace and new housing.
Inside the museum are 12 "memory boxes", or themed rooms. One is dedicated to the unsung heroes of apartheid, ordinary people's poignant stories of the part they played in the struggle. It is a sage reminder that it took millions of people to overcome apartheid, not just the tiny handful of figures that we recognise and celebrate. Now seemingly forgotten by the government, without compensation or recognition, these men and women struggle to reconcile their feelings of loyalty towards the ANC with having being let down by the system.
Community heroes, such as Danny Jordaan South, Africa's World Cup chief executive, are prominently displayed in the entrance hall. Nelson Mandela's prison diaries are exhibited in a glass box. Along the back wall hangs a haunting photographic essay that details the story of the 1985 Langa massacre near Uitenhage, just outside PE. Audio snippets accompany the black and white photographs – a choir of women singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica – adopted as the ANC's anthem of liberation, and later the post-apartheid national anthem – along with the harrowing sound of a mother sobbing over her dead child. On another wall hangs a list of every South African who died in police detention during the struggle.
Outside, under a bright blue sky, we explored the surrounding area. The museum recommends several bars and eateries – Ekupholeni Leisure Centre (72 Ferguson Road, +27 78662 5628) on the main road is a newly renovated restaurant and B&B with an enormous screen in the front yard on which to watch live football throughout the World Cup.
The owner, Florence Singapi, is a visionary businesswoman who ran a catering stall during the 1970s at the nearby Wolfson rugby stadium, where the Black Springboks – segregated under apartheid – once played. She and her family have created what may be seen as a model of the future for township businesses – a very modern design with decking in the front yard and a polished steel bar inside. An "international" menu offers everything from South African bunny chow (curry served in a white bread loaf) to a full English breakfast.
Florence's son, Xhanti, has travelled the world and speaks with passion on the subject of township tourism. "Post-1994, there's only been one face of South Africa that's been shown, and it's not the black townships," he said.
"They were no-go areas, they were presented as rough insecure dangerous places. Which is not necessarily true. I was mugged in Rome, second day in a 30-day trip in Europe. Everything gone. But would I turn around and say Europe is not safe?" Xhanti believes that tourism is all about common sense. "If you confidently drive from A to B in the township, without stopping and attracting attention, you will leave here at midnight in one piece."
Further down the road, at the roundabout, is the legendary Jeya Jazz bar (Sheya Kulati Circle, Corner Ferguson and Avenue A, +27 722 525 815, open 11am to midnight), run by husband and wife team Mawongo and Noxolo Jeya. Roger Federer's family have visited here, and Noxolo has just returned from a trip to Germany where the bar has picked up yet more international awards for enterprise. An atmospheric live music spot for South African jazz, Jeya's is football-themed and also serves food such as South African braai (barbecue) although, as we found out, it is necessary to call and order meals in advance. Mawongo spoke proudly of the number of foreign tourists he caters for. "You can stay here until four in the morning!" he said, "we will make sure you get home safely. Sometimes we even ask the local police to see guests out of the township."
Suddenly ravenous, we wandered along the smaller lanes, lined with pastel coloured houses and picket fences, dodging puddles and stray dogs. A father and young daughter were selling fruit and vegetables. We bought bananas and pears and munched on them as my dad offered to take their photo. The father smiled proudly when he saw the digital image of his daughter.
As dad took some final photographs of the surrounding streets – schoolchildren giggling on their way past – a woman called out to us in Xhosa. "Sisi (sister)!" she said, "be careful! The men sitting in that container are no good." We glanced back at the group she was talking about and suddenly felt edgy. It was broad daylight, but as Xhanti might say, we were making ourselves too conspicuous.
For a moment we were unnerved. But then we remembered the people we have met here – Xhanti, Florence, Mawongo and Noxolo – welcoming points of contact in a place where before there were only strangers. From an unknown township to a familiar and friendly place – for us New Brighton was a revelation.
We piled into the car and drove to Kwazakhele, just over the ridge, where Evelyn's daughters had prepared an evening meal for us. We told them about New Brighton. It is a place we will visit again - without tour guides.
• The Red Location Museum is on the corner of Olof Palme and Singaphi Streets; +27 4140 88400; open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-3pm, closed Sun. Entry: 12 rand (around £1) adults, reductions for children and students
