“Influencers Won’t Show You”: UK Man Shows a Part of Cape Town Often Hidden Online

• A tourist from the United Kingdom landed in Cape Town and was surprised to see a side he felt influencers wouldn't show on their social media accounts
• The curious man entered one of the Mother City's townships and explored the area with a local guide
• Internet users in the post's comment section thanked the man for showing the township, while others blamed the government for its condition

When people from other parts of the world visit Cape Town, they mostly post about the breathtaking views or the "good side" the city has to offer. However, one tourist decided to go beyond the postcard scenes, highlighting a side of the Mother City he felt people often overlooked.

Entering Cape Town's townships

A British man named Willem took to his TikTok account to share that when he landed in Cape Town, he expected to see beautiful beaches and mountains. However, on his way from the airport, he spotted rows of makeshift homes.

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"Let me show you the side of Cape Town influencers won't show you."

Willem said his taxi driver and many others told him to avoid the township as it was deemed unsafe. This warning didn't concern the curious tourist.

Taking a trip to Langa, he said:

"I found someone from the township who ran tours and said the township was encouraging people to visit and see its true colours."

Willem said people living in the area were "displaced by whites."

Watch the TikTok video below:

The rise of South African townships

According to the online study platform Study.com, townships were formed during the apartheid era and were historically used to uphold racial segregation. People who were not legally considered white were not allowed to live in the city but on the outskirts.

The African Union's website explains that millions of black people were forcibly removed from their homes and were confined within tribal homelands according to their ethnicity.

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Study.com notes that while townships have been desegregated since the dawn of democracy, many still lack essential infrastructure, with some of their residents living in poverty.

Video sparks jumbled responses

Several South Africans entered the post's comment section to express their thoughts about what Willem had shown and said about the area.

Some app users blamed the government and local politicians for their lack of support in the townships, while others felt the tourist had to "get the facts straight" regarding the topic of displacement.

An appreciative @shireen24williams wrote:

"Thank you for doing this. It is so refreshing because I'm so tired of them just showing Camps Bay."

@callum_smyly had a problem with how Willem worded his explanation in the video and commented:

"They were not 'displaced by white people' as that references all white people. Rather, use 'displaced in history by the apartheid government.'"

@olzee1 told the online community:

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"This video shows the world one of the inequalities of South Africa."

A positive @limaks9 noted to the public:

"This is the kind of tourist I like coming to this country. Show us the real South African situation, not the fake one."

@user5196302884517 stated their opinion about why people are living in townships:

"Sorry, the ANC has been in power a lot longer than the National Party. This is called corruption and theft that keeps the poor getting poorer."

@heinwine01 added their thoughts in the comment section:

"The remnants of apartheid are keeping us in poverty. The very structure and core of our societies are still keeping us there."

3 Other stories about Cape Town townships

• In another article, Briefly News reported about German tourists who visited Langa. Their trip to the township sparked concern and intrigue from online users.
• A South African man shared a vlog of a township built on train tracks. The TikTokker explained each space surrounding the informal settlement and the lives people lived.
• An American woman who moved to Cape Town with her family raved about life in Khayelitsha, the largest township in the Mother City.

Source: Briefly News