South Africa: Social and Political Transformation

Homestays

Students in the South Africa: Social and Political Transformation program experience three different homestays, each of which opens a larger window into South Africa's extraordinary diversity and complexity. Homestays are in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In each of the homestays, students are either in the same neighborhood cluster or placed with families in pairs.

Cato Manor
The program's first homestay is with Zulu-speaking families in Cato Manor, an urban township about five kilometers from the SIT facility in Durban. Each student spends four to five weeks with his/her own family, within a quarter of a mile of other students, and within a mile of the whole group. The homestay in Cato Manor allows students the opportunity to practice the Zulu language and gain an appreciation for the richness and challenges of township life. All houses have cell phone reception, flush toilets, and electricity, and are constructed of cinder brick.

Amacambini
In the rural homestay in Amacambini, about 100 kilometers north of Durban, conditions are basic, with some marked differentiation between households. Some households may not have electricity, indoor plumbing, or piped water.

Newlands
During the program's third homestay, students live in Newlands with an Indian or Colored family. Newlands is approximately 20 kilometers from the Durban city center.

Other accommodations during the program may include hostels, private homes, or small hotels.