Through programmes of empowerment and transformation, they hope to add to the professionalism of the entrepreneurs and "create a platform for them to build a sustainable business stream". The programme teaches operational skills, financial systems, marketing skills and aims to bring owners up to world-class standards.

Nombeko assures me, however, that in the process the guesthouses will not lose their unique Soweto character and spirit. “We don’t want to become copies of mainstream hotels, but we do want to learn how to run successful businesses.”

We lunch at Kwa-Thabeng Restaurant in Pimville. From here there is a view over a large part of Soweto with the landmark Orlando Power Station in full view. Thanks to FNB, these towers showcase South Africa’s largest mural paintings. They add a welcoming, colourful touch. Again, we eat our fill at another buffet that cannot be conquered. As we leave Soweto we find ourselves in traffic again, but this time it’s the normal bustle that people of the City of Gold say is, nowadays, par for the course.

• Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to house two Nobel Laureates, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.
• The Regina Mundi Catholic Church, which was the focal point of much of the struggle in the 1970s and 1980s and sits almost in the centre of Soweto. It is also home to the famous Black Madonna and Child painting.
• The Hector Pietersen Museum is a fully interactive museum with video footage, displays and windows pointing towards pivotal spots in Soweto. It is a world-class museum made to fit into its surroundings and dedicated to the student uprising of 1976.