An area of just 6.9km2 with an estimated population of 180 000, Alex assaults the senses. Its narrow streets seethe with life and colour, and although it is a fraction of Soweto’s size, Alex’s character easily makes up for what it lacks in scale. We’ve heard people from Soweto joke that Alex is the place Sowetans go to for a ‘real’ township experience. Located just 6km from Sandton and linked by the Malboro Gautrain, Alex is slowly waking up to its potential as a tourist attraction offering lots of history (Nelson Mandela lived here when he first came to Johannesburg) and a unique culture.