I’m in the heart of South Africa’s most famous township and, thankfully, I’m in a flash car. It’s a smart little 2+2, a Lexus SC430 – not the world’s latest convertible, even if it’s new to SA. But is it going to get any attenion in the world of black diamonds?
We’re here in Soweto to soak up the social scene, to uncover some of the intensity and passion that underpins the lure of the ‘kasi’ (township) and, of course, to check out the cars. What better place than the upmarket Junxion Corner Pub in Dube, where the rich and famous mingle with the up-and-coming while they get their rides shined?

Life still happens on the streets here, and the social scene at the Junxion is taking place at many venues across Soweto. Call it a new millennium update of the legendary shindigs that defined the place. That scene is still part of the heartbeat for many residents, and still the reason why many former residents who have left for the tree-lined suburbs head back on weekends. The typical reveller of today may be a dreadlocked, infotainment virtuoso who’s got too much money, but the parading of high living hasn’t changed one bit and exclusive, exotic cars are the brightest beacon to the lifestyle.

The drive towards the Junxion Corner is a slow meander. A few years ago traffic was unheard of during weekends, but the narrow strips of tarmac are now clogged with everything from taxis, through bad-boy hot hatches vibrating with ferocious sound power, through to funeral corteges and boring mid-management sedans. It’s a riot, but I’m chilling with the top down and, as expected, my javelin-shaped convertible is getting hardly a glance from the many pedestrians who are also sharing the roads.
It’s a fact that sleek shapes are no big deal here. The sighting of, say, a Lamborghini Diablo cruising among a few 1970s-era Chrysler Valiants is as common as seeing a Mini Cooper tailed by a Ferrari 360 Modena. Still, I’m part of the passing parade, enjoying the low-down torque from the SC340’s 4.3 litre V8 with its effortless 419Nm, and putting it to good use when manoeuvring around stop-anywhere taxis. Even so, it’s no cut-and-thrust machine; it wafts in the Mercedes tradition, underlining its credentials as a great long-distance cruiser for two.

Our drive takes us past some seriously expensive metal parked in the driveways of elegant homes – all sure signs that Soweto is changing from a dusty residential sprawl that began life in the 1960s as the ‘south western townships’. Clearly, many are taking to heart the call by Soweto-bred entrepreneurs like Richard Maponya to invest in their homes. His multi-billion rand Maponya Mall in Klipspruit was finally opened by Nelson Mandela in 2007 after years of battling financing hurdles. New civic plans are going to take urban improvement further, with tree planting and previously unheard-of recreational zones like parks on the horizon.