Cape
Town

South Africa is, of course, much more than just Cape Town: from Kruger to Karoo, from the West Coast Wind to the soft light in the Winelands, the country covers a whole spectrum of emotions. Life here, according to Lina Mallon, feels warmer, but also more open, less polished, and more honest—if you are willing to let it. It confronts visitors with contrasts—with pain and beauty, with vastness and closeness, with history and the present.

South Africa has slowed Lina Mallon down, she says. It has shown her that beauty often lies in imperfection—in peeling paint, in weathered wood, in hand-sewn fabric. It’s not about perfection or optimization, but about feeling. Mallon says her gaze has softened and her aesthetic as a photographer has become more intuitive. South Africa has taught her that style is not just something you see—it’s something you feel.

Lina Mallon also visited female artists. For example, Shany van den Berg’s studio, located in Stellenbosch, a university town and South Africa’s leading wine-growing region. The studio is on a busy street, but inside the house, she has transformed her historic apartment into a studio that houses an unusual mix of collectibles and personal artwork.

Laureen Rossouw’s mid-century style house has been sensitively renovated by the Cape Town-based magazine editor, stylist, and interior designer. Now, the characterful building, which was definitely influenced by the Bauhaus, has been transformed into a lively home.

Luxury, inequality, and conflict

The feelings evoked by the beautiful aspects of South Africa are all true; unfortunately, however, they are not the only associations. South Africa is a paradise, but not for everyone.

The country ranks among those with the greatest economic inequality in the world. With a value of 0.67, South Africa is the country with the greatest income inequality worldwide, as measured by the Gini coefficient. Youth unemployment is almost 60%, and large sections of the black majority population continue to suffer from structural poverty and poor infrastructure. Despite the formal abolition of apartheid, the distribution of land and wealth has not changed fundamentally: over 70% of commercial farmland is still owned by whites, even though whites make up less than 10% of the population. Market-based land reform based on the principle of “willing buyer, willing seller” has remained largely ineffective and has entrenched existing ownership structures. Apartheid policies have left deep scars in South Africa. Although a black middle and upper class has since emerged, living conditions for a large part of the population have not improved noticeably to this day.

The unemployment rate remains extremely high. According to the World Bank, it has been around 30 percent in recent years. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, the World Bank says that as many as one in two cannot find work.

The spread of HIV also remains an enormous problem for South Africa’s society and economy. The country has one of the highest infection rates in the world. Around 7.7 million children and adults are infected with the virus, with significantly more women than men. Among the population aged 15 to 49, 17.8 percent are HIV-positive.

Political conflicts also remain a pressing issue. Recently, the far-right vigilante group Operation Dudula took the law into its own hands in South Africa and is violently targeting foreigners—often with impunity. Experts see the causes in the socio-economic problems in the country. Xenophobia is deeply rooted in society, and violent attacks and hostility towards foreigners—especially those from other African countries—are commonplace.

There is no right or wrong

Precisely because South Africa is so beautiful and an international destination for the wealthy upper classes from all over the world, the country brings the dilemmas of travel to the fore. How can you enjoy yourself in the Winelands with a good Chardonnay when there are glaring injustices just a few kilometers away?

This question does not apply to South Africa, but here the issue of coexistence between the two sides is particularly obvious—as if under a magnifying glass. We live in constant dilemmas, because no matter how you look at it, the world is unfortunately not only made up of model democracies with impeccable human rights records, but also of corrupt and inhumane dictatorships—and a whole host of countries somewhere between these two extremes. So the question is a general one: should we travel to countries where there is severe inequality or where human rights are even trampled underfoot?

For many people, the appeal of travel lies not in the sights, but in the diverse encounters with a wide variety of people. Everyday conversations with acquaintances from other cultures are not only exciting, but also allow for a completely new view of the world. However, it is not always easy to draw a clear line between an exchange on equal terms and the exoticization of unfamiliar living conditions. In particular, tours through slums or visits to ethnic minorities sometimes feel uncomfortably voyeuristic.

Tourism facilitates encounters and can help countries to open up. There is probably no right or wrong answer here. The crucial question is rather: Who does the tourist support with their trip—the regime or the local population? Those who do not want to play into the hands of the system financially should not use tourist infrastructure owned by the state. It is important to facilitate encounters with locals and not just tick off sights. Rural tourism in cooperation with village communities is another way to achieve responsible tourism—the state often has no interest in the hinterland. Some collaborations have developed over the years, including through local people. The more authoritarian and politically or religiously radical the country is, the greater the challenge of making all aspects truly accessible and discussable for the group.

South Africa, to return to the subject, is not a dictatorship. The South African peace process remains a historic example of actively coming to terms with the past and political foresight. The conscious decision not to seek retribution, the belief in the transformative power of truth, and the ethical model of reconciliation—embodied by iconic figures such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu—make this process a globally recognized example to this day. South Africa demonstrated democratic maturity, particularly in the wake of the 2024 elections: after decades of ANC dominance in government, Cyril Ramaphosa formed a coalition government (Government of National Unity) forged from a broad alliance of parties for the first time. Seen in this light, South Africa is a country of contrasts, as Lina Mallon said.

Dictatorships, on the other hand, are clearly not the right destinations for sunbathing. But responsible tourism generally offers great opportunities. When vacationers stay at an all-inclusive resort owned by the state, they are supporting the regime. However, if they meet ordinary citizens, even a trip to a dictatorship can be worthwhile. Applied to countries that are democratic but still experience major social conflicts, of which there are many in the world, not just South Africa, this means that of course you can enjoy the beauty of the world, and you should also see and protect it. The only question is, in what power relations does this take place? When travel and enjoyment directly benefit local communities, it is not just consumption, but also giving back. The new style of travel, which emphasizes respect for traditions, awareness of political realities, and support for local businesses, seems to be appealing to more and more people, and that is a good thing.

About Lina Mallon

Lina Mallon is a freelance travel photographer, podcaster, and bestselling author who lives between Hamburg and Cape Town. In 2011, she started a blog to share her photographs and writing, which over the years has evolved into a diverse digital portfolio showcasing Lina’s creative projects.