Soweto
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Soweto is an urban area in Johannesburg, in Gauteng province South Africa. The name Soweto is a contraction of "South Western Townships" and does not mean anything besides this in any South African language.
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History
In 1950 during the apartheid regime, Soweto was constructed to be self-sufficent for the specific purpose of housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settlement (such as the multi-racial area called Sophiatown). It began as a grouping of the farms Doornkop, Klipriviersoog, Diepkloof, Klipspruit and Vogelstruisfontein.
Soweto_Riots.jpg
Soweto came to the world's attention in 1976, when riots broke out over the government's decision to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than English. See History of South Africa.
A series of bombs rocked Soweto in October 2002. The explosions, believed to be the work of the Boeremag, a right wing extremist group, damaged buildings and railway lines, and killed one person.
Demographics
Today's Soweto, incorporating Orlando, Dobsonville, Diepkloof and Dube, remains an overwhelmingly black-dominated city with over three million people.
Economy
Today, Soweto is among the poorest parts of Johannesburg, however there have been recent signs of economic improval and Soweto has become a centre for nightlife.
Miscellaneous
Soweto was the birthplace of:
- Cyril Ramaphosa (born 1952), lawyer, trade union leader, activist, politician and businessman
- Tokyo Sexwale (born 1953), businessman and former politician, anti-apartheid activist, and political prisoner
- Jomo Sono (born 1955), a South African soccer club owner and coach and also a former star soccer player
- Doctor Khumalo (born 1967), soccer player
- Lucas Radebe (born 1969), former soccer player and national team captain
- Mandoza (born 1978), kwaito musician
- Bonginkosi Dlamini, aka. Zola, poet, actor, and musician
Current and past residents include:
- Lilian Ngoyi (1911-1980), anti-apartheid activist
- Nelson Mandela (born 1918) spent many years living in Soweto. His Soweto home in Orlando is currently a major tourist attraction
- Desmond Tutu (born 1931), cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s, through his opposition to apartheid
- Gibson Kente (1932-2004), playwright
- Aggrey Klaaste (1940-2004), newspaper journalist and editor
- Hector Pieterson (1964-1976)
See also
External Link
- "Soweto Uplifting" (http://www.monolith.com.au/soweto/index.html) Travel story by Roderick Eime
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