Suburbs
By 2003 the Greater Soweto area consisted of 87 townships grouped together into Administrative Regions 6 and 10 of Johannesburg.
Estimates of how many residential areas make up Soweto itself vary widely. Some counts say that Soweto comprises 29 townships, whilst others find 34. The differences may be due to confusion arising from the merger of adjoining townships (such as Lenasia and Eldorado Park) with those of Soweto into Regions 6 and 10. The total number also depends on whether the various "extensions" and "zones" are counted separately, or as part of one main suburb. The 2003 Regional Spatial Development Framework arrived at 87 names by counting various extensions (e.g. Chiawelo's 5) and zones (e.g. Pimville's 7) separately. The City of Johannesburg's website groups the zones and extensions together to arrive at 32, but omits Noordgesig and Mmesi Park.
The list below provides the dates when some of Soweto's townships were established, along with the probable origins or meanings of their names, where available:
| Name | Established | Origin of name |
|---|---|---|
| Braamfischerville | ||
| Chiawelo | 1956 | "Place of Rest" (Venda) |
| Diepkloof | ||
| Dlamini | 1956 | Unknown, Nguni family name. Michael Mabaso also comes from here. |
| Dobsonville | including Dobsonville Gardens | |
| Doornkop | "Hill of Thorns" (Afrikaans) | |
| Dube | 1948 | Named for John Langalibalele Dube (1871–1946), educator, newspaper founder, and the first ANC president (1912–17) |
| Emdeni | 1958 | "A border, last township before Mogale City (then Krugersdorp Municipality)" (Xhosa), including extensions |
| Jabavu | 1948 | Named for Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu (1885–1959), educator and author |
| Jabulani | 1956 | "Rejoice" (Zulu) |
| Klipspruit | 1904 | "Rocky Stream" (Afrikaans), originally a farm. |
| Kliptown | " Rocky Town", Constructed from Afrikaans for rock (klip), and the English word "town". | |
| Lakeside | ||
| Mapetla | 1956 | Someone who is angry (Setswana) |
| Meadowlands | ||
| Mmesi Park | Sotho name for somebody who burns things on fire | |
| Mofolo | 1954 | Named for Thomas Mofolo (1876–1948), Sotho author, translator, and educator |
| Molapo | 1956 | Name of a Basotho tribe, sotho name for fetique |
| Moletsane | 1956 | Name of a Batuang chief |
| Moroka | 1946 | Named for Dr James Sebe Moroka (1891–1985), later ANC president (1949–52) during the 1952 Defiance Campaign |
| Naledi | 1956 | "Star" (Sotho/Pedi/Tswana), originally Mkizi |
| Noordgesig | "North View" (Afrikaans) | |
| Orlando | 1932 | Named for Edwin Orlando Leake (1860–1935), chairman of the Non-European Affairs Department (1930–31), Johannesburg mayor (1925–26) |
| Phefeni | ||
| Phiri | 1956 | "Hyena" (Sotho/Tswana) |
| Pimville | 1934 | Named for James Howard Pim, councillor (1903–07), Quaker, philanthropist, and patron of Fort Hare Native College; originally part of Klipspruit |
| Power Park | In the vicinity of the power station | |
| Protea Glen | Unknown (The protea is South Africa's national flower) | |
| Protea North | ||
| Protea South | ||
| Senaoane | 1958 | Named for Solomon G Senaoane (−1942), first sports organiser in the Non-European Affairs Department |
| Tladi | 1956 | "Lightning" (Sotho) |
| Zola | 1956 | "Calm" (Zulu/Xhosa) |
| Zondi | 1956 | Unknown family name (Zulu) |
Other Soweto townships include Phomolong and Snake Park
Read more about this topic: Soweto
Famous quotes containing the word suburbs:
“In an expanding universe, time is on the side of the outcast. Those who once inhabited the suburbs of human contempt find that without changing their address they eventually live in the metropolis.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“Everywhere—all over Africa and South America ... you see these suburbs springing up. They represent the optimum of what people want. There’s a certain sort of logic leading towards these immaculate suburbs. And they’re terrifying, because they are the death of the soul.... This is the prison this planet is being turned into.”
—J.G. (James Graham)
“With four walk-in closets to walk in,
Three bushes, two shrubs, and one tree,
The suburbs are good for the children,
But no place for grown-ups to be.”
—Judith Viorst (b. 1935)