102-527: Sophiatown / s oʊ ˈ f aɪ ə t aʊ n / , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi , is a suburb of Johannesburg , South Africa. Sophiatown was a poor multi-racial area and a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid . It produced some of South Africa's most famous writers, musicians, politicians and artists, like Father Huddleston , Can Themba , Bloke Modisane , Es'kia Mphahlele , Arthur Maimane , Todd Matshikiza , Nat Nakasa , Casey Motsisi , Dugmore Boetie , and Lewis Nkosi . Rebuilt as
204-597: A common experience: education at St Peter's School and Fort Hare University , living in Sophiatown, working for Drum magazine, exile, banning under the Suppression of Communism Act and for many the writing of an autobiography. Later, images of Sophiatown could be found in Nadine Gordimer's novels, Miriam Makeba's ghostwritten autobiography and Trevor Huddleston's Naught for your comfort . Alan Paton also details
306-508: A funeral parlour, was staged in Stellenbosch under the direction of Marthinus Basson. It divided audiences (and provoked several angry letters to the editor in Afrikaans newspapers), with one favourable review calling it "a baroque assault of forms, idioms, wordplay, lyricism, operatic tragic-comic interludes, Brechtian theatrical alienation, and ripping symbolic violence." Triomf (1994)
408-594: A large contraction in the economy. Many companies abandoned skyscrapers that had been built in the Central Business District (CBD) in the 1960s and 1970s, and left warehouses empty or little used. When the Group Areas Act was repealed, there was a mass migration of former township dwellers and illegal immigrants to buildings in the CBD and surrounding areas, which caused crime rates to increase dramatically in
510-523: A large number of high-rise apartment blocks. These areas were formerly extremely desirable; however, due to the increase in crime, the housing stock has greatly deteriorated as many wealthier residents have left for the northern suburbs. The existing buildings in the CBD area are insufficient to meet the current demands for housing in the area, and as a result, many under-utilised or abandoned office buildings have been taken over by squatters , or converted into residential housing units. Yeoville and Bellevue have
612-615: A legitimate tool for change. This earned him a reprimand from Albert Luthuli who by then replaced Dr A.B. Xuma as president of the ANC. Current remnants of Freedom Square may be found beneath a school playing field alongside the Christ the King Church. This primary school was the site of religious and educational significance in Sophiatown. It was an Anglican Mission school located in Meyer Street and
714-611: A meeting at the Odin, the ultimately unsuccessful resistance to the destruction of Sophiatown began to coalesce. Freedom Square was located on the corner of Victoria and Morris Streets. It was famous in the 1950s for the political meetings held there. It was utilised by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Transvaal Congress Party. Many of the meetings were chaired by Trevor Huddleston . Freedom Square facilitated
816-492: A mix of apartment buildings and single residential units on small lots. The region is located on a mountainous divide that runs from east to west. The most conspicuous geographic feature is Observatory Ridge , which is named for the large observatory located on it. The recreational spaces are no longer used, due to security problems. The CBD area lacks open spaces; although there are small neighbourhood parks in all suburbs, they are also not used due to mugging concerns. Both
918-588: A number of protected ridges with viewsites. There are several well-developed and up-market entertainment and shopping areas in the east such as the Eastgate Shopping Centre and the Greenstone shopping centre. Soweto and the south-western suburbs, located in Region 6 and Region 10 , border the city's mining belt in the north. The area is mostly composed of old "matchbox" houses, or four-room houses built by
1020-692: A slum, and believed that it was too close to white areas. From 1944, i.e., even before apartheid , the Johannesburg City Council planned to move the non-white population out of the Western Areas of Johannesburg, including Sophiatown. After the election victory of the National Party in 1948, relocation plans were debated at the level of national politics. Under the Group Areas Act and the Immorality Amendment Act, both of 1950, as well as
1122-514: A whites-only area under the name of Triomf ("Triumph") in the 1960s, in 2006 it was officially returned to its original name. Sophiatown was one of the oldest black areas in Johannesburg and its destruction represented some of the excesses of South Africa under apartheid. Sophiatown was originally part of the Waterfall farm. Over time it included the neighbouring areas of Martindale and Newclare. It
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#17328484254081224-506: Is 7th Road. A national serial drama, 7de Laan , shows the strip in its opening credits, mistakenly referring to the road as 7th Avenue. In Melville, lanes run east to west while roads lie north to south. Melville borders on the north to the Melville Koppies, a small protected reserve. The chief road that cuts through Melville's business area, Beyers Naude Drive . Currently, Melville has faced decline as several businesses relocate back into
1326-571: Is a tragicomedy about the Benade family: Mol, her brothers Treppie and Pop, and her son Lambert. Unemployed, they live in Triomf (“triumph”), a poor white suburb of Johannesburg , which was built on the ruins of Sophiatown, the famous black township, after the Apartheid government razed it down in the 1950s. The book opens in late 1993, with South Africa’s first democratic elections impending, and chronicles
1428-521: Is a South African poet, writer, and academic. She is best known for her novels, the satirical tragicomedy Triomf (1994) and the Hertzog -winning Agaat (2004), which explore themes including the family, the change in power dynamics occasioned by the end of Apartheid , and inequalities of race, gender, and class. Van Niekerk is also an award-winning poet. She writes in her native tongue, Afrikaans , and teaches at Stellenbosch University . Marlene van Niekerk
1530-690: Is also the location of the most prestigious secondary schools in Johannesburg. Houghton is also the former electoral district of Helen Suzman , a famous anti-apartheid Member of Parliament . The suburbs become more commercial to the north of Houghton. Rosebank is the centre of high-end retail and shopping for northern suburb residents. Many smaller companies who cannot afford to be located in Sandton also are located in Rosebank. The suburbs near Rosebank, including Parkhurst, Parktown North, Craighall Park and Greenside are collectively known as "The Parks". Parkhurst
1632-405: Is based on the life of Sophiatown legend Ezekiel Dlamini, who gained popularity as a famous boxer, notorious extrovert, a bum, and a brawler. The King Kong musical depicted the street life, the illicit shebeens, the violence, and something approximating the music of the township: jazz, penny whistles and the work songs of the black miners. When King Kong premiered in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba
1734-440: Is known for its village atmosphere and pavement cafés and restaurants. Greenside is next to Parkhurst and has developed Parkhurst-style restaurants. Hyde Park , Sandton, and Morningside are all to the north of Rosebank, all of which are extremely wealthy and well policed. Sandton has become the new business area of Johannesburg, and features many corporate headquarters, as well as Nelson Mandela Square and Wanderers Stadium ,
1836-537: Is located in Radiopark , and two campuses of the sprawling University of Johannesburg . North of Auckland Park lies Melville , which has morphed into a Bohemian enclave of restaurants , cafés , and bookstores based chiefly around 7th Avenue . This occurred mainly following the South African Broadcasting Corporation moving its headquarters to Auckland Park. Melville's main entertainment strip
1938-452: Is located in this border area, to the east of Sandton . The north-western suburbs, located in Regions A and B, exist between the northern suburbs, Soweto , and the inner city. They are mostly low-rise although there are few skyscrapers . There are a few new developments in the recently incorporated city of Randburg , which is a chief commercial node for the area. The area is also connected to
2040-405: Is located near today's Soweto . The Central Business District (CBD) grew rapidly in the early 20th century as many formal European style buildings were constructed, such as the city's main post office . The Central Business District was the first part of the city to be built in a grid, which was designed around the major road known as Commissioner Street , which served as the central artery for
2142-469: Is publicly owned, and the city government is currently in the process of selling large tracts of it for development, which is hoped to provide jobs for the residents of the informal settlements. Rand Stadium , the oldest football stadium in the city, is located in the southern suburb of Rosettenville . Turffontein was the largest concentration camp in Johannesburg during the Second Boer War . The camp
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#17328484254082244-542: Is referred to as "Africa's richest square mile". The first major modern settlements in Johannesburg were loosely planned, as they grew up quickly in order to service the need for labour in the gold mines on the Witwatersrand . However, the population of Johannesburg increased rapidly and the city quickly established formal neighbourhoods, most of which were racially mixed as labourers lived together. The earliest formal settlement to house people of all races, Kliptown ,
2346-510: Is the Anglican Church of Christ the King. The area has since reintroduced the use of its original name. The southern suburbs, located in Regions 9 , 10 , and 11 , extend to the south of the inner city, and are somewhat isolated from the rest of Johannesburg. On a map, the southern suburbs appear to hang down from the border of Soweto and Johannesburg South . It is about 40 kilometres south of
2448-513: Is the name she has given to her longstanding maid, on whom she now relies for her care. In this way, the shift in the power dynamics between Milla and Agaat mirror those occurring on a national level in post-Apartheid South Africa. By way of first-person narrative and extracts from her diaries from the 1950s, Milla reflects on her earlier life, as her relationship with Agaat begins to take on extraordinary significance in her memories, dwarfing her relationships with her son and with other men. The novel
2550-463: Is unknown, as many are illegal immigrants. Most higher-income residents and white people have moved to the northern suburbs and have been replaced by lower-income black people. The unemployment, education, and age profiles of the area are all unknown, due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable information about the area. There have been significant movements to revitalise the CBD , most of which have focused on
2652-464: Is well connected to road networks, especially along the north-south axis formed by the M1 and N1 . Roads to the east and west are less well developed, as there are no freeways travelling in that direction. Towards the northern border of the city, the density of development decreases, leaving large areas of undeveloped land around Midrand. Grand Central Airport is also located in the area. The first suburb to
2754-490: The City Council has enabled the planting of more trees and the improving of parks and green spaces in the area. Hostels are another prominent physical feature of Soweto. Originally built to house male migrant workers, many have been improved as dwellings for couples and families. The N1 Western Bypass skirts the eastern boundary of Soweto. The suburb was not historically allowed to create employment centres within
2856-539: The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality , South Africa . As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although in South Africa most (but not all) "suburbs" have legally recognised borders (see legal definition of township ) and often (but not always) separate postal codes . The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services , are still managed by
2958-624: The Greenwich Village , the Quartier Latin or Kreuzberg . It was akin to what Harlem was to New York in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and is sometimes referred to as the Sophiatown renaissance . The musical King Kong , sponsored by the Union of South African Artists, is described as the ultimate achievement and final flowering of Sophiatown multi-racial cultural exploits in the 1950s. King Kong
3060-625: The Indians were moved to Lenasia ; and the Chinese moved to central Johannesburg. Over eight years Sophiatown was flattened and removed from the maps of Johannesburg. After the forced removals and demolition, the area was rebuilt as renamed "Triomf" —Afrikaans for Triumph —by the government. The social engineers of apartheid tried to create a suburb for the white working-class, and Triomf was predominantly populated by poorer working-class Afrikaners. Marlene van Niekerk's award-winning novel Triomf focuses on
3162-544: The Ingrid Jonker Prize . In 1978, she obtained a Master's degree , with a thesis titled "Die aard en belang van die literêre vormgewing in ' Also sprach Zarathustra '" ("The nature and significance of the literary design in ' Also sprach Zarathustra '"). In 1985, she obtained a Dutch doctorandus in philosophy from the University of Amsterdam . Her thesis was on the works of Claude Lévi-Strauss and Paul Ricoeur , and
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3264-568: The Kaapvaal craton , which dates from three billion years ago. The Koppies lie at the base of lithified sediments in the form of conglomerate , quartzite , shale , and siltstone . It represents the first sea shores and shallow beds of an ancient sea. It also forms part of the lowest level of one of the world's most well known geological features, the Witwatersrand Supergroup. Several fairly narrow layers of gravel, deposited quite late in
3366-600: The Natives Land Act, 1913 , black South Africans also had freehold rights in the area, and bought properties in the suburb. The distance from the city centre was seen as disadvantageous, and after the City of Johannesburg built a sewage plant nearby, the area seemed even less attractive. Most of the wealthy people had moved out by 1920. By the late 1940s Sophiatown had a population of nearly 54,000 Africans, 3,000 Coloureds , 1,500 Indians and 686 Chinese , both owners and renters. As
3468-514: The Natives Resettlement Act of 1954 , the national state was empowered to stop people of different races residing together. This allowed systematic urban segregation and the destruction of mixed areas . When the Sophiatown removals scheme was promulgated, Sophiatown residents united to protest against the forced removals, creating the slogan "Ons dak nie, ons phola hier" (roughly, "we won't move"). Figures like Nelson Mandela were key to
3570-687: The University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg are located in the inner city. One of South Africa's leading sporting venues, Ellis Park Stadium , is located in Doornfontein . It serves as primary home of Jo'burg's two professional rugby union teams, the Lions in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition and the Golden Lions in the domestic Currie Cup . It
3672-466: The city government . Johannesburg, like many other boom towns , grew rapidly and with little planning, and thus the city covers an extremely large area . The main differences between the city's suburbs tend to be socioeconomic: The north is often associated with wealth due to areas such as Houghton, which boasts large properties and contained the residence of former president Nelson Mandela, and Sandton which has become an alternative business district and
3774-414: The 1950s and early 1960s. The first representation is characterized by consistent condemnations of crime as an urban phenomenon that threatens the rural identity of tribal blacks. The second is almost a complete turn-around from the first, as gangsters are portrayed as urban survivors who are able to achieve a standard of living normally denied to blacks. The final period is an extended period of nostalgia for
3876-674: The Benades’ relationships with each other – they reel between hostility and (sometimes incestuous) intimacy – and their difficulties adapting to the new, post-Apartheid South Africa. Among other themes, the novel explores Apartheid's class dimensions and the status of poor whites in South Africa, who, van Niekerk suggests, were ostensibly the beneficiaries of Apartheid, but in fact became downtrodden and disfigured by its ideology. It received generally, but not exclusively, positive reviews, both in South Africa and abroad. The New York Times called it South Africa's "only world-class tragicomic novel,
3978-458: The CBD also felt the demographic change as previously white and middle class suburbs like Yeoville became mostly black and dangerous within the space of two to three years. The city government has attempted to rectify this situation as of 2005 by installing CCTV cameras all over the city centre, and increasing police presence. Some businesses and residents have returned, although most businesses have built permanent and better facilities in
4080-495: The Central area of the city. Many businesses that had not closed their CBD offices left for more secured Northern suburbs, and in particular, Sandton . The amount of business and population of the northern suburbs increased exponentially, while the CBD was left empty and abandoned as a "no-go zone". The previous owners of buildings in the CBD abandoned them as their value decreased, and more illegal immigrants moved in. Many suburbs near
4182-657: The Department of Community Development in 1967. In the 1970s it was bought by the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk , which used it for Sunday School. The church changed hands again and the Pinkster Protestantse Kerk bought the building and altered it significantly. The nave was enclosed, a large font was built and wooden panelling and false organ pipes changed the look of the interior. In 1997 the Anglicans bought
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4284-595: The University of the Witwatersrand. The idea was that they should come back as doctors. The tree gained a sinister reputation as the "Hanging Tree" when two people hanged themselves from its branches, both due to being subjected to the forced removals. The tree was designated as of the first Champion Tree of South Africa. Champion trees are trees in South Africa that are of exceptional importance, and deserve national protection. Suburbs of Johannesburg The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within
4386-747: The Western Areas Anti-Expropriation and Proper Housing Committee. His house was a landmark in Sophiatown (73 Toby Street) and was declared a National Heritage Monument on 11 February 2006. Currently, the house is the location of the Sophiatown Heritage and Cultural Centre. This is one of two houses to escape the destruction of Sophiatown by the government in the late 1950s. It was built in 1935 and named Empilweni. Xuma and his second wife Madie Hall Xuma lived there until 1959. The writer, actor and journalist Bloke Modisane reminisces that among all those modest, run-down buildings, could stand
4488-446: The architect called it a "Holy Barn". The church's distinctive feature was a mural that is no longer visible. It was painted between 1939 and 1941 by Sister Margaret. The church was an icon of the liberation struggle in South Africa. In 1940 Trevor Huddleston was appointed Rector. He was an outspoken opponent of apartheid. In 1955 during the forced removals, Huddleston was recalled to England. His ashes reside next to his former church. On
4590-499: The area are the N3 eastern bypass freeway (which connects Sandton with Germiston ) and the R24 freeway (which connects Johannesburg to O. R. Tambo International Airport ). The eastern suburbs are some of the oldest areas of Johannesburg, there are large communities of Jewish and other European backgrounds, the majority of the population is English speaking. There are three golf courses as well as
4692-405: The area, so almost all of its residents are commuters to other parts of the city. There is efficient road access for many parts of the region along busy highways to the CBD and Roodepoort , but commuters are largely reliant on trains and taxis. The northern suburbs, located in Regions 2 , 3 , 4 , and 7 , include the most wealthy and developed parts of the city. Spreading to the north from
4794-676: The area. The Melville Koppies Nature Reserve is a Johannesburg City Heritage Site. Sophiatown, unlike other townships in South Africa, was a freehold township, which meant that it was one of the rare places in South African urban areas where blacks were allowed to own land. This was land that never belonged to the Johannesburg municipality, and so it never developed through municipal housing schemes. The houses were built according to people's ability to pay, tastes, and cultural background. Some houses were built of brick and had four or more rooms; some were much smaller. Others were built like homes in
4896-515: The church back and it was reconsecrated; the changes were reversed and the building was largely restored to its former self. However, the hall and gallery the Pinkster Protestantse Kerk had built were retained. Dr A. B. Xuma was a medical doctor who had trained in the United States and the United Kingdom. He was a local celebrity, President of the African National Congress and Chairperson of
4998-458: The city led to the growth of many gangs. Sections of society frowned on gangsterism as anti-social behaviour and gangsters like Kortboy and Don Mattera were despised by many as "anti social", but were also sometimes perceived as “social bandits” that were part of the resistance to apartheid. After the Second World War , there was a large increase in the number of gangs in Sophiatown. Part of
5100-444: The city. During this time period, the city invested in street cars , which mostly served to connect wealthier white suburbs with the CBD. Physical growth, although somewhat limited by transportation, continued quickly as immigration to South Africa, and Johannesburg in particular, increased dramatically. This problem was solved in the 1930s when the automobile was introduced in mass production to South Africa. Automobiles were, for
5202-514: The cooperation between the aforementioned political parties. Here parties worked together against the apartheid regime. Freedom Square in Sophiatown should not be confused with Freedom Square in Kliptown, Soweto, where the Freedom Charter was adopted by the ANC in 1955. It was in this Freedom Square in Sophiatown that Nelson Mandela made his first public allusion to violence and armed resistance as
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#17328484254085304-463: The daily lives of a family of poor whites in this era. The Johannesburg City Council took the decision in 1997 to reinstate the old name Sophiatown for the suburb. On 11 February 2006, the process finally came to fruition when Mayor Amos Masondo changed the name of Triomf back to Sophiatown. Today, Sophiatown again has a racially mixed population. Sophiatown is located on one of Johannesburg's ridges called Melville Koppies . Melville Koppies lies on
5406-555: The diocesan architect F. L. H. Flemming. The Church successfully opposed removal of the Home because the property was on farm land and not part of a proclaimed township. There were two cinemas in Sophiatown. The larger was the Odin, which at the time was also the largest in Africa and could seat 1,200 people. The other cinema, Balansky's, was a lower-class, rougher movie-house, while the Odin Cinema
5508-540: The election of the National Party in the 1948 elections, who began to formalise the system known as apartheid . Apartheid formally designated which suburbs each race could live in under the Group Areas Act . Consequently, the city was divided into white and black suburbs. The white suburbs were mostly wealthy and well-developed, and located in the nicest areas in the Johannesburg region. Black South Africans lived in poorly developed townships and suburbs out of view of
5610-402: The extreme south end of the city, there are extremely large informal settlements, such as Orange Farm , which suffer from widespread poverty and unemployment , which are compounded by their isolation from the rest of the city, which in turn makes it costly to extend much-needed infrastructure from the more integrated suburbs. A significant amount of underdeveloped and vacant agricultural land
5712-473: The government, that were built to provide cheap accommodation for black workers during apartheid . Soweto is an abbreviation, standing for "South Western Townships". Street after street in this area is lined with matchboxes; however, there are a few smaller areas where prosperous Sowetans have built houses that are more similar in stature with those in more affluent suburbs. Many people who still live in matchbox houses have improved and expanded their homes, and
5814-423: The inner city every day, and it functions as a regional shopping node for visitors from the southern suburbs. All major arterial roads originate from the inner city and spread out into other parts of the city. Johannesburg's main railway station , bus terminal , and minibus taxi centre are all located in the inner city. The suburbs close to the CBD, in particular Joubert Park , Hillbrow , and Berea , have
5916-412: The inner city to the border with Midrand , the northern suburbs include both large housing developments and commercial centres. The northern suburbs benefited greatly from the deterioration of the CBD, as many people and businesses moved. The northern suburbs have developed along the M1 and N1 highways, which serve as their major arterial roads. The N1 Western Bypass connects the northern suburbs with
6018-673: The inner city. It is actually the most isolated, least integrated area of Johannesburg, with its east, west, and southern boundaries also forming Johannesburg proper's boundaries in the area. It is diagonally traversed by the N1 , with the N12 running along its northern border. The southern suburbs tend to be either solely industrial or solely residential, with most residents in the residential areas being long-term residents in well-established communities. The majority of houses in these formal settlements are included in one of Johannesburg's lowest income brackets. At
6120-571: The kind of book that stabs at your heart while it has you rolling on the floor." Reviewers complimented the effectiveness of van Niekerk's satirical treatment of the Benades' racism and sexism. Triomf was dramatised in a 2008 film , directed by Michael Raeburn . Agaat (2004), van Niekerk's second novel, takes place in 1996, when Kamilla (Milla) de Wet is in the late stages of motor neurone disease , deteriorating daily into complete paralysis and able to communicate only by blinks and glances. Agaat
6222-402: The land never belonged to the Johannesburg municipality, it was never developed through municipal housing schemes, which in black areas usually involved row upon row of "matchbox" houses, based on uniformity and lack of character.[13] It was adjacent to white working-class areas, such as Westdene and Newlands, and known for high levels of crime and poverty. The seregationist state viewed it as
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#17328484254086324-590: The more affluent northern residential areas to the inner city. However, links are poor towards high economic and commercial areas in the north, such as Randburg and Sandton. This gives rise to increasing numbers of secondary roads, creating congestion and putting pressure on residential areas and infrastructure. Towards the extreme north-west of the city, there are well-developed farms , as well as smaller formal and informal residential areas. There are also large manufacturing and industrial nodes. The informal settlements in this area are growing rapidly, with 76 per cent of
6426-409: The mortgages on their properties, they had to take in paying tenants. Sophiatown residents had a determination to construct a respectable lifestyle in the shadow of a state that was actively hostile to such ambitions. A respectable lifestyle rested on the three pillars of religious devotion, reverence for formal education, and a desire for law and order. People struggled to survive together starvation
6528-412: The most part, confined to the wealthy, and permitted them to move to the north of the city and commute into the centre. The South African economy did extremely well at the end of World War II and many new immigrants came to South Africa from Europe. Most poor suburbs were mixed, with poor blacks and whites living together, although the wealthy suburbs were usually reserved for whites. This changed with
6630-481: The most prestigious cricket ground in South Africa. The skyline of Sandton has grown rapidly and there are many projects under development in the area. Sandton is also the location of the JSE Securities Exchange , Africa's largest stock exchange , which relocated from the CBD in 2000. The quality of life deteriorates on the outer fringes of the northern suburbs. One of the poorest townships , Alexandra ,
6732-452: The newly renovated Newtown area in the city centre. West of Melville is Westdene and Sophiatown , once one of the most vibrant black suburbs in the city. Considered a criminal and political hotbed, the entire suburb was razed to the ground in the 1950s. A white suburb of Triomf , meaning "triumph" in Afrikaans , was constructed in its place. The only remaining original Sophiatown building
6834-453: The north of the inner city is Parktown , which is located on a hill overlooking the inner city and Hillbrow. It has many wealthy residents and Edwardian -style mansions , as well as the Education and Medical campuses of the University of the Witwatersrand . The large concrete Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital dominates the skyline of Parktown. There are numerous office parks in
6936-481: The north-eastern side of the church there is a mural depicting Huddleston walking the dusty streets of Sophiatown. This mural was painted by 12 apprentice students under patronage of the Gerard Sekoto Foundation. It shows two children tugging at his cassock as well as Sekoto's famous yellow houses. The entire Sophiatown community was removed by the end of 1963; the church was deconsecrated in 1964 and sold to
7038-517: The north-western suburbs. The residential areas in the northern suburbs are mainly formal, with no significant areas of informal housing, or housing that lacks a permanent structure. Although this is an established area, there is a trend of land use change from residential to commercial, especially along main arterial roads and around established nodes. The area is also becoming more dense, as large residential properties are subdivided , or redeveloped, as townhouse and cluster house complexes. The area
7140-436: The northern suburbs, so a large-scale return is unlikely. The city has grown so quickly to the north that the border between Johannesburg, Midrand , and Centurion is mostly an arbitrary political border, as the two cities have grown together so there is no space between them. The city of Johannesburg is divided into seven regions for administrative purposes, lettered from A to G. The previous system of eleven numbered regions
7242-406: The palatial home of Dr A. B. Xuma with its two garages. Modisane remembers how he and his widowed mother, who ran a shebeen , had looked to Xuma and his house for a model of the good life, i.e. separate bedrooms, a room for sitting, another for eating, and a room to be alone, for reading or thinking, to shut out South Africa and not be black. Good Street was significant in the life of Sophiatown. It
7344-493: The politicians tried to influence others and get them to conform to their form of thinking. If one disagreed he immediately became suspect and was classified as a police informer. These two conflicting images of Sophiatown stand side by side – the romantic vision of a unique community juxtaposed with a seedy and violent township with dangers lurking at every corner. The cultural process was somehow intensified in Sophiatown, as in Soho ,
7446-485: The poorer enclave of Newclare. This provided the state with an excuse to ban the Guard groups which they eyed with suspicion because of their ANC and Communist Party connections. These supposed arbiters of law and order engaged in a series of brutal street battles with members of the "Russians" gang in the early 1950s. The representation of gangsters in the literature ( Drum magazine) went through very different stages during
7548-536: The population of Diepsloot living in informal housing. The industrial areas along Malibongwe Drive in the south-west form part of the Kya Sand area. Fourways , in the south-east, is the major retail, office and entertainment area. The first suburb to be grouped in the north-west is Auckland Park . Auckland Park is home to the headquarters of the South African Broadcasting Corporation , which
7650-407: The reason for this was that there were about 20,000 African teenagers in the city who were not at school and did not have jobs. Township youths were unable to find jobs easily. Employers were reluctant to employ teenagers as they did not have any work experience, and many of them were not able to read or write. They also considered them to be undisciplined and weak. In Johannesburg in the 1950s, crime
7752-458: The reduction of crime , especially street crime in the central area, and the redevelopment of Newtown as a cultural hub for the city. Centred on the CBD, the region includes the suburbs of Yeoville , Bellevue , Troyeville , Jeppestown , and Berea to the east. To the west it spreads to Pageview and Fordsburg . There are small industrial areas to the south, such as City West-Denver and Benrose . Around 800,000 commuters pass through
7854-557: The resistance. Some whites, like Father Trevor Huddleston , Helen Joseph and Ruth First also played an important role. On 9 February 1955, 2,000 policemen, armed with handguns, rifles, and clubs known as knobkierries , forcefully moved the first batch of black families from Sophiatown to Meadowlands, Soweto . In the years that followed, other blacks were removed, and the Coloured evicted to Eldorado Park outside of Johannesburg, in addition to Westbury, Noorgesig and other coloured townships;
7956-473: The rest of the city by the N1 Western Bypass . Roodepoort is another major formerly independent municipality, recently incorporated into Johannesburg. Roodepoort's previously predominantly white population is changing as its proximity to Soweto has made it attractive to middle-class black people who want to move to nicer houses while maintaining ties to their old communities. There is ample access from
8058-408: The rural areas; others still were single room shacks put together with corrugated iron and scrap sheet metal. The majority of the families living in Sophiatown were tenants and sub-tenants. Eight or nine people lived in a single room and the houses hid backyards full of shanties built of cardboard and flattened kerosene cans, since many Black property owners in Sophiatown were poor. In order to pay back
8160-533: The separation between men and women, van Niekerk said that she was inspired by gender dynamics in Afrikaner culture, and by her experience of being treated, as a lesbian, as an outsider in the Afrikaner community. Van Niekerk's work has also been translated into French, Danish, Italian, Swedish, and, frequently, Dutch. Novels Poetry and short stories In 2011, the South African president awarded van Niekerk
8262-552: The sequence, and bearing heavy elements, made the Witwatersrand Supergroup famous. These are the gold-bearing conglomerates of the main reefs. Melville Koppies represents in microcosm most of the features of the Witwatersrand Supergroup. What it does not have is gold-bearing rock. The gold occurs millions of years later, and several kilometres higher up, in the sequence. In the last 1,000 years, black Iron Age immigrants arrived and remains of their kraal walls can be found in
8364-463: The shebeen culture that all but disappeared with the destruction of Sophiatown. One of the few tangible reminders of the old Sophiatown is the Anglican Church of Christ the King in Ray Street. The architect was Frank Flemming, who designed 85 churches throughout South Africa. The church was constructed in 1933. The bell tower was added in 1936. So little money was made available for the construction that
8466-553: The social, cultural and political trajectory of Sophiatown in his 1983 novel, Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful . Marlene van Niekerk's novel Triomf focuses on the suburb Triomf and recounts the daily lives of a family of poor white Afrikaners. The book has been turned into a movie called Triomf , which won the Best South African Movie award in 2008. Crime and violence were a reality of urban life and culture in Sophiatown. The poverty, misery, violence and lawlessness of
8568-452: The suburb as well. Just to the west of Parktown is Westcliff and Parkwood, which is one of the wealthiest areas in Johannesburg, as it is located on the side of a very tall hill and overlooks the inner city as well as the northern suburbs. Other wealthy residential suburbs, Saxonwold , Houghton and Oaklands continue to the north of Westcliff. Nelson Mandela had a house in Houghton, and it
8670-485: The urban space necessary for the parties and staged fights that formed the bulk of their weekend entertainment. One of the more successful community campaigns emerged in the early 1950s when informal policing initiatives known as the Civic Guards were mobilized to combat rising crime. This attempt to restore law and order attracted widespread support prior to a series of bloody clashes with the migrant criminal society from
8772-581: The vocalist of the Manhattan Brothers , played in the female lead role. The musical later went to London's West End for two years. One of the boys, Hugh Masekela at St Peter's School, told Father Huddleston of his discovery of the music of Louis Armstrong . Huddleston found a trumpet for him and as the interest in making music caught on among the other boys, the Huddleston Jazz Band was formed. Masekela did not stay very long in Sophiatown. He
8874-410: The white suburbs. Many large freeways were built to link Johannesburg with the rest of South Africa, although this permitted the further outward expansion of the city along the N1 , N3 , and M2 roadways. Public transport construction was completely abandoned, except for a minor bus system. This system continued until the 1980s, when international sanctions and a poor security situation led to
8976-499: The whites of Europe. The best known gang from this period, and also best studied, was the Russians. They were a group of Basotho migrant workers who banded together in the absence of any effective law enforcement by either mine owners or the state. The primary goal of this gang was to protect members from the tsotsis and from other gangs of migrant workers, and to acquire and defend resources they found desirable - most notably women, jobs and
9078-629: Was a day-to-day reality, and Sophiatown was the nucleus of all reef crimes. Gangsters were city-bred and spoke a mixture of Afrikaans and English, known as tsotsitaal . Some of the more well-known gangs in Sophiatown were the Russians, the Americans, the Gestapo, the Berliners and the Vultures. The names the Gestapo and the Berliners reflect their admiration for Hitler, whom they saw as some kind of hero, for taking on
9180-412: Was a serious problem, and a rich culture based on shebeens (informal and mostly illegal pubs), mbaqanga music, and beer-brewing developed. The shebeens were one of the main forms of entertainment. People came to the shebeens not only for skokiaan or baberton (illegally self-made alcoholic beverages), but to talk about their daily worries, their political ideas and their fears and hopes. In these shebeens
9282-533: Was also a venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . Johannesburg Stadium , a training ground for both the Golden Lions and Orlando Pirates , is adjacent. The eastern suburbs of Johannesburg are located in the city's 7th and 9th regions. The area is also functionally integrated with East Rand border towns outside of the official boundary of Johannesburg, such as Bedfordview and Edenvale (both part of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality ). The major freeways in
9384-685: Was also renowned for its Indian, Chinese and Jewish shops, and for being a street of criminals and gangsters. The Home opened its doors in 1923. It was built as a diocesan memorial to the Coloured men who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It was run by the Anglican nuns, the Order of St Margaret, East Grinstead , who remained in charge until 1978, when they left South Africa in protest against apartheid. The Main Block, Boys' House and Priests' House were designed by
9486-578: Was born on 10 November 1954 on Tygerhoek farm near Caledon in the Western Cape of South Africa. She attended school in Riviersonderend and Stellenbosch , matriculating from Hoërskool Bloemhof. She studied languages and philosophy at Stellenbosch University . She published her literary debut while still a student – Sprokkelster (1977), a volume of poetry, won the Eugène Marais Prize and
9588-468: Was described as a "Street of Shebeens". The writer Can Themba's house, called the House of Truth, was on Good Street, as well as Fatty Phyllis Peterson's 39 Steps. To get to the 39 Steps, one had to walk up a flight of steps, which looked by all accounts very dingy. One was then met by Fatty, who sold about every type of drink: whisky, brandy, gin, beer, wine, etc. Sometimes she even supplied cigars. Good Street
9690-685: Was established in 1928. St Cyprian's was the largest primary school in Sophiatown. Oliver Tambo and Trevor Huddleston taught here, as both were passionate about education. It was also the St Cyprian's School boys who a dug out the pool behind the house of the Community of the Resurrection in order to have a swimming pool. The school boys of St Cyprian's later went to Father Ross or Father Raynes or Father Huddleston who tried to get them bursaries to go to St Peter's School, then Fort Hare University and later even
9792-442: Was in the orchestra of King Kong and then made his own international reputation. Images of Sophiatown were initially built up in literature by a generation of South African writers: Can Themba , Bloke Modisane , Es'kia Mphahlele , Arthur Maimane , Todd Matshikiza , Nat Nakasa , Casey Motsisi , Dugmore Boetie , and Lewis Nkosi who all lived in Sophiatown at various stages during the 1950s. They all shared certain elements of
9894-617: Was located where the Turffontein Racecourse is now, and held about 5,000 people. The 700 who died of that group are buried at the Suideroord Concentration Camp Cemetery which was on a farm called Klipriviersberg and which is now the suburb of Winchester Hills. The racecourse hosts the Summer Cup one of three major races in South Africa. Marlene van Niekerk Marlene van Niekerk (born 10 November 1954)
9996-620: Was met with critical acclaim. Liesl Schillinger of the New York Times called its register "more generous and humane" than that of Triomf , and said that it exemplified "the reason people read novels, and the reason authors write them." Writing in Bookforum , Mary Gaitskill said it was "extraordinary." Agaat won seven South African literary awards, and Michiel Heyns won the 2007 Sol Plaatje Prize for Translation for his translation of Agaat into English. Asked about Agaat 's depiction of
10098-511: Was more up-market. The Odin was the pride of Sophiatown. It was owned by a white couple, the Egnoses, who were known as Mr and Mrs Odin. Not only did they provide much loved entertainment, but also made the Odin available for political meetings, parties and stage performances. Some international acts played to multi-racial audiences at the Odin. It was also the site of a series of "Jazz at the Odin" jam sessions featuring white and black musicians. Also at
10200-400: Was purchased by a speculator, Hermann Tobiansky, in 1897. He acquired 237 acres four miles or so west of the centre of Johannesburg. The private leasehold township was surveyed in 1903 and divided into almost 1700 small stands. The township was named after Tobiansky's wife, Sophia, and some of the streets were named after his children Toby, Gerty, Bertha and Victoria. Before the enactment of
10302-412: Was reorganised in 2006. The inner city of Johannesburg is located within the city's Region F. The inner city is an extremely diverse region, with areas ranging from severely degraded residential areas such as Bertrams , to the somewhat stable commercial area of Braamfontein . The estimated population of the region is 200,000, but the number of people living in the inner city on an informal basis
10404-947: Was titled "Taal en mythe: een structuralistische en een hermeneutische benadering" ("Language and myth: a structuralist and a hermeneutic approach"). Van Niekerk later taught philosophy at the University of Zululand and the University of South Africa , and from 1989 taught Afrikaans and Dutch literature at the University of the Witwatersrand . Currently, she is associate professor at Stellenbosch University 's Afrikaans and Dutch department, where she teaches creative writing. She has published two novels, five volumes of poetry, and several short story collections. Theatre While an undergraduate, van Niekerk wrote three plays for amateur theatre. In 1979, between her Master's and her doctorate, she moved to Germany to study directing as an apprentice at theatres in Stuttgart and Mainz . In April 2011, her play Die korstondige raklewe van Anastasia W , set in
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