Soweto 2

Soweto, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa is an urban area and part of the municipality of Johannesburg.  The name Soweto is an acronym for South West Townships. It was formed by a cluster of Townships that were set up on the outskirts of Johannesburg to house the ever increasing number of African Migrants who had come to the city to find work on the Gold Mines that had begun in 1886.  At that time they were found accommodation in separate areas on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

In 1904 during the time of British Rule the African and Indian residents of those areas were evacuated to an area outside the Johannesburg Municipal area at Klipspruit Sewerage Farm. Later two townships were founded to the east and west of Johannesburg and were followed by the Pimville Township in 1934 and Orlando in 1935.

As the industrialization of Johannesburg developed, more and more black workers were drawn to the area and so these townships grew and spread and during the Apartheid era many more became residents of the area as the government closed areas inside the Johannesburg area formerly housing black workers, forcing them to live in the South Western Townships.

In 1963 the name Soweto was given to these areas which had become very overcrowded resulting in poor housing, high unemployment and dismal infrastructure. Corrugated Iron shacks abounded and became an ever increasing part of the landscape.

After the establishment of the new South Africa an attempt was made to modernize and beautify the area by planting trees, developing parks and installing water and electricity to these areas. There are now areas of Soweto boasting extravagant homes as well as parts that still have tin shacks.

Today Soweto, which is home to approximately 2 million, is a vibrant and exciting part of the city of Johannesburg. With many places that interest residents and visitors alike more and more foreign visitors are enjoying the sights available in Soweto with the amount of tourists increasing as time passes.

Organized tours are available to Soweto.  Some interesting places to visit are the Mandela family Museum, The Apartheid Museum, The Hector Pieterson Memorial and last but not least Soccer City Stadium, where both the Opening and Final matches of the 2010 World Cup were played.