It was an act that had played out many times in South Africa: a forced removal. In 1904 the bubonic plague broke out in the town centre, in an area known as Brickfields. Once the brick makers had been removed 25km south, to Klipspruit, the area was fenced and razed to the ground. And so Soweto was born.
In time Klipspruit was settled by a bohemian group of people - whites, coloureds, Indians and a sprinkling of Chinese joined the original black people. An Afrikaner had a dairy farm in the area, where the pastures were rich.
So it seemed natural that, 51 years later, in 1955, that nearby Kliptown was where several thousand people from around the country gathered to ratify the Freedom Charter, a document setting out the ordinary aspirations of black South Africans for equal rights in the land of their birth. It was an atmosphere described by Nelson Mandela in his book Long Walk to Freedom as “serious and festive”. Fifty years later, on 27 June 2005, Mandela was there again, in his capacity as retired president of a democratic South Africa. This time the gathering saw the opening of the grand and symbolic Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication, to commemorate the historic day in 1955.
In the last 20 years Soweto has come of age. All roads have been tarred, thousands of trees have been planted, shopping malls have opened, the first gym has appeared, and the colourful Soweto Theatre in Jabulani is now the playground of Soweto’s artistic talent. Orlando Stadium, with its nearby Olympic-sized swimming pool, was rebuilt for the 2010 Football World Cup. There’s a golf club and an equestrian centre, owned by Enos Mafokate, who represented South Africa in the 1992 Olympic Games. There is now an annual marathon, a wine festival, and the Soweto Derby football match. Soweto is home to football clubs Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows. Successful Soweto businessmen include Richard Maponya, Joburg’s mayor Herman Mashaba and Nthato Motlana, among others. Kwaito and Kasi Rap, a form of hip-hop, originated in Soweto. The township has a television channel, Soweto TV. It also has a gospel choir and a string quartet.
“Soweto is a place full of love and unity and people here look out for each other,” businessman Thabo Moagi told The Guardian in 2015. “Soweto has everything I need. The people. The shops. The culture.” None of this means that Soweto is not affected by crime, but Sowetans are warm and friendly, and always ready to party.
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