Aug
2014
South Western Townships, a plural incorporating all the suburbs which have grown to form Soweto, a sprawling suburb of the Johannesburg Metropolitan.
Soweto was established in 1963 as a separate African Township. Like many other townships the residents were employees of the mines on the Witwatersrand as Ekurhuleni was known.
In 1904 there was an outbreak of the plague in Brickfields (Newtown), which necessitated the removal of residents to evacuation camps which were located at Klipspruit.
Mining was stable source of employment and the already limited dwellings in the townships lead to further development. This gave rise to more townships like Orlando and Pimville that were laid out in 1934 and 1935 respectively.
Soweto is a metropolitan which is still growing to meet housing needs in Johannesburg which equates to an established property market driven by demand and proximity to amenities such as schools, hospitals and malls.
Baragwanath Hospital is the main care centre for the southern suburbs of Johannesburg with dimensions of a city by itself.
Baragwanath Hospital started off as The Imperial Military Baragwanath Hospital, named after Cornishman John Albert Baragwanath. The hospital was built in 1941 during WWII to treat the casualties of the war.
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital as it is known today is reputed to be the world’s third largest hospital.
Soweto is in a prime location in relation to the amenities, other towns, suburbs and major roads.
Suburbs of Soweto include;
· Doornkop
· Dlamini
· Jabulani
The tourist and cultural attractions in Soweto will amaze and have people talking for long, including:
· The Soweto wine festival, which hosts at least 100 of South Africa’s wineries
· Soweto Open tennis tournament, part of the challenger Tour
· Soweto marathon which is held annually
Soweto has, like any other suburb in South Africa, its varied suburbs catering for the entire income spectrum from affluent to affordable with the architecture within the same parameters as other suburbs.
Take a tour of the properties on offer in Soweto via the MyRoof website.
