Mabopane developed as one of the major Black townships north of Pretoria under apartheid spatial planning. It is closely linked physically and historically with neighbouring Soshanguve and the Rosslyn industrial area, and it contains local landmarks including the Mabopane (Soshanguve) railway precinct and the Odi Stadium. Since the early 2000s Mabopane has been administered by the City of Tshwane and has seen housing projects, commercial development and ongoing infrastructure challenges.[2]
History
Proclamation
Mabopane was proclaimed in 1959 as a black-only residential settlement by the then Transvaal administration. Initial residents included people displaced from Wallmansthal, Lady Selborne and surrounding farms. Early housing blocks were constructed beginning with Block A; other blocks followed and areas were planned according to socio-economic status.[2]
Bophuthatswana
Mabopane was incorporated into the bantustan of Bophuthatswana from 1977 to 1994. Parts of Mabopane (Blocks F, G and H) later became Soshanguve to house non-Tswana residents during bantustan rule. During that period the area saw public works such as training centres and hospitals; many of these facilities experienced decline after 1994.[3]
Post-Apartheid
From the 1990s onwards Mabopane experienced administrative change and gradual infrastructure repairs, but challenges in housing, roads and services persist.
Geography
The township is in the Highveld region and has a temperate, summer-rainfall climate.
Demographics
Most residents identify as Christian; Bantu languages predominate, with Tswana the largest first language group according to the 2011 census.[1]
Local government
Mabopane is within the City of Tshwane municipality in Gauteng. Local services are delivered by municipal departments and parastatals such as water utilities and Eskom. (Local representative names change frequently and should be sourced from current municipal records.)
Education
The township has several primary and secondary schools. The local further-education campus is the Odi Campus of Tshwane South TVET College (formerly known locally as "MANPOWER").[3]
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