Norweto

Last updated

Norweto (a contraction of "North West Township") was a low-cost suburban development proposed in 1986 for black South Africans during the Apartheid era in South Africa. It was closer to northern suburbs, which consisted of both affluent white areas and very rural multi-racial area than Soweto (upon which it was based), [1] and the development was canceled after complaints from the "Greenbelt Action Group", among others. [2]

The Green Belt Action Group was founded in 1986 by a group of smallholders situate North of Johannesburg (in a declared Green Belt) to oppose the "Draft Guide Plan for the Pretoria. Witwatersrand, Vereeniging (PWV)". The group consisted of an eclectic group of people of a variety of original Nationalities and professions. Their political views ranged from far right to far left.

The primary opposition from the Greenbelt Action Group was because the proposed township development was to be on protected greenbelt land. In addition, the area had a reputation for being a safe haven for all races, including multi-racial couples.

It was closer to northern suburbs, which consisted of both affluent white areas and very rural multi-racial area than Soweto (upon which it was based), and the development was canceled after complaints from the "Greenbelt Action Group", among others

The Draft Guide plan was an ill-conceived and essentially ill researched plan for the development of the huge PWV area it embraced proposed highways, townships, water reticulation and agriculture to name a few. In essence the whole plan was a product of the Apartheid era, Norweto for example was supported by the Town of Randburg, a town that practiced a "White by Night Policy and was some 20 km from the town with the only access via a single lane road. The name Norweto was a small part of it and was not a Government name but one "invented' by the Environmental Editor of a Johannesburg Daily News paper. GAG raised over 250,000 written objections to the Guide plan by means of public meetings, media articles and interviews. Their efforts all being during a declared State of Emergency. Eventually they were invited (at their own expense) to sit on a Government Planning Committee.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soweto</span> Township in Gauteng, South Africa

Soweto is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships. Formerly a separate municipality, it is now incorporated in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is one of the suburbs of Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannesburg</span> Largest city in South Africa

Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with 4,803,262 people, and is classified as a megacity; it is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. It is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa. Most of the major South African companies and banks have their head offices in Johannesburg. The city is located within the mineral-rich Witwatersrand hills, the epicentre of the international-scale mineral, gold and (specifically) diamond trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transvaal (province)</span> 1910–1994 province of South Africa

The Province of the Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Township (South Africa)</span> Urban living areas reserved for non-whites in Apartheid South Africa

In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refers to an under-developed, racially segregated urban area, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-whites, namely Black Africans, Coloureds and Indians. Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities. The term township also has a distinct legal meaning in South Africa's system of land title, which carries no racial connotations.

Laudium is an Indian township southwest of central Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Claudius is a residential suburb that is effectively an extension of Laudium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Johannesburg</span>

Johannesburg is a large city in Gauteng Province of South Africa. It was established as a small village controlled by a Health Committee in 1886 with the discovery of an outcrop of a gold reef on the farm Langlaagte. The population of the city grew rapidly, becoming a municipality in 1898. In 1928 it became a city making Johannesburg the largest city in South Africa. In 2002 it joined ten other municipalities to form the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Today, it is a centre for learning and entertainment for all of South Africa. It is also the capital city of Gauteng.

Meadowlands is a suburb of Soweto, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It was founded in the early 1950s during the apartheid era for black residents from Sophiatown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburbs of Johannesburg</span>

The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within 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 "suburbs" have legally recognised borders and often separate postal codes. The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services, are still managed by the city government.

Sasolburg is the third largest city within the Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa and is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark and Zamdela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apartheid</span> South African system of racial separation

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was characterised by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority white population. In this minoritarian system, there was social stratification and campaigns of marginalization such that white citizens had the highest status, with them being followed by Indians as well as Coloureds and then Black Africans. The economic legacy and social effects of apartheid continue to the present day, particularly inequality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality</span> Metropolitan municipality in Gauteng, South Africa

The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Zulu is the most spoken home language at 23.4% followed by English at 20.1%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pageview, Johannesburg</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Pageview is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Populated by non-whites, predominantly Indians, until the 1970s, it was one of two adjacent suburbs commonly known as Fietas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group Areas Act</span> South African laws codifying racial segregation

Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid. An effect of the law was to exclude people of colour from living in the most developed areas, which were restricted to Whites. It required many people of colour to commute large distances from their homes to be able to work. The law led to people of colour being forcibly removed for living in the "wrong" areas. People of colour, who were the majority at the time, were given much smaller areas to live in than the white minority. Pass Laws required people of colour to carry pass books and later "reference books", similar to passports, to enter the "white" parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soweto uprising</span> 1976 student-led protests in South Africa that were violently suppressed

The Soweto uprising, also known as the Soweto riots, was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa during apartheid that began on the morning of 16 June 1976.

The Congress of the People was a gathering organised by the National Action Council, a multi-racial organisation which later became known as the Congress Alliance, and held in Kliptown on 26 June 1955 to lay out the vision of the South African people. The Freedom Charter was drawn up at the gathering, which was statement of core principles of the Alliance and a symbol of internal resistance against apartheid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal resistance to apartheid</span> 1950–1994 social movement in South Africa

Internal resistance to apartheid in South Africa originated from several independent sectors of South African society and took forms ranging from social movements and passive resistance to guerrilla warfare. Mass action against the ruling National Party (NP) government, coupled with South Africa's growing international isolation and economic sanctions, were instrumental in leading to negotiations to end apartheid, which began formally in 1990 and ended with South Africa's first multiracial elections under a universal franchise in 1994.

Noordgesig is a township in Soweto, situated at the edge of area's northernmost boundary, but within its territory. It is the first township seen on entering Soweto from the frequently used New Canada Road. Noordgesig is a Coloured township. It is colloquially called "Bulte"(meaning Hills) by its residence and neighbors, as depicted by the Mine Dumps surrounding the Township. The name "Bulte" was coined as a form of endearment by the residence for the longest time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music in the movement against apartheid</span> One of the methods of opposition used against the apartheid regime

The apartheid regime in South Africa began in 1948 and lasted until 1994. It involved a system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and placed all political power in the hands of a white minority. Opposition to apartheid manifested in a variety of ways, including boycotts, non-violent protests, and armed resistance. Music played a large role in the movement against apartheid within South Africa, as well as in international opposition to apartheid. The impacts of songs opposing apartheid included raising awareness, generating support for the movement against apartheid, building unity within this movement, and "presenting an alternative vision of culture in a future democratic South Africa."

Eldorado Park is a suburb of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region G of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. It lies on the southern boundary of Soweto and prior to 1994, was a Coloured township during Apartheid.

The history of gangs in South Africa goes back to the Apartheid era.

References

  1. Lemon, Anthony (1991). Homes apart: South Africa's segregated cities. London: P. Chapman Pub. pp.  144. ISBN   0-253-33321-0.
  2. The Rhenosterspruit Nature Conservancy: structures, management and history [ permanent dead link ]