Sebokeng

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Sebokeng
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Sebokeng
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Sebokeng
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Sebokeng
Coordinates: 26°34′37″S27°50′26″E / 26.57694°S 27.84056°E / -26.57694; 27.84056
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
District Sedibeng
Municipality Emfuleni
Area
[1]
  Total
46.45 km2 (17.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total
218,515
  Density4,700/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 99.1%
   Coloured 0.4%
   Indian/Asian 0.1%
   White 0.1%
  Other0.3%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Sotho 64.6%
   Zulu 14.7%
   Xhosa 10.3%
   Tswana 2.2%
  Other8.2%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1983
PO box
1982
Area code 016

Sebokeng ( /ˌsəbˈkɛŋ/ ) locally called Zweni by residents, is a middle-class township in the Emfuleni Local Municipality in southern Gauteng, South Africa near the industrial cities of Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. Other neighboring townships include Evaton to the north and Sharpeville to the south.

Contents

History

Sebokeng, which literally means "gathering place" in Sesotho, was established by the then apartheid government in 1965 when 18,772 houses were erected. In September 1984 there were violent clashes between the South African security forces and the residents of Sebokeng, who were boycotting rent and service tariffs. The cessation of fighting in 1994 allowed citizens to begin forming a stable community.

Demographics

The township is divided into a number of zones ranging from Zone 3 to Zone 24, not forgetting the hostel residence towards the outskirts of the townships when entering from the South coming from Vanderbijl. After South Africa's democratic elections in 1994, the number of middle-class black South Africans or 'black diamonds' in this township has risen dramatically, with Zones such as Zone 6, 10, and 14 consisting of the largest number of black middle-class citizens and homes with a higher property value than traditional Apartheid 'matchbox houses' (four-roomed houses erected during the township's establishment).

The township is predominantly black, but there has been an influx of people of other racial groups seeking to live there.

Economy

Many of the residents of Sebokeng have opted to using entrepreneurship as a means of earning an income since 1994; before then entrepreneurship was strongly discouraged by the Apartheid government and black men were preferred to work in the neighboring suburbs of Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Meyerton as cleaners, garden workers, delivery boys, etc. The types of businesses run by residents range from formal businesses such as beauty shops, pubs, petrol garages and night clubs to informal, usually home-based businesses such as spaza shops, hair salons and shebeens.

In 2002, Sebokeng's first Plaza, Sebokeng Plaza was opened to serve and employ the residents of Sebokeng and neighbouring townships and in 2009 they built another plaza which is Thabong, which was later upgraded to a Mall, not forgetting Mandela Square towards the North, which also created jobs for local residents.

Infrastructure

Developments to upgrade the railway station near Zone 10 began in 2010 and are still underway. Many roads in Sebokeng have deteriorated and remained untarred for more than 30 years. Developments to re-tar many of these road began in 2009, but have been stalled due to tender disputes. Many of the roads of Sebokeng were left unnamed by the Apartheid-era municipality and thus 7-digit house numbers are depended on for navigation through residential areas. The longest main roads of Sebokeng are Moshoeshoe Rd (named after the Sotho king, Moshoeshoe) and Adams Rd in Evaton.

Education

The township has two tertiary institutions, a FET College, Sedibeng, and Vaal University of Technology's Sebokeng campus, which is regarded a privilege as townships hardly have access to tertiary institutions in the Vaal, in actual fact Sebokeng is the only township that is exposed to tertiary education. The Vaal Triangle's D8 education district offices are in Zone 18 next to Residentia High.

Primary and Secondary schools in Sebokeng teach in Sesotho and Zulu, to a lesser extent isiXhosa home languages and English FAL (First Additional Language) and are all over the townships ensuring that the younger population of Sebokeng have access to education.

Neighbouring townships

Neighbouring townships include Boiketlong, Evaton, Sharpeville, Tshepiso, Beverley Hills, Orange Farm, Bophelong, Tshirela, Muvango, Kanana, Seroepe Sa Benya, Mkhelele, Small Farms, Tshepong, Boitumelo, Polokong, Golden Gardens, and Lakeside.

Notable people

Related Research Articles

Sharpeville is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Sharpeville is one of the oldest of six townships in the Vaal Triangle. It was named after John Lillie Sharpe who came to South Africa from Glasgow, Scotland, as secretary of Stewarts & Lloyds. Sharpe was elected to the Vereeniging City Council in 1932 and held the position of mayor from 1934 to 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaal Triangle</span> Urban area near Johannesburg, South Africa

The Vaal Triangle is a triangular area formed by Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg about 60 km south of Johannesburg, South Africa. The area forms a substantial urban complex. Meyerton, just north of Vereeniging, is also sometimes included in the complex, and residents of Sharpeville, Boipatong, Bophelong, the greater Sebokeng area, Three Rivers, Heidelberg and Deneysville also generally tend to consider themselves to live in the Vaal Triangle. The area straddles the Vaal River and is a major industrial region, which is home to former Iron and Steel Corporation Iscor, now ArcelorMittal South Africa, and Sasol, respectively the steel and petrochemical processing facilities.

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

Vereeniging is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly situated in the Transvaal province. Vereeniging is the third largest city in Gauteng. The name Vereeniging is the Dutch word meaning "association", although the spelling has since changed to vereniging, with a single e.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">R28 (South Africa)</span> Road in South Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">R42 (South Africa)</span>

The R42 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Vanderbijlpark with Bronkhorstspruit via Vereeniging, Heidelberg, Nigel and Delmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R82 (South Africa)</span> Road in South Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedibeng District Municipality</span> District municipality in Gauteng, South Africa

The Sedibeng District Municipality is one of the districts of the Gauteng province of South Africa. The administrative seat of the district is Vereeniging. As of 2011, the most widely spoken language among its 794,605 inhabitants was Sesotho.

Evaton is a township north of Sebokeng, that's divided into three; Evaton Central, Evaton West and Evaton North, in the Emfuleni Local Municipality of Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1904. Like other townships in the area, Evaton was affected by the violent unrest which erupted in 1984 and by 1985 a state of emergency was imposed.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emfuleni Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Gauteng, South Africa

Emfuleni Municipality is a local municipality within the Sedibeng District Municipality, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is the westernmost local municipality in the district, and covers an area of 987 km2 at the heart of the Vaal Triangle. It is located in the former industrial heartland of Gauteng which created employment and wealth for Sebokeng, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Three Rivers and Sharpeville. Its head offices are located at the corner of Klasie Havenga St and Frikkie Meyer Blvd, Vanderbijlpark. The municipality was founded in 1999.

The Vaal Mall is a large shopping centre in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the largest shopping centre in the region and serves patrons from Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sasolburg, Sebokeng, Bophelong and Parys.

Boipatong is a township in Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1955 to house black residents who worked in Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging.

The R553 is a Regional Route in Gauteng, South Africa that connects Johannesburg with Vanderbijlpark via Eldorado Park, Ennerdale, Evaton and Sebokeng. It is known as the Golden Highway for much of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IFM 102.2 (South Africa)</span> Radio station

IFM 102.2 is a South African community radio station based in Gauteng.

Mokhaugelo Solomon Chabalala is a South African politician and a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for the Democratic Alliance.

Bavumile Herbert Vilakazi was a South African politician, diplomat and former anti-apartheid activist who was the inaugural Mayor of Ekurhuleni from 2000 to 2001. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaal uprising</span> 1984–1986 protests in South Africa

The Vaal uprising was a period of popular revolt in black townships in apartheid South Africa, beginning in the Vaal Triangle on 3 September 1984. Sometimes known as the township revolt and driven both by local grievances and by opposition to apartheid, the uprising lasted two years and affected most regions of the country. The government of P. W. Botha did not succeed in curbing the violence until after it imposed a national state of emergency in June 1986.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Sebokeng". Census 2011.