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36-425: "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix being "ma" meaning mother, and the suffix "melodi" meaning melodies. Its meaning can be translated to mean Mother of Melodies . The township was established when 16 houses were built on the farm Vlakfontein in June 1953 and later the name changed to Mamelodi. The Group Areas Act designated Mamelodi as a blacks-only area, though this became moot with

72-667: A distinction on social, economic, political and, in the case of the Group Areas Act, geographical lines. The Group Areas Act may be regarded as an extension of the Asiatic Land Tenure Act, 1946 . The Act empowered the Governor-General to declare certain geographical areas to be for the exclusive occupation of specific racial groups. In particular the statute identified four such racial groups: whites, coloureds , indians, and natives. This authority

108-506: A large AIDS outreach program helping several thousand orphans in the community. Mamelodi is home to the largest AIDS Hospice Center in South Africa with 140 beds available free of charge. Tshwane North TVET College has 6 campuses, one of which is based in the east of Mamelodi in the section called BufferZone, next to Mamelodi Day Hospital. It used to be called Thuto Matlhale, then changed to Mamelodi College and now known after

144-653: A major problem facing the community with poverty, unemployment and social issues being the major contributors. The community has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, like looting during strikes and destruction of public properties with the aim to get the attention of the government to speed up service delivery. One major outreach program in Mamelodi is the Viva Foundation . Viva works to support orphans and vulnerable children, as well as giving community members business and skills training. Viva's Mamelodi compound

180-518: A small library, computers, and an auditorium. It is used for after-school reading, tutoring, and other activities by students in Mamelodi. There are different organisations and groups that are working towards improving the standard of living and education levels within the township. One of them is Tateni Community Care Services , funded in 1995, which operates 10 Drop-in Centres, mostly in primary schools, to support young children. Furthermore, they have

216-514: A smaller cell that crossed the border into South Africa and started making their way to Johannesburg with the intention to join protests commemorating the June 16 Uprising. On 13 June 1977, the three men, each carrying a large suitcase, were at the taxi rank in central Johannesburg on their way to Soweto when a policeman became suspicious and grabbed one of the suitcases. An AK-47 assault rifle and hand grenade fell out. All three men attempted to flee

252-827: A suburb of Johannesburg . On 9 February 1955, 2,000 policemen began removing residents to Meadowlands, Soweto and erected a new white-only area called Triomf (Victory). Nelson Mandela said of the Act in his book, Long Walk to Freedom : "the Groups Areas Act was the foundation of residential apartheid. Under its regulations, each racial group could own land, occupy premises, and trade only in its own separate area. Indians could henceforth only live in Indian areas, Africans in African, Coloureds in Coloured. If whites wanted

288-617: A youth development program to support youth in-and-out-of-school to work towards their "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty" approach. Another organization The Mamelodi Trust operates within five schools in the area. The Mamelodi Initiative, was founded in 2007 by Richard Kelly and Seikanelo Sedibane and it was launched in 2010, it focuses on providing after-school and out-of-school time programming to Mamelodi residents through winter and summer holiday programmes, year-round computer courses, youth mentoring, and other opportunities for youth.The Itsoseng Clinic

324-399: Is also home to Mamelodi Sundowns star George Lebese and Lucky Mohomi of Mamelodi Sundowns . Mamelodi is also home to the 2003 Miss South Africa Joan Ramagoshi . There are a lot of informal settlements in Mamelodi. The housing problem is so great in the area, but it is proving impossible to keep up with the demand. The rates of youth unemployment and drug use are high. Crime is also

360-553: Is commemorated in the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square in his hometown of Mamelodi , Pretoria. The square is focused on a bronze statue of Mahlangu wearing MK camouflage and incorporating children's depictions of "fruits of freedom". In the city of Durban, there was a major arterial road named ' Edwin Swales VC Drive', after a RAF bomber commander who died in 1945. Following proposals made by

396-535: Is host to a preschool, small store, kitchen, and safe house for orphans. Viva has also worked to produce a "living art gallery" by painting several homes surrounding the compound. Another major outreach project situated on the University of Pretoria Mamelodi Campus is the Itsoseng Clinic, a psychological clinic providing free psychological services to the community of Pretoria. The Clinic is a project of

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432-495: Is the only psychological facility in the community offering free services to the community. Services are provided by volunteers, students, interns and professional university staff. Solomon Mahlangu is commemorated in the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square in his hometown of Mamelodi, Pretoria. The square is focused on a bronze statue of Mahlangu. It is located in well maintained parklands on the corner of Maphalla Drive and Tsamaya Avenue. Group Areas Act Group Areas Act

468-472: The death sentence . The court refused Mahlangu leave to appeal. His lawyers then asked the Appeal Court for leave to appeal and this too was refused. Mahlangu was hanged on 6 April 1979. Priscilla Jana was the last of his supporters to see him before his execution and shared his final message: "Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight. My blood will nourish the tree that will bear

504-483: The "wrong" areas. People of colour, who were the majority at the time, were given much smaller areas (e.g., Tongaat , Grassy Park ) 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. The first Group Areas Act, the Group Areas Act, 1950 was promulgated on 7 July 1950, and it

540-458: The 1976 student protests. Mahlangu joined a unit of ten men at Funda Camp who received training in sabotage, military combat, scouting and politics. After months of paramilitary training, Mahlangu's unit travelled to Eswatini , where they were given false-bottom suitcases containing ANC pamphlets, guns, ammunition and explosives. On 11 June 1977 Mahlangu and fellow trainees George 'Lucky' Mahlangu and Mondy Motaung (sometimes "Motloung") formed

576-578: The Supreme Court on 7 November 1977. His defence team included Ismail Mohamed, S.C. , Clifford Mailer and Priscilla Jana . Mahlangu faced two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and various counts of sabotage under the Terrorism Act of 1967. Although Mahlangu had not fired the shots that killed two civilians, the court found that Mahlangu and Motaung had acted with a common purpose and that it consequently did not matter which of

612-559: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that she had been unaware of her son's interest in politics and had not been told of his decision to leave the country for military training, only receiving a message to tell her to not look for her son. She later visited him in detention at John Vorster Square. His last note to her was: Mama, thank you for having been strong to come and visit me and not cry. But where my blood will drop, so many Solomons will grow up because I am innocent. Solomon Mahlangu

648-416: The University of Pretoria's Department of Psychology and is in operation since 1994. The clinic collaborates with other helping services, i.e. policing services, hospitals, crisis centers, orphanages, hospices, etc. in the community to address issues related to poverty, crime, unemployment, such as substance and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, HIV/Aids related issues and learning and other difficulties. This

684-539: The area and escape the policemen. Mahlangu and Motaung unknowingly fled in the direction of the police station in John Vorster Square. Mahlangu was shot in the ankle and the pair fled into a nearby warehouse. In the ensuing confusion, Motaung shot and killed two warehouse employees, Rupert Kessner and Kenneth Wolfendale, and wounded another two people. Mahlangu and Motaung were arrested while George 'Lucky' Mahlangu evaded capture. Mahlangu's trial started in

720-589: The basis of the individuals who held a controlling interest in the company. The Act became an effective tool in the separate development of races in South Africa. It also granted the Minister of the Interior a mandate to forcibly remove non-whites from valuable pieces of land so that they could become white settlements. One of the most famous uses of the Group Areas Act was the destruction of Sophiatown ,

756-485: The cases of Solomon Mahlangu and Monty Motaung and found that both men were responsible for the deaths of Rupert Kessner and Kenneth Wolfendale. It also found both Mahlangu and Motaung guilty of gross human rights violations. Lastly it found both the African National Congress and the commanding officer of uMkhonto weSizwe guilty of gross human rights violations. Mahlangu's mother testified before

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792-650: The eThekwini Municipality, the road was changed to honour Mahlangu. A main arterial road in Pretoria that runs through Solomon Mahlangu's hometown of Mamelodi was renamed from Hans Strijdom Drive to Solomon Mahlangu Drive. In 2016, the main administrative building at the University of the Witwatersrand , formerly known as Senate House, was renamed Solomon Mahlangu House. The 2016 film Kalushi chronicles his life and times, where Thabo Rametsi played

828-596: The fall of Apartheid in 1994. In the 1960s black citizens were forcefully removed from the suburb of Lady Selbourne in Pretoria to Mamelodi, Ga-Rankuwa and Atteridgeville . Anti-apartheid activist Reverend Nico Smith preached in Mamelodi from 1982 to 1989, and obtained permission to live there himself from 1985 to 1989. During that period, he and his wife Ellen were the only whites legally allowed to live in Mamelodi. The township still has vastly more blacks than any other group as of 2010. Since 2001 Mamelodi has had

864-567: The fruits of freedom." He was one of 133 people executed by the state in that year. With unprecedented international condemnation of the then-South African Government and to stop protest at his funeral, police buried Mahlangu in Atteridgeville . In 1993, his remains were reinterred in the Mamelodi Cemetery with a plaque bearing his final words. South Africa's post-Apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission examined

900-508: The land or houses of the other groups, they could simply declare that land a white area and take them" Solomon Mahlangu Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (10 July 1956 – 6 April 1979) was a South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the African National Congress (ANC) militant wing, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). He was convicted for his part in the murder of two people and hanged in 1979. Mahlangu

936-519: The merge as TNC Mamelodi Campus. The University of Pretoria operates a campus in Mamelodi. The campus in Mamelodi was incorporated from Vista University into the University of Pretoria on 2 January 2004 as part of a government reshuffle of smaller institutions into larger ones. The U.S. Embassy operates the Mae Jemison Science Reading Room in Mamelodi. This stand-alone building on the University of Pretoria campus has

972-426: The role of Solomon. In Tanzania, one of the top universities, Sokoine University of Agriculture , in the east region of Morogoro is known as Solomon Mahlangu Campus. During the #FeesMustFall protests, "Solomon" was a key song recited by student activists on campuses across the country. This is a reference to Mahlangu's involvement in the anti-Apartheid struggle as a young person, his legacy and what he means to

1008-476: The two had done the shooting and killing. Mahlangu was convicted on all counts, while Motaung had been so severely beaten by police while in detention that he suffered brain injuries and was declared unfit to stand trial. In terms of South African law at the time, the court was obliged to sentence someone convicted for murder to death unless the accused proved mitigating circumstances. The court found that Mahlangu had failed to do so, and consequently handed down

1044-616: The youth of today. In 2019, Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth renamed one of their residences after him. In 2022, Rhodes University in Makhanda renamed "Jan Smuts Hall", the largest residence on campus, to Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Hall. During the same occasion they also renamed a second residence, Hilltop Hall, Hugh Masekela Hall to honour the South African musician. The Transvaal Scottish Regiment

1080-483: Was born on 10 July 1956. Although often said to have been born in Pretoria , a Mahlangu family spokesperson later corrected his birthplace to Doornkop in Mpumalanga . Mahlangu is the second of six children. He was primarily raised by his mother, Martha Mahlangu who worked as a domestic worker , as his father largely abandoned the family in 1962. Mahlangu attended Mamelodi High School up to Standard 9. He

1116-704: Was established in 1995 and continues to deliver a comprehensive psychological service to the local residents. The Historical Society of Mamelodi aim to capture the history of Mamelodi digitally. The township is home to the Mamelodi Sundowns of the ABSA Premier League and the Mamelodi Bees Basketball of the South African Women's Basketball League. The HM Pitje Stadium is located in Mamelodi. Mamelodi

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1152-571: Was exercised on the advice of the Minister of the Interior and the Group Areas Board. Once an area had been designated for sole occupation by certain racial groups, the proclamation would not become legally effective for at least one year. Once this time had expired, it became a criminal offence to remain in occupation of property in that area with the punishment potentially being a fine and two years' imprisonment. The Act also applied to businesses with racial designation being applied on

1188-430: Was implemented over a period of several years. It was amended by Parliament in 1952, 1955 (twice), 1956 and 1957. Later in 1957, it was repealed and re-enacted in consolidated form as the Group Areas Act, 1957 , which was amended in 1961, 1962, and 1965. In 1966, that version was, in turn, repealed and re-enacted as the Group Areas Act, 1966 , which was amended in 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, and 1984. It

1224-555: Was in Standard 8 during the 1976 Soweto uprisings of student-led protests against Bantu Education . His school was closed due to ongoing riots. In 1976 Mahlangu flew to Mozambique and spent six months in a refugee camp near Xai Xai . From there he was taken to an African National Congress training camp called "Engineering" in Angola . He was part of a group of MK trainees called the "June 16 Detachment" due to their involvement in

1260-475: Was repealed, along with many other discriminatory laws, on 30 June 1991 by the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991 . After the 1948 general election , D.F. Malan 's administration commenced its policy of apartheid that sought to segregate the races in South Africa. The government hoped to achieve this through "separate development" of the races and this entailed passing laws that would ensure

1296-639: 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 (e.g. Sea Point , Claremont ). 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

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