67-518: New Doornfontein ( / ˈ d ʊər n f ɒ n t eɪ n / DOORN -fon-tayn ) is a suburb of Johannesburg , South Africa . It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality . This Johannesburg -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Suburbs of Johannesburg The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within
134-615: A large contraction in the economy. Many companies abandoned skyscrapers that had been built in the Central Business District (CBD) in the 1960s and 1970s, and left warehouses empty or little used. When the Group Areas Act was repealed, there was a mass migration of former township dwellers and illegal immigrants to buildings in the CBD and surrounding areas, which caused crime rates to increase dramatically in
201-523: A large number of high-rise apartment blocks. These areas were formerly extremely desirable; however, due to the increase in crime, the housing stock has greatly deteriorated as many wealthier residents have left for the northern suburbs. The existing buildings in the CBD area are insufficient to meet the current demands for housing in the area, and as a result, many under-utilised or abandoned office buildings have been taken over by squatters , or converted into residential housing units. Yeoville and Bellevue have
268-492: A mix of apartment buildings and single residential units on small lots. The region is located on a mountainous divide that runs from east to west. The most conspicuous geographic feature is Observatory Ridge , which is named for the large observatory located on it. The recreational spaces are no longer used, due to security problems. The CBD area lacks open spaces; although there are small neighbourhood parks in all suburbs, they are also not used due to mugging concerns. Both
335-608: A number of protected ridges with viewsites. There are several well-developed and up-market entertainment and shopping areas in the east such as the Eastgate Shopping Centre and the Greenstone shopping centre. Soweto and the south-western suburbs, located in Region 6 and Region 10 , border the city's mining belt in the north. The area is mostly composed of old "matchbox" houses, or four-room houses built by
402-449: A plot of land that are rented out by the land owner for additional income. Plots of land designed for single-family houses have been turned into plots, that, on average hold six families instead of one. These structures are illegally built in violation of planning and building codes and strain the infrastructure. Governments are loath to act on backyard dwellings, as doing so would result in large-scale displacement of people. A 2001 study of
469-512: A problem in townships and children as young as 12 or 13 get initiated into local gangs. Some see violence and gangs as a way of life and a part of their culture. The weapon of choice for most is a gun and with easy accessibility anyone is able to get one. It is estimated that out of the 14 million guns in circulation, in South Africa, only four million are registered and licensed to legal gun owners. Largest townships in South Africa at
536-410: A rapid period of urbanisation as the colour bar was relaxed due to the war. Neither employers nor the government built new accommodations or homes for the influx of new residents. This led to overcrowding, poor living conditions, thus, contributing to high levels of crime and violence . High rents and overcrowding led to land invasions and the growth of shack settlements, which were largely ignored by
603-545: A township (in the legal sense) is established and then the adjoining townships, with the same name as the original township, and with a numbered "Extension" suffix are later established. For example, the Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston has an extension called Bryanston Extension 3 . In traditionally or historically white areas, the term "suburb" is used for legally-defined residential townships in everyday conversation. A suburb's boundaries are often regarded as being
670-514: Is 7th Road. A national serial drama, 7de Laan , shows the strip in its opening credits, mistakenly referring to the road as 7th Avenue. In Melville, lanes run east to west while roads lie north to south. Melville borders on the north to the Melville Koppies, a small protected reserve. The chief road that cuts through Melville's business area, Beyers Naude Drive . Currently, Melville has faced decline as several businesses relocate back into
737-700: Is also the location of the most prestigious secondary schools in Johannesburg. Houghton is also the former electoral district of Helen Suzman , a famous anti-apartheid Member of Parliament . The suburbs become more commercial to the north of Houghton. Rosebank is the centre of high-end retail and shopping for northern suburb residents. Many smaller companies who cannot afford to be located in Sandton also are located in Rosebank. The suburbs near Rosebank, including Parkhurst, Parktown North, Craighall Park and Greenside are collectively known as "The Parks". Parkhurst
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#1732797679959804-508: Is informal and unregulated by the government. This results in a lack of access to basic services such as sewerage, electricity, roads, and clean water, which adversely affects the residents' quality of life. Sewerage, water, and electrical infrastructure within townships are often in need of repair, resulting in a lack of sanitation due to problems with accessibility and availability. Electricity, water, and sewerage are managed by different government departments, resulting in inefficiencies in
871-440: Is known for its village atmosphere and pavement cafés and restaurants. Greenside is next to Parkhurst and has developed Parkhurst-style restaurants. Hyde Park , Sandton, and Morningside are all to the north of Rosebank, all of which are extremely wealthy and well policed. Sandton has become the new business area of Johannesburg, and features many corporate headquarters, as well as Nelson Mandela Square and Wanderers Stadium ,
938-557: Is located in Radiopark , and two campuses of the sprawling University of Johannesburg . North of Auckland Park lies Melville , which has morphed into a Bohemian enclave of restaurants , cafés , and bookstores based chiefly around 7th Avenue . This occurred mainly following the South African Broadcasting Corporation moving its headquarters to Auckland Park. Melville's main entertainment strip
1005-457: Is located in this border area, to the east of Sandton . The north-western suburbs, located in Regions A and B, exist between the northern suburbs, Soweto , and the inner city. They are mostly low-rise although there are few skyscrapers . There are a few new developments in the recently incorporated city of Randburg , which is a chief commercial node for the area. The area is also connected to
1072-405: Is located near today's Soweto . The Central Business District (CBD) grew rapidly in the early 20th century as many formal European style buildings were constructed, such as the city's main post office . The Central Business District was the first part of the city to be built in a grid, which was designed around the major road known as Commissioner Street , which served as the central artery for
1139-431: Is mainly attributable to higher and more rapid drop-out rates among the poor, rather than to a lack of initial access to schooling. The formerly white schools uniformly produce better results as their governing bodies are able to raise substantial private funds. These funds are used to get resources that are usually inaccessible for the rural and township schools which survive on the commitment of their teachers. Gangs are
1206-476: Is publicly owned, and the city government is currently in the process of selling large tracts of it for development, which is hoped to provide jobs for the residents of the informal settlements. Rand Stadium , the oldest football stadium in the city, is located in the southern suburb of Rosettenville . Turffontein was the largest concentration camp in Johannesburg during the Second Boer War . The camp
1273-549: Is referred to as "Africa's richest square mile". The first major modern settlements in Johannesburg were loosely planned, as they grew up quickly in order to service the need for labour in the gold mines on the Witwatersrand . However, the population of Johannesburg increased rapidly and the city quickly established formal neighbourhoods, most of which were racially mixed as labourers lived together. The earliest formal settlement to house people of all races, Kliptown ,
1340-521: Is the Anglican Church of Christ the King. The area has since reintroduced the use of its original name. The southern suburbs, located in Regions 9 , 10 , and 11 , extend to the south of the inner city, and are somewhat isolated from the rest of Johannesburg. On a map, the southern suburbs appear to hang down from the border of Soweto and Johannesburg South . It is about 40 kilometres south of
1407-466: Is unknown, as many are illegal immigrants. Most higher-income residents and white people have moved to the northern suburbs and have been replaced by lower-income black people. The unemployment, education, and age profiles of the area are all unknown, due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable information about the area. There have been significant movements to revitalise the CBD , most of which have focused on
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#17327976799591474-467: Is well connected to road networks, especially along the north-south axis formed by the M1 and N1 . Roads to the east and west are less well developed, as there are no freeways travelling in that direction. Towards the northern border of the city, the density of development decreases, leaving large areas of undeveloped land around Midrand. Grand Central Airport is also located in the area. The first suburb to
1541-496: The City Council has enabled the planting of more trees and the improving of parks and green spaces in the area. Hostels are another prominent physical feature of Soweto. Originally built to house male migrant workers, many have been improved as dwellings for couples and families. The N1 Western Bypass skirts the eastern boundary of Soweto. The suburb was not historically allowed to create employment centres within
1608-438: 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 (but not all) "suburbs" have legally recognised borders (see legal definition of township ) and often (but not always) separate postal codes . The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services , are still managed by
1675-781: The University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg are located in the inner city. One of South Africa's leading sporting venues, Ellis Park Stadium , is located in Doornfontein . It serves as primary home of Jo'burg's two professional rugby union teams, the Lions in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition and the Golden Lions in the domestic Currie Cup . It
1742-466: The city government . Johannesburg, like many other boom towns , grew rapidly and with little planning, and thus the city covers an extremely large area . The main differences between the city's suburbs tend to be socioeconomic: The north is often associated with wealth due to areas such as Houghton, which boasts large properties and contained the residence of former president Nelson Mandela, and Sandton which has become an alternative business district and
1809-458: The CBD also felt the demographic change as previously white and middle class suburbs like Yeoville became mostly black and dangerous within the space of two to three years. The city government has attempted to rectify this situation as of 2005 by installing CCTV cameras all over the city centre, and increasing police presence. Some businesses and residents have returned, although most businesses have built permanent and better facilities in
1876-500: The Central area of the city. Many businesses that had not closed their CBD offices left for more secured Northern suburbs, and in particular, Sandton . The amount of business and population of the northern suburbs increased exponentially, while the CBD was left empty and abandoned as a "no-go zone". The previous owners of buildings in the CBD abandoned them as their value decreased, and more illegal immigrants moved in. Many suburbs near
1943-475: The absence of substantial coordination at all stages of the project planning, budgeting, and implementation cycle. The sewer systems within townships are poorly planned and constructed. The population of townships typically grows faster than what the infrastructure was planned for, causing overloads that result in blockages, surges, and overflows. There often are only a limited number of public toilets that are overused, abused, and quickly become health hazards for
2010-505: The area are the N3 eastern bypass freeway (which connects Sandton with Germiston ) and the R24 freeway (which connects Johannesburg to O. R. Tambo International Airport ). The eastern suburbs are some of the oldest areas of Johannesburg, there are large communities of Jewish and other European backgrounds, the majority of the population is English speaking. There are three golf courses as well as
2077-405: The area, so almost all of its residents are commuters to other parts of the city. There is efficient road access for many parts of the region along busy highways to the CBD and Roodepoort , but commuters are largely reliant on trains and taxis. The northern suburbs, located in Regions 2 , 3 , 4 , and 7 , include the most wealthy and developed parts of the city. Spreading to the north from
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2144-444: The city. During this time period, the city invested in street cars , which mostly served to connect wealthier white suburbs with the CBD. Physical growth, although somewhat limited by transportation, continued quickly as immigration to South Africa, and Johannesburg in particular, increased dramatically. This problem was solved in the 1930s when the automobile was introduced in mass production to South Africa. Automobiles were, for
2211-415: The communities. Another issue is poor access to maintenance activities, which is caused by a lack of space between houses. Some of the areas on the township peripheries or near the riverbanks do not have access to sanitation facilities because they are not connected to the formal waterborne sewerage system. A consequence of inadequate pumping infrastructure and large populations is that the water pressure in
2278-452: The continuing growth of the townships. Constructing houses in the dried up tributaries is a potential problem in the event of a large storm as the tributary starts to fill up with water again or in case of a backup of sewerage coming into the tributary. The houses built in that area stand the risk of being destroyed by natural occurrences. As the area grows, the tributaries are piped and a number of concrete aprons and gullies are constructed over
2345-610: The election of the National Party in the 1948 elections, who began to formalise the system known as apartheid . Apartheid formally designated which suburbs each race could live in under the Group Areas Act . Consequently, the city was divided into white and black suburbs. The white suburbs were mostly wealthy and well-developed, and located in the nicest areas in the Johannesburg region. Black South Africans lived in poorly developed townships and suburbs out of view of
2412-402: The extreme south end of the city, there are extremely large informal settlements, such as Orange Farm , which suffer from widespread poverty and unemployment , which are compounded by their isolation from the rest of the city, which in turn makes it costly to extend much-needed infrastructure from the more integrated suburbs. A significant amount of underdeveloped and vacant agricultural land
2479-411: The government's disinclination to encourage power usage by non-residents. Some townships, such as Alexandra and Diepsloot , are built near rivers, and on flood plains . These areas are extremely dense with only tortuous, narrow access, few communal water points and banks of chemical toilets on the peripheries of the settlements. The settlements are beginning to be built in the old tributaries due to
2546-473: The government, that were built to provide cheap accommodation for black workers during apartheid . Soweto is an abbreviation, standing for "South Western Townships". Street after street in this area is lined with matchboxes; however, there are a few smaller areas where prosperous Sowetans have built houses that are more similar in stature with those in more affluent suburbs. Many people who still live in matchbox houses have improved and expanded their homes, and
2613-583: The government. By 1950, a large portion of the urban black population lived in townships. In 1950, upwards of 100,000 people were living in townships on the Witwatersrand area ; 50,000 people lived in Cato Manor in Durban; and an estimated 150,000 black and coloured people lived in townships in Cape Town . Living conditions in the shack township settlements were poor, but they had some advantage over
2680-423: The inner city every day, and it functions as a regional shopping node for visitors from the southern suburbs. All major arterial roads originate from the inner city and spread out into other parts of the city. Johannesburg's main railway station , bus terminal , and minibus taxi centre are all located in the inner city. The suburbs close to the CBD, in particular Joubert Park , Hillbrow , and Berea , have
2747-412: The inner city to the border with Midrand , the northern suburbs include both large housing developments and commercial centres. The northern suburbs benefited greatly from the deterioration of the CBD, as many people and businesses moved. The northern suburbs have developed along the M1 and N1 highways, which serve as their major arterial roads. The N1 Western Bypass connects the northern suburbs with
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2814-679: The inner city. It is actually the most isolated, least integrated area of Johannesburg, with its east, west, and southern boundaries also forming Johannesburg proper's boundaries in the area. It is diagonally traversed by the N1 , with the N12 running along its northern border. The southern suburbs tend to be either solely industrial or solely residential, with most residents in the residential areas being long-term residents in well-established communities. The majority of houses in these formal settlements are included in one of Johannesburg's lowest income brackets. At
2881-582: 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. Townships for non-whites were also called locations or lokasies in Afrikaans and are often still referred to as such in
2948-590: The more affluent northern residential areas to the inner city. However, links are poor towards high economic and commercial areas in the north, such as Randburg and Sandton. This gives rise to increasing numbers of secondary roads, creating congestion and putting pressure on residential areas and infrastructure. Towards the extreme north-west of the city, there are well-developed farms , as well as smaller formal and informal residential areas. There are also large manufacturing and industrial nodes. The informal settlements in this area are growing rapidly, with 76 per cent of
3015-412: The most part, confined to the wealthy, and permitted them to move to the north of the city and commute into the centre. The South African economy did extremely well at the end of World War II and many new immigrants came to South Africa from Europe. Most poor suburbs were mixed, with poor blacks and whites living together, although the wealthy suburbs were usually reserved for whites. This changed with
3082-491: The most prestigious cricket ground in South Africa. The skyline of Sandton has grown rapidly and there are many projects under development in the area. Sandton is also the location of the JSE Securities Exchange , Africa's largest stock exchange , which relocated from the CBD in 2000. The quality of life deteriorates on the outer fringes of the northern suburbs. One of the poorest townships , Alexandra ,
3149-401: The newly renovated Newtown area in the city centre. West of Melville is Westdene and Sophiatown , once one of the most vibrant black suburbs in the city. Considered a criminal and political hotbed, the entire suburb was razed to the ground in the 1950s. A white suburb of Triomf , meaning "triumph" in Afrikaans , was constructed in its place. The only remaining original Sophiatown building
3216-458: The north of the inner city is Parktown , which is located on a hill overlooking the inner city and Hillbrow. It has many wealthy residents and Edwardian -style mansions , as well as the Education and Medical campuses of the University of the Witwatersrand . The large concrete Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital dominates the skyline of Parktown. There are numerous office parks in
3283-517: The north-western suburbs. The residential areas in the northern suburbs are mainly formal, with no significant areas of informal housing, or housing that lacks a permanent structure. Although this is an established area, there is a trend of land use change from residential to commercial, especially along main arterial roads and around established nodes. The area is also becoming more dense, as large residential properties are subdivided , or redeveloped, as townhouse and cluster house complexes. The area
3350-436: The northern suburbs, so a large-scale return is unlikely. The city has grown so quickly to the north that the border between Johannesburg, Midrand , and Centurion is mostly an arbitrary political border, as the two cities have grown together so there is no space between them. The city of Johannesburg is divided into seven regions for administrative purposes, lettered from A to G. The previous system of eleven numbered regions
3417-539: The other more established options, like hostels, of being cheap and largely unregulated by the apartheid-era South African Police . In 1950, the Group Areas Act was enacted, which empowered the Governor-General to designate land for the sole use of a specific race. Under this law, black people were evicted from properties that were in areas designated as "white only" and forced to move into segregated townships. Separate townships were established for each of
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#17327976799593484-556: The population of Diepsloot living in informal housing. The industrial areas along Malibongwe Drive in the south-west form part of the Kya Sand area. Fourways , in the south-east, is the major retail, office and entertainment area. The first suburb to be grouped in the north-west is Auckland Park . Auckland Park is home to the headquarters of the South African Broadcasting Corporation , which
3551-458: The reduction of crime , especially street crime in the central area, and the redevelopment of Newtown as a cultural hub for the city. Centred on the CBD, the region includes the suburbs of Yeoville , Bellevue , Troyeville , Jeppestown , and Berea to the east. To the west it spreads to Pageview and Fordsburg . There are small industrial areas to the south, such as City West-Denver and Benrose . Around 800,000 commuters pass through
3618-481: The rest of the city by the N1 Western Bypass . Roodepoort is another major formerly independent municipality, recently incorporated into Johannesburg. Roodepoort's previously predominantly white population is changing as its proximity to Soweto has made it attractive to middle-class black people who want to move to nicer houses while maintaining ties to their old communities. There is ample access from
3685-471: The smaller towns. The slang term " kasie / kasi ", a popular short version of " lokasie " is also used. Townships sometimes have large informal settlements nearby. During 1900–1950 (roughly), the majority of the black population in the major urban areas lived in hostels or servants' accommodations, these were provided by employers, and the workers were mostly single men. In the period during and following World War II , urban areas of South Africa experienced
3752-457: The suburb as well. Just to the west of Parktown is Westcliff and Parkwood, which is one of the wealthiest areas in Johannesburg, as it is located on the side of a very tall hill and overlooks the inner city as well as the northern suburbs. Other wealthy residential suburbs, Saxonwold , Houghton and Oaklands continue to the north of Westcliff. Nelson Mandela had a house in Houghton, and it
3819-480: The terms township, location, and informal settlement are not used pejoratively. However, policymakers are, as in the 1950s, once again using the term ' slums ' in a highly pejorative way. Informal settlements that are normally self established around regulated townships are faced with several social problems. Most often, the residents of informal settlements do not own the land on which their houses are built. In effect, these houses are built illegally. Construction
3886-522: The three designated non-white race groups: black people, Coloureds , and Indians – as per the Population Registration Act, 1950 . Most South African towns and cities have at least one township associated with them. Some old townships have seen rapid development since 1994, with, for instance, wealthy and middle-income areas sprouting in parts of Soweto and Chatsworth . Despite their origins in apartheid South Africa, today
3953-566: The time of the 2011 census: The legal meaning of the term "township" in South Africa differs from the popular usage and has a precise legal meaning without any racial connotations. The term is used in land titles and townships are subdivided into erfs (stands). "Township" can also mean a designated area or district, as part of a place name. For instance "Industrial Township" has been used in reference to an industrial area, e.g. "Westmead Industrial Township", in Pinetown , South Africa. Often
4020-467: The township called Diepsloot near Johannesburg showed that 24% of the residents lived in brick structures, 43% were in shack areas, and 27% were in backyard shacks. Township schools are often overcrowded, and lack adequate infrastructure. There is a high dropout rate among poor youth, particularly around Grade 9. Despite government interventions, education outcomes remain skewed, with township students continuing to under-perform. This skewed distribution
4087-423: The townships is very low. Each section of the townships normally has one pump per section. The water is used for everything from washing clothes to cooking, drinking, bathing, and cleaning the house. Having limited water accessible to each section makes it very hard to meet the daily water needs per household. Illegal electricity connections are all-pervasive in the townships with electrical wires strung along
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#17327976799594154-446: The trees leading to power boxes. Although dangerous, every house in the area has a wire coming out of it and every wire is known by their owner in order to fix problems as soon as they arise. Most of the sub-stations are very unsecured to begin with so having so many additional wires coming from them is very dangerous for the people nearby and the kids playing in the area. The electricity infrastructure has not undergone upgrades because of
4221-513: The tributary into which the communal water points drain. The gullies are then choked with garbage and the tributaries appear to be substantially blocked but this will not hold off the water for very long if a flood comes through. Due to overcrowding, residents choose to build on river banks in hopes of easy access to water and laundry facilities, however, the available water is unsuitable for these purposes due to pollution, and they remain vulnerable to floods. Backyard shacks are additional units on
4288-410: The white suburbs. Many large freeways were built to link Johannesburg with the rest of South Africa, although this permitted the further outward expansion of the city along the N1 , N3 , and M2 roadways. Public transport construction was completely abandoned, except for a minor bus system. This system continued until the 1980s, when international sanctions and a poor security situation led to
4355-539: Was also a venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . Johannesburg Stadium , a training ground for both the Golden Lions and Orlando Pirates , is adjacent. The eastern suburbs of Johannesburg are located in the city's 7th and 9th regions. The area is also functionally integrated with East Rand border towns outside of the official boundary of Johannesburg, such as Bedfordview and Edenvale (both part of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality ). The major freeways in
4422-744: Was located where the Turffontein Racecourse is now, and held about 5,000 people. The 700 who died of that group are buried at the Suideroord Concentration Camp Cemetery which was on a farm called Klipriviersberg and which is now the suburb of Winchester Hills. The racecourse hosts the Summer Cup one of three major races in South Africa. Township (South Africa) In South Africa , the terms township and location usually refers to an under-developed , racially segregated urban area, from
4489-412: Was reorganised in 2006. The inner city of Johannesburg is located within the city's Region F. The inner city is an extremely diverse region, with areas ranging from severely degraded residential areas such as Bertrams , to the somewhat stable commercial area of Braamfontein . The estimated population of the region is 200,000, but the number of people living in the inner city on an informal basis
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