Kliptown

Kliptown, a suburb of the former black township of Soweto in Gauteng, South Africa, located about 17km south-west of Johannesburg. The population of Kliptown is between 38,000 and 45,000 (City of Johannesburg official web site). Kliptown is the oldest residential district of Soweto, and was first laid out in 1891 on land which formed part of Klipspruit farm. The farm was named after the klipspruit (rocky stream) that runs nearby. From 1903 the area was home to informal settlements (squatter camps), and the area now contains a mixture of purpose-built housing and a large number of shacks and other informal homes which form the Chris Hani and Dlamini settlements.

In June 1955 Kliptown was the home of an unprecedented Congress of the People, organised by the African National Congress, the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats and the Coloured People's Congress. This Congress saw the declaration and adoption of the Freedom Charter, which set out the aims and aspirations of the opponents of apartheid.

In 2005 Johannesburg City Council announced plans for renewal of the Kliptown area, including a large-scale housing project.

References

* Musiker, N. and R., 1999. "A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg", Francolin Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa.

* [http://www.joburg.org.za/2005/jan/jan19_kliptown.stm Johannesburg City Council]
* [http://www.sky-basement.com Soweto Kliptown Youth (SKY) Community Center]