| Crossroads | |
|---|---|
| — Suburb — | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Wards | |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | |
Crossroads is a high-density township in Cape Town, South Africa.
It is situated near Cape Town International Airport and borders Nyanga, Philippi, Heideveld, Gugulethu and Mitchells Plain.
Crossroads is one of Cape Town's largest townships. People began to settle there because Langa (Cape Town's first township) was becoming too crowded . People began to live there from 1975. Crossroads grew quickly and by 1980 it had over 110 000 residents. By 1983 it had becomee the Western Cape's largest township. The huge township developed sub-sections (suburbs/areas) such as New Crossroads, Old Crossroads, Upper Crossroads and KTC.
Crossroads was the scene of numerous protests during the apartheid era. During the Soweto uprising, students protested about being taught in the Afrikaans language, and riots occurred when Crossroads began forcibly removing people to Khayelitsha (currently Cape Town's 2nd largest township after Mitchells Plain). During this period, many shacks were burnt down and houses destroyed. Many people were also left homeless.
Today Crossroads has high rates of gangsterism and poverty .
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