Soshanguve is a township situated about 25 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1974 on land scheduled to be incorporated into a bantustan bordering on Mabopane in Bophuthatswana, to Sotho, Shangaan, Nguni and Venda people (thus the name) who were resettled from Atteridgeville and Mamelodi. It later became part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
In 2008 the population of Soshanguve was 600,000 residents.[1] .
The name Soshanguve is an abbreviation for Sotho, Shangaan, Nguni, Venda, being the languages spoken at this township.
Initially Soshanguve was known as Mabopane East before the Bophuthatswana bantustan became an independent State in 1977. During 1977 Mabopne West became known as Mabopane and fell under the control of Bophuthatswana homeland while Mabopane East became known as Soshanguve which fell under the Northern Transvaal administration.
Soshanguve was the scene of riots related to poor service delivery in January 2006.[2] It was also home to Smangaliso Mkhatshwa the Catholic Priest who was banished from Transkei by the apartheid regime until he later became a member of the first post-apartheid parliament (1994) and then mayor of Tshwane. Other well known anti-apartheid actvist are Mpho Walter Molema, Thabo Makola, Tamati Matlala and Steven Makena, these were killed during 1985-1986 Struggle and thereafter the State of Emergency was declared by the apartheid Government under PW Botha.
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