Botshabelo
| Botshabelo | |
|---|---|
  Botshabelo Botshabelo shown within South Africa
| |
| Coordinates: 29°13′59″S 26°43′59″E / 29.23306°S 26.73306°ECoordinates: 29°13′59″S 26°43′59″E / 29.23306°S 26.73306°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| Municipality | Mangaung |
| Established | 1978 |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 103.98 km2 (40.15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,423 m (4,669 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 181,712 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,500/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011)[1] | |
| • Black African | 99.2% |
| • Coloured | 0.3% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.2% |
| • White | 0.1% |
| • Other | 0.2% |
| First languages (2011)[1] | |
| • Sotho | 84.5% |
| • Xhosa | 7.6% |
| • English | 2.0% |
| • Afrikaans | 1.6% |
| • Other | 4.3% |
| Postal code (street) | 9781 |
| PO box | 9781 |
| Area code | (+27) 51 |
| Website | http://www.mangaung.co.za/ |
Botshabelo, meaning "a place of refuge", is a large black settlement set up by the then apartheid government 45 km east of Bloemfontein, Free State province, South Africa. As many people moved away from the farms in the Free State, they looked for places to stay in the region of Thaba Nchu, another homeland under the old Bophutatswana government.[2][3]
The policy governing Bophutatswana at the time clearly stated that Bophutatswana belongs to those who are of Tswana tribe. As a result, all other tribes, mainly Southern Sotho and Xhosa, were put at a squatter camp named “Kromdraai”. Kromdraai was initiated by a man who was only referred to as "Khoza". He was selling a stand for only 50 cents around the year of 1976.
Later on the government of Bophutatswana started to strongly condemn the development of that area and worked hard through their police force during the day and night, striving to dispatch everybody living in the region and who is not a Tswana. As the pressure mounted for the people of Kromdraai, Khoza fled and he was no longer to be seen anywhere.
In 1979, the then Prime Minister of QwaQwa, Kenneth Mopeli together with the apartheid government found a place for all the people of Kromdraai at a farm called Onverwacht. All the people who were not Tswana started to move to Onverwacht for free, and later on when they started to settle in the area paid ZAR80 for a stand. Late in 1980 to early 1981 the name Onverwacht started to disappear and people started to call their place by the name of Botshabelo, this name given by Julius Nkoko.
Botshabelo is one of the towns that have produced soccer players for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) especially for Celtics such as Madidilane, Ditheko Mototo, the late Abram Raselemane, Ntho Moshe, Motseothata November, Ace Gulwa,Lefu Nyapuli,Teboho Salemane and others. Population is mainly composed of people speaking S. Sotho and Xhosa.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Main Place Botshabelo". Census 2011.
- ↑ Murray, Colin (1987). "Displaced Urbanization: South Africa's Rural Slums". African Affairs (Oxford University Press) 86 (344): 311–329. JSTOR 722745.
- ↑ Tomlinson, Richard; Krige, Skip (1997). "Botshabelo: Coping With the Consequences of Urban Apartheid". International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (international journal of urban and regional research) 21 (4): 691–705. doi:10.1111/1468-2427.00109.
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