Kliptown

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Kliptown
Kliptown in November 2012
Kliptown
 Kliptown shown within South Africa
Coordinates: 26°17′02″S 27°53′13″E / 26.284°S 27.887°E / -26.284; 27.887Coordinates: 26°17′02″S 27°53′13″E / 26.284°S 27.887°E / -26.284; 27.887
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
Municipality City of Johannesburg
Main Place Soweto
Area[1]
  Total 0.77 km2 (0.30 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
  Total 7,548
  Density 9,800/km2 (25,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
  Black African 68.2%
  Coloured 30.6%
  Indian/Asian 0.8%
  White 0.1%
  Other 0.4%
First languages (2011)[1]
  Afrikaans 32.4%
  Sotho 20.5%
  Zulu 14.2%
  Tswana 6.8%
  Other 26.0%
Postal code (street) 1811
PO box 1812

Kliptown is a suburb of the formerly black township of Soweto in Gauteng, South Africa, located about 17 km south-west of Johannesburg. 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.

A shop in Kliptown in 1979

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 Kliptown had an unemployment rate of 72%.[2] In that same year Johannesburg City Council announced plans for renewal of the Kliptown area, including a large-scale housing project.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Sub Place Kliptown". Census 2011. 
  2. Klein, Naomi (2007). The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. New York: Picador. p. 270. 
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