Soweto 100 years old

What is now Soweto, SOuth-WEstern TOwnships, became a destination for thousands of black South Africans during the Apartheid era. The original Klipspruit location (present day Pimville) 13 km from Johannesburg was established in 1904. The council used an outbreak of bubonic plague as an excuse to burn down the "Coolie Location" of Braamfontein and evict 600 Indian and 1,358 black African residents. The name Soweto was not actually coined until 1963, after a four year competition to find a name for Johannesburg's "slum clearance". The prize was a mere £10.