Tembisa

Tembisa Thembisa
Tembisa township
Tembisa  Tembisa shown within Gauteng Show map of Gauteng Tembisa Tembisa (South Africa) Show map of South Africa Tembisa Tembisa (Africa) Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 26°00′20″S 28°12′37″E / 26.0055°S 28.2102°E / -26.0055; 28.2102Coordinates: 26°00′20″S 28°12′37″E / 26.0055°S 28.2102°E / -26.0055; 28.2102
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	Ekurhuleni
Established	1957
• Councillor	(ANC)
Area[1]
• Total	42.80 km2 (16.53 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	463,109
• Density	11,000/km2 (28,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
• Black African	98.9%
• Coloured	0.2%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	0.1%
• Other	0.7%
First languages (2011)[1]
• Northern Sotho	33.1%
• Zulu	21.7%
• Tsonga	13.3%
• Xhosa	7.0%
• Other	24.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	1632
PO box	1628
Area code	011

Tembisa is a large township situated to the north of Kempton Park on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1957 when black people were resettled from Alexandra and other areas in Edenvale, Kempton Park, Midrand and Germiston.

Etymology

The name Thembisa is a Nguni word meaning promise and hope was later changed by Northern Sotho people who came from Limpopo to Tembisa, which has no meaning without the H. The settlement when it was founded carried with it a lot of hope and promise for a brighter future for its inhabitants. Though its initial residents were forcefully removed from parts of Kempton Park and Edenvale, for the purpose of clearing blacks from "white areas", settling in Tembisa also marked the end of years of harassment by apartheid authorities, and a reprieve from a life of squalor in their previous settlements.^[2] Today Tembisa enjoys better infrastructure and its population has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with its attraction being its location in the heart of Gauteng province's industrial zone.

History

The township was founded in 1957. After the Afrikaner-dominated National Party gained power in 1948 and began to implement apartheid, the pace of forced removals and the creation of townships outside legally designated white areas increased. The Johannesburg council established new townships for black people evicted from the city's freehold areas.

In 1956, townships were laid out for particular ethnic groups as part of the state's strategy to sift black people into groupings that would later form the building blocks of the so-called "independent homelands". It is the second largest township in Gauteng, following Soweto.

In 1977 the government initiated the Community Councils and in 1982 upgraded them to Town Councils, under the Black Local Authorities Act. The government vested limited powers on these councils but without financial muscle. Therefore, to raise revenue for purposes of developing the townships, the councils increased rent and service charges. This caused the residents in different townships, including Tembisa, to establish civic structures to resist the rent and service charge increases.^[3]

In 2016, on July 25, residents were caught off guard when a tornado hit the area. The twister started in Kempton Park and moved over to Tembisa, causing the most destruction here. Around 20 people were severely injured and more than 400 were left homeless. One of the most visible sights was the damage to the Phumulani Mall, where the roof collapsed after the tornado passed through. No deaths were reported.

Transport

The township was not historically allowed to create employment centres within its area, so almost all of its residents commute daily to their employment destinations in places such as Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Pretoria Johannesburg and Midrand.

References