Springs, South Africa

Springs (26°15'S; 28°26'E)(5,340 ft) is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa and is part of the East Rand, now known as the Ekurhuleni region. It lies 50km east of Johannesburg. The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area; it has a population of more than 200,000.

History

The original 7 km² farm on which the city of Springs was later to be built, The Springs, was surveyed in 1883. Coal was discovered in the area in 1887 and three years later the Transvaal Republic's first railway was built to carry coal from the East Rand coalfields to the gold mines of the Witwatersrand.

Gradually, especially after coal was discovered further east in South Africa in Witbank, the Springs collieries were closed. In the meanwhile, however, gold had also been discovered in the area. A village was laid out in 1904 and in 1908 the first gold mining began. Springs was granted municipal status in 1912. By the late 1930s, there were eight gold mines near Springs, making it the largest single gold-producing area in the world.

Today

Currently, Springs is one of the industrial centers of the Witwatersrand. Mining has been replaced by the manufacturing and engineering industries of economic importance; products of the region include processed metals, chemicals, paper and foodstuffs.

Springs is currently part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality that includes much of the East Rand.

Springs had been divided during the Apartheid-era into the middle and upper income white suburbs around the city centre, the Indian area of Bakerton east of the CBD, while blacks were relocated to KwaThema , southwest of the CBD. This divide has faded since democracy, with mixed races in all areas. The influx of poor black families has given rise to informal settlements near all of the industrial areas, which has been blamed for higher crime rates and falling property prices .

Education

There are several schools, ranging from pre-primary to secondary schools, and a tertiary college in Springs.

• Bakerton Primary School
• Job Maseko Primary School
• KwaThema Primary School
• Laerskool Christiaan Beyers
• Laerskool Dalview
• Laerskool Jan van Riebeeck
• Laerskool Morester
• Laerskool PAM Brink
• Laerskool Selection Park
• Laerskool Welgedag
• Laerskool Werda
• Montessori School
• Olympia Park School
• Pinegrove Primary School
• Protea School
• Selcourt Primary School
• Selpark Primary School
• Springs Muslim School
• Strubenvale Primary School

• Eureka High School
• Hoer Tegniese Skool Springs
• Hoerskool Hugenote
• Hoerskool Johan Jurgens
• Jameson High School
• Springs Boys' High School
• Springs Girls' High School
• Springs Secondary School
• Veritas College

• Ekurhuleni East College, Springs Campus

Notable Residents

Famous people who are associated with Springs include:

• Nadine Gordimer (born 20 November 1923), the first South African Nobel Laureate in Literature (1991) and recipient of the 1974 Booker Prize, was born in Springs and attended the local Our Lady of Mercy Convent school (now known as Veritas College).
• Ferdinand Chauvier (d.1985), a hydraulics engineer from the Belgian Congo who moved to Springs in 1951, invented the first automated pool cleaner - Kreepy Krauly - at his Springs home in 1974. Today, the Kreepy Krauly concept is used in over 90% of swimming pools worldwide.
• Madi Phala (2 February 1955 - 2 March 2007), well-known artist, designer, and educator, was born and raised in KwaThema, Springs.
• James Phillips (22 January 1959 - 31 July 1995), a South African rock singer, songwriter and performer, grew up in Springs.
• Rudi Bryson (born 25 July 1968), a former South African cricketer who played seven One Day Internationals in 1997, and played for Northern Transvaal and Eastern Province cricket teams, was born and raised in Springs, and attended Springs Boys' High School.
• Brandon Auret (born ?), a well-known stage, television (Isidingo, Angel's Song, One Way, Breathe), and film (Catch a Fire, Hansie) actor ; rock singer ; and songwriter, was born and raised in Springs and attended the local CBC (now Veritas College).
• Penny Heyns (born 8 November 1974), double Olympic gold medallist in swimming (1996), holder of 14 swimming world records, and the only woman in history to complete the Olympic double of winning both the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke, was born in Springs and attended a local primary school.
• Eudy Simelane (1977 - 28 April 2008), a well-known former South Africa women's national football team ("Banyana Banyana") midfielder, future South African Football Association referee, and gay rights activist grew up in and, tragically, was murdered in KwaThema, Springs.
• Dean Hall (born 2 September 1977), a former Springbok rugby, Lions rugby, and Sharks rugby player (winger), and once dubbed "the white Jonah Lomu" by the New Zealand media, was born and raised in Springs and attended Springs Boys' High School.
• Lawrence Sephaka (born 8 August 1978), a Springbok rugby player (prop) from 2001 to 2006 gaining 24 caps and playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, former Lions rugby player, and current professional player for Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the French professional league, for Toulon, attended Hoer Tegniese Skool in Springs.
• Justine Robbeson (born 15 May 1985), former world junior heptathlon champion (2004), current African record holder in the women's javelin (63.49m in February 2008), and participant in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, grew up in Springs and attended Springs Girls' High School.

External links

• Springs Website
• Ekurhuleni Official Website
• History
• KwaThema
• Springs Map
• Springs Accommodation