Crossroads (South Africa)
| Crossroads | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 33 ° 59 ′ 41 ″ S , 18 ° 35 ′ 51 ″ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| Western cape | |||
| metropolis | City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA toilet | ||
| height | 41 m | ||
| surface | 2.4 km² | ||
| Residents | 36,043 (2011) | ||
| density | 15,337.4 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1970s | ||
 Aerial view of crossroads
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Crossroads is a district of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa . It was founded as an informal settlement by black people during the apartheid period in the 1970s .
geography
Crossroads is located around 17 kilometers southeast of Cape Town city center. In 2011, 36,043 people lived there on 2.35 square kilometers. The area of the district is a triangle. It borders Cape Town Airport to the north, Nyanga to the west, and Gugulethu to the northwest . South of the actual Nyanga joins New Crossroads , which also belongs to Nyanga. There is an industrial area south of Crossroads. The district belongs to the Cape Flats .
history
Crossroads emerged as a cottage settlement in the 1970s after workers on a nearby farm had been asked to settle at a crossroads (English "Crossroads") in the Cape Flats. In 1975 residents were told to leave the area and move to more remote Khayelitsha . The order was not obeyed, however, as several groups, some led by women, had opposed it, including Black Sash . In 1977 around 18,000 people lived in the township . In 1978 Crossroads was declared an emergency camp ("Notlager") so that the city administration had to keep the township. The surrounding, rapidly growing informal settlements, however, were destroyed. Many residents sought refuge in Crossroads. In a raid in September 1978, 900 people were arrested in Crossroads who were not allowed to stay there. Against such official attacks, residents founded a Joint Action Committee (for example: "United Action Committee"), in which many women were again active.
On February 18, 1985, riots broke out in Crossroads with eight dead, which spread to the surrounding districts. Some residents had turned against the growing influence of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and founded the organization Witdoeke (roughly: "White cloths"), which collaborated with the South African police and army to suppress the UDF. The Witdoeke attacked Crossroads and neighboring townships from May 25 to June 12, 1986, setting numerous hut settlements on fire, leaving 60,000 homeless. In the late 1980s, many Witdoeke were employed by the police as kit constables .
In 1986 the non-governmental organization Development Action Group (DAG) was founded. The aim was to improve the living situation. Among other things, the future mayor of Cape Town and deputy president of the National Assembly , Nomaindia Mfeketo , worked for the DAG.
Economy and Transport
Crossroads has served as a housing estate since it was founded.
The N2 national road passes Crossroads to the north. The M18 ends to the west and the M9 to the south.
Personalities
- Nomaindia Mfeketo (* 1952), South African politician, lived in Crossroads
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ a b c d Apartheid Shanty Towns in Cape Town at capetown.at (English), accessed on December 20, 2013
- ↑ a b c d Cape Town the Segregated city at sahistory.org.za (English), accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ a b c History of Crossroads during the apartheid period at africanhistory.about.com (English), accessed on December 21, 2013
- ^ DAG website , accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Curriculum Vitae Mfeketos ( Memento from December 24, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) (English)