Langa, South Africa

Location

Langa is bordered by the M17 (Jan Smuts Drive) to the west, the N2 (Settlers Way) to the south, and the M7 (Jakes Gerwel Drive) to the east, and is served by Langa Railway Station.

History

Although Langa literally means "sun" in Xhosa, the name of the township is derived from the name of Langalibalele – a chief and renowned rainmaker who in 1873 was imprisoned on Robben Island for rebelling against the Natal government. Various prominent people fought for his release and he was subsequently confined to a farm called "Uitvlugt", which is on the site of present-day Pinelands. Langa, which adjoins Pinelands, commemorates this folk hero as it was developed in 1898 on the land known as "Langalibalele's Location". Hence Langa is often called "Kwa-Langa" meaning "place of Langa".

Langa was originally designed in a way to allow the authorities maximum visibility and control of residents. In the early years local laws prohibiting the brewing of sorghum beer (utywala) was strongly resented and in the 1930s prohibition was abolished in the area with the construction of municipal beer halls taking place in 1945. However, the close living conditions of residents in Langa promoted a high degree of neighbourliness and the creation of broader African institutions that promoted a greater sense of community cohesion.

On 30 March 1960 Langa was the starting point for a march of between 30,000 and 50,000 protesters to Caledon Square police station in Cape Town led by Philip Kgosana and the Pan Africanist Congress to protest the apartheid-era pass laws.

Recent history

Joe Slovo, which was established in 1990, is the largest informal settlement in Langa and one of the largest in the country. It is currently being threatened with forced removals to make way for the N2 Gateway Housing Project. Some parts of the Joe Slovo informal settlement have since been removed and transformed into the N2 Gateway Housing Project (2006), which can be seen when travelling along the N2 highway out of Cape Town.

In 2005, the Guga S'thebe Arts & Culture Centre, a cultural/multi-purpose centre, was officially opened in Langa after unofficially being in operation for a number of years. The first township B&B – Ma Neo's Bed & Breakfast – was opened in Langa in 1999.

On 9 July 2014, Langa was the site of violent protests against a lack of government service delivery, specifically regarding housing, but the protesting soon turned into a more general protest about broader issues such as the Marikana massacre and general living conditions. A number of shops and local businesses were torched and looted and transport links to the rest of the city were closed off by protesters.

Notable residents

Langa has produced some prominent figures in sport and entertainment and was the birthplace of the internationally acclaimed percussion ensemble Amampondo.

• Temba Bavuma (1990–), cricket player
• Fatima Dike (1948–), playwright and theatre director
• Brenda Fassie (1964–2004), anti-apartheid Afropop singer, songwriter, dancer and activist
• Sinazo Mcatshulwa (born 1996), Springbok Women player
• Thabo Mngomeni (1969–), football player
• Malusi Siboto (1987–), cricket player
• Thami Tsolekile (1980–), cricket and hockey player
• Lungile Tsolekile (born 1984) is a field hockey player who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics

References

References

1. "Main Place Langa". Census 2011.
2. "Langa Township, Cape Town". SA History Online.
3. Human, Charles. (18 July 2017). "Travel like a local: Your neighbourhood guide to Langa". Love Cape Town.
4. "The Langa March, 30 March 1960". South African History Online.
5. (20 March 2014). "Langa residents remember what happened in 21 March 1960". SABC News.
6. "Langa Township". Roddy Bray.
7. "True African Hospitality in Langa Township". Cape Town Magazine.
8. "Langa shuts down amid violent protests". Cape Argus.
9. ''Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music'' by Max Mojapelo, Sello Galane and Chris Walton.
10. Muller, Antoinette. (6 January 2016). "Temba Bavuma: A lad from Langa who shattered cricket's glass ceiling". [[Daily Maverick]].
11. Stephen Gray, 'An Interview With Fatima Dike', ''Callaloo'', No. 8/10 (Feb. - Oct. 1980), pp.157-164.
12. (10 May 2004). "Brenda Fassie: A very human hero". BBC News.
13. M, Lonwabo. (2023-04-05). "Sinazo Mcatshulwa: “My Dream is to Play Overseas”".
14. "Malusi Siboto". ESPN Sports Media.
15. "Thami Tsolekile". ESPN Sports Media.
16. Deboo, Rustom. (12 October 2014). "Test cricketers who played international field hockey". The Roar.
17. "Archived copy".