Soweto

[ suh-wee-toh, -wey- ]

noun

1. a group of townships in northeastern South Africa, southwest of and administered by Johannesburg: constructed in the 1950s and early 1960s to provide housing and services for Black Africans. 26 sq. mi. (67 sq. km).

Soweto

/ -ˈweɪtəʊ; səˈwɛtəʊ /

noun

1. a contiguous group of Black African townships southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa: the largest purely Black African urban settlement in southern Africa: scene of riots (1976) following protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools for Black African children. Area: 62 sq km (24 sq miles). Pop: 858 649 (2001)

Soweto

1. Collective name for a group of townships inhabited by black Africans, located southwest of Johannesburg , South Africa .

Notes

Soweto was the site of severe racial violence before the dismantling of apartheid .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Soweto¹

C20: from so ( uth ) we ( st ) to ( wnship )

Example Sentences

Siyabonga, a 30-year-old from Mandela’s home township of Soweto, told OZY he stopped at several shops in search of bread, and they were all out of the staple.

From Ozy

So I went to Soweto, and within an hour and a half, I was photographing a guy being killed right in front of me.

From The Daily Beast

Take two, for instance, new volumes of Next Stop . . . Soweto, a compilation series on Strut Records.

From The Daily Beast