Urban Settlement in Africa
Senior 3 · Geography
Urban Settlement in Africa
Lesson 4 of 4
25 min
Let's begin
In 1886 gold was found on a farm on the Witwatersrand ridge, on the high, dry plateau of the Highveld. There was no river, no port and no older town. Within a decade more than 100,000 people had arrived, and by the 2022 census the City of Johannesburg had 4,803,262 residents, with about 15.1 million in the wider metropolitan area (Wikipedia). Johannesburg is the classic example of a town created by one resource, and of a city shaped by unjust planning that it is still trying to undo.
Definition
Mining town: a town that grew because of a mine. Township (in South Africa): an urban area that, under apartheid, was reserved for Black, Coloured or Indian people, usually far from the city centre. Example: Soweto ("South-Western Townships"), once a separate municipality, which became part of the City of Johannesburg in 2002. Apartheid: South Africa's system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.
Johannesburg is South Africa's leading financial and commercial centre, with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and many company head offices; a manufacturing and transport hub, with the country's busiest airport; and a centre of education, media and culture. Mining, which created it, is now a small part of its economy.
| Problem | Details |
|---|---|
| A divided city | Apartheid planning placed townships such as Soweto far from jobs in the centre and the north, so many poor workers still travel long distances |
| Informal settlements | Shacks of iron sheets and wood on the edges of townships, with shared taps and toilets |
| Unemployment and inequality | Very rich and very poor neighbourhoods side by side |
| Crime | High rates in parts of the city, linked to poverty and inequality |
| Mining legacy | Mine dumps blow dust; acid mine drainage from old mines pollutes water |
| Traffic congestion | A city built for cars, with long journeys from the townships |
| Cairo | Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Ancient river city; founded in 969 | Mining town; founded in 1886 |
| Site | Nile bank at the head of the delta | Witwatersrand ridge on the Highveld; no river |
| Main functions | Government, trade, industry, religion, tourism | Finance, commerce, industry, transport |
| Special problem | Building on scarce farmland; extreme crowding | Apartheid's divided city; mining waste |
| Main solutions | Desert new towns; Metro; upgrading | Housing programmes; Rea Vaya and Gautrain; inner-city renewal |
Moton Geography Center: Johannesburg, the City of Gold. Watch for how the gold rush shaped where the city is and how it grew; the video's statistics refer to 2016–2020.
Worked example
Worked example 1: the city and its region. In 2022 the City of Johannesburg had 4,803,262 people and the wider metropolitan area 15,099,422. What share of the metropolitan area's people lived in the city itself?
Worked example
Worked example 2: explaining a pattern. Why do many Soweto residents spend a large part of their income on transport?
Warning
Do not say Johannesburg is South Africa's capital. South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). Johannesburg is its largest city and economic centre.
Tip
One resource, one city. When you study any mining town (Johannesburg, Kolwezi, Kimberley), ask what happens when the resource runs out: does the town find new functions? Johannesburg did, by becoming a financial centre.
Practice
Further reading
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
