Soweto

views updated May 21 2018

Soweto (South-West Township) Group of black townships of more than a million people on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. In June 1976, Soweto attracted international attention, when a student demonstration against the compulsory teaching of Afrikaans in Bantu schools sparked a series of riots against the apartheid regime. The police brutally suppressed the disturbances, killing 618 people. Comprising mostly sub-standard government housing, it remained a focus of protest. Pop. (2000) 992,100.

World Encyclopedia

Soweto

views updated May 21 2018

Soweto a large urban area, consisting of several townships, in South Africa south-west of Johannesburg. In 1976 demonstrations against the compulsory use of Afrikaans in schools resulted in violent police activity and the deaths of hundreds of people.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

Soweto

views updated May 14 2018

Soweto (səˈwɛtəʊ) Southwestern Townships (South Africa)

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH