Landmarks of Sophiatown

Bus tours on 10 and 24 May 2023 (by invitation only).

Sophiatown is known as a symbol of the forced removals experienced by millions of South Africans under apartheid. Between 1955 and 1962, 65 000 people were removed from their homes in Sophiatown and dispatched to segregated townships. Sophiatown disappeared from the map, becoming a whites-only suburb called Triomf. Yet while most of Sophiatown was bulldozed and reduced to rubble, a few important structures escaped demolition.

The bus tours will explore three surviving sites which anchor the Sophiatown Heritage Trail:

• Dr. A.B. Xuma House
• St. Joseph’s Home
• The Church of Christ the King

The tour will be led by Eric Itzkin, Head of Heritage for the City of Johannesburg. Eric will be joined by Tshepo Letsoalo, Mbali Zwane and Dr. Mongezi Guma.