Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

James Mpanza House

Table of Contents

Address

957 Pheele Street, Orlando East, Soweto
2011

Inscription

Known as Ò The father of SowetoÓ, Mpanza led squatter movements claiming land for dispossessed people. Under the slogan ÒHousing and Shelter for AllÓ he founded the Sofasonke Party in 1935. This house was a centre of the movement, where public meetings were held. In 1944, Mpanza led people out of the overcrowded slums of Orlando, and set up a shanty town on vacant land called Sofasonke Township, this became a self-governing settlement of 20 000 people.

Photo courtesy: Kabelo Mokoena (Sunday Times)

Explore Joburg

A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.

Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.

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