Springs, Gauteng

Springs is a city on the East Rand in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It lies 50 km (31 mi) east of Johannesburg and 72 km (45 mi) southeast from Pretoria. The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area; it has an estimated population of more than 375,000, in 2004 and is situated at 1628 m (5,340 ft) a.s.l. It is part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which includes much of the East Rand.

Springs was divided during the Apartheid era into the middle- and upper-income white suburbs around the city centre, the Indian area of Bakerton east of the CBD, while blacks were relocated to KwaThema, southwest of the CBD. This divide has faded since democracy, with mixed races in all areas. The influx of poor black families has given rise to informal settlements near all of the industrial areas, which has been blamed for higher crime rates and falling property prices.

History

The city of Springs, east of Johannesburg, is on the East Rand, or what is now known as the Metropolitan area of Ekurhuleni, in the Gauteng Province. It was founded as a coal and gold mining town in 1904, but its history can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century.

Gauteng

Gauteng (/xaʊˈtɛŋ/; Sotho pronunciation [xɑ́.ú.ˈtʼè.ŋ̀]) which means "gold" is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria–Witwatersrand–Vereeniging (PWV) and was renamed "Gauteng" in December 1994.

Situated in the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa, accounting for only 1.5% of the land area. Nevertheless, it is highly urbanised, containing the country's largest city, Johannesburg, its administrative capital, Pretoria, and other large industrial areas such as Midrand and Vanderbijlpark. As of 2015, it has a population of nearly 13.2 million, making it the most populous province in South Africa.

Etymology

The name Gauteng is derived from the Sotho name, "gauta" meaning "gold" with [locative suffix "-eng"]. This is due to the thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. In Sesotho the name "Gauteng" was used for Johannesburg and surrounding areas long before it was adopted in 1994 as the official name of a province.

Gauteng cricket team

Gauteng cricket team (formerly Transvaal cricket team) is the first-class cricket team of the province of Gauteng (previously Transvaal; Gauteng was called Transvaal from April 1890 to April 1997) in South Africa. Under the main competition's various names – the Currie Cup, then the Castle Cup, now the SuperSport Series – Transvaal/Gauteng cricket team has been the most successful of the South African domestic sides, winning 25 times. The club's most glorious period was the 1980s when they were dubbed the "Mean Machine".

For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Gauteng has merged with North West (formerly Western Transvaal) to form the Highveld Lions or, more simply, "the Lions". (from October 2004 to the present time).

Honours