Boipatong
Quick Fact ......
22,168
7,058
6,1%
68%
97,8%
96,7%
Boipatong was established in 1955 under the name Tshirela but it was later renamed. Meaning 'place of shelter' or 'place of hiding' in Sotho, it is said that the name was given because the owner of the farm originally permitted unemployed families to live in huts on the farm property.
During apartheid the township housed blacks who were a source of cheap labour for the nearby steel metal works, Iscor. On 17 June 1992, 46 residents of Boipatong were killed by local hostel dwellers in what is now known as the Boipatong massacre. The massacre was one of the reasons that led to a suspension of the COSESA (Convention for a Democratic South Africa) negotiations between the apartheid government and liberation groups. (GPS coordinates: 26.6719 S, 27.8509 E).
Character(s) left.
Reference(s)
- Raper PE. 2004. New dictionary of South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers.
- http://www.wikipedia.org
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Key Statistics 2011
| Total population | 22,168 |
| Young (0-14) | 26,2% |
| Working Age (15-64) | 69,2% |
| Elderly (65+) | 4,6% |
| Dependency ratio | 44,5 |
| Sex ratio | 102,1 |
| Population density | 5145 persons/km2 |
| No schooling aged 20+ | 4,3% |
| Higher education aged 20+ | 6,1% |
| Matric aged 20+ | 33,8% |
| Number of households | 7,058 |
| Average household size | 3,1 |
| Female headed households | 36% |
| Formal dwellings | 88,4% |
| Housing owned/paying off | 54% |
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 96,7% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 97,6% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 68% |
| Electricity for lighting | 97,8% |