township

In South Africa, the term "township" refers to an area segregated under apartheid for non-European descent. These areas were often established as dormitory cities on the periphery of urban centers, housing Black Africans who worked in the city.12

Urban settlement in South Africa has a dual origin: indigenous African chiefdoms and kingdoms, and towns established by European colonizers. European colonization began with Cape Town in 1652, followed by other Dutch and British settlements. The Great Trek in the 1830s led to new urban centers in the interior.3

Urbanization accelerated significantly from the 1870s due to railway expansion and mining. This led to the development of major urban concentrations, most notably the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging complex centered on Johannesburg.3

The Group Areas Act of 1950 was a cornerstone of urban apartheid, designating specific areas for different racial groups. While this act was repealed in 1991, racially defined settlement patterns, including townships, persist in South African cities. These areas often exhibit great disparities in income and access to urban services between different racial groups.23