Reiger Park is a township situated in Boksburg in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa. To fully understand the story of Reiger Park, we have to look back at the history of Boksburg itself.
Flag of Gauteng
The Origins of Boksburg
Boksburg is a city on the East Rand of Gauteng province of South Africa. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887, leading to its establishment. Boksburg was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, W. Eduard Bok.
Prior to 1860, the present municipal area of Boksburg and its immediate environs comprised mainly the highveld farms called Leeuwpoort, Klippoortje, Klipfontein and Driefontein. Carl Ziervogel bought the farm Leeuwpoort in 1875 and for 300 morgen (approx. 257 hectares) of barren, rocky veld he paid £75. Samples of the quartz were sent to Pretoria for assaying, which confirmed the presence of gold. Killian advised Dr W.E. of the results of the assay. The result was the proclamation, on 10 March 1887, of the two farms as public diggings. Cornish miners were brought out to work the diggings.
With the real centre of mining being centred on Boksburg, however, President Paul Kruger ordered that a new town be laid out to accommodate the miners. Land for the new town was released by having the boundaries of the farms Leeuwpoort, Driefontein and Klipfontein moved back from where they met. The newly created farm was called Vogelfontein, on which 1000 stands of 15 m × 15 m (50 ft × 50 ft) each were created. The new town of Boksburg was named after Dr Bok.
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Also in 1887 the Republican Government built the Post Office and the Mining Commissioner's office. In 1888 coal deposits were discovered right on the boundary of the new town, and here coal was first mined in the Transvaal. This started an era of company promotion and syndicate formation, with ground fetching high prices. Enterprises of all kinds were set up and Boksburg began to emerge from a mining camp atmosphere to a fully-fledged town.
Originally, Boksburg was laid out in 1887 to serve the surrounding gold mines, and named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg to all the other major mining towns on the Witwatersrand and the Angelo Hotel was used as a production post.
It was established as Stirtonville after the Second World War when people influxed from rural areas seeking work on the gold mines.
After the discovery of gold in the late 1800s, people of all races flocked to Boksburg; some hoped to get rich, others just wanted employment. The Government of the time declared that all coloured, Asian and black people should live in Julewe, which was situated between two wetlands and close to the Cinderella and Hercules Mine Shafts.
Stirtonville and Apartheid
In 1911, the township was renamed Stirtonville, after the superintendent of the area. As a precaution, and to monitor the number of residents in the area, residents of Stirtonville each received a residential permit, while people who wanted to visit family or friends residing in the township, had to obtain a temporary day-pass, in order to enter the township. Even the strict control of the "Black Jack" officers who patrolled the township failed to detect a few people creeping in and hiding in the dense township.
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During the 1960s, all the black residents were moved to a new township on the border of Boksburg and Germiston, called Vosloorus and the Asian residents to Actonville, and Stirtonville became the sole residential area of the coloured community. The community decided to rename their suburb Reiger Park in 1962. Two years later, the town council agreed to change the street names, which were mainly African in origin.
A sign during apartheid in South Africa
Unofficial Names and Community
The locals have given their own unofficial names to the different areas of Reiger Park, such as Jerusalem (due to the many churches in that area), Excuse Me (due to the houses being close together that neighbors say "bless you" when one sneezes), and Popcorn Valley (a new area developed in the 1990s with homes popping up so fast that they were likened to popcorn). In 1997, the Popcorn Valley area experienced violent rent boycotts.
Gang Violence and Challenges
Reiger Park has developed a fearful reputation, mainly due to gang violence. Johannesburg - A 23-year-old man known as the "Terror of Reigerpark" was once again behind bars on Monday, but the East Rand township has experienced bloody gang shootings since his arrest.
In the local elections of October 1988 the CP won 12 of 20 council seats. At its first meeting, the new Council decreed that it would begin rigorously enforcing the Separate Amenities Act, a by-then largely ignored law that re-established Whites-only toilets, parks and sports facilities.
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Despite strong police and army presence in the area in the last couple of weeks, the killings continue.
Reiger Park Shooting | Manhunt for suspects behind the Reiger Park mass shooting
Reiger Park Today
Today it is a community focussed on change and remains positive to build a bright future. The oldest mosque in the Gauteng area was also to be found in this suburb, but a 2003 fire destroyed it completely.
The Cape Corps
During the First World War, Coloured men were best known for forming the Cape Corps and served admirably in East Africa (1 Cape Corps) as well as in Palestine holding the line at the Battle of Square Hill (18-19 September 1918).
A teacher making use of the resource asked for clarifiction on the use of the word Coloured to describe African soldiers from South Africa. Surely I should be using ‘Mixed Race’ or some other term. No, the term is Coloured and they are a people (micro-nation) who deserve recognition and respect. I have fond memories of mixing with the Coloured community in Reiger Park, the Coloured township in Boksburg.
Consumer Boycott in Boksburg
On 30 November 1988 the town councils of Vosloorus and Reiger Park staged a consumer boycott in Boksburg. The boycott by Black and Coloured residents followed the reintroduction of petty apartheid measures by the Conservative Party (CP) controlled town council.
The two Townships found enthusiastic corporate support. A number of multinational companies like Colgate-Palmolive, American Cyanamid and Unilever provided buses to ferry shoppers to stores in neighbouring towns, cancelled expansion plans and ran advertisements denouncing the racist Council. The economy of the town suffered and several businesses had to close down.
Reiger Park Stadium
The Reiger Park Stadium was built upon a cemetery, mainly used for Chinese mine workers; the remains were never removed.
Tambo Memorial Hospital
At least 37 people died, and 40 others were injured when a fuel tanker that was carrying and transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded on 24 December 2022. The truck got caught beneath a bridge close to Tambo Memorial Hospital.
The Tambo Memorial Hospital, previously known as Boksburg Benoni Hospital, is a regional hospital situated in Boksburg. It is one of the oldest hospitals in Gauteng, opened in 1905 as the Boksburg-Benoni Hospital, a joint hospital of the State and East Rand Proprietary Mines.
Tambo Memorial Hospital has about 640 beds with a staff complement of approximately 1100. The hospital provides service in Benoni, Boksburg, and part of Germiston to a population of >1 million. All basic services are provided to in and outpatients. Specialist services include Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Rheumatology, ENT, HIV and Podiatry.
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