Anglican Bishop Trevor Huddleston played a central role in uplifting the local community in the 1950s , and as a fitting tribute to this great humanitarian, the area celebrates his life, his works, his ministry and his legacy in all its forms.Pictures: Dr Norman Cahi.
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Sophiatown, an area dominated by demonic forces in the years of apartheid when forced removals devastated homes and destroyed families. I recently went on a guided tour and was amazed at the history behind this area.
The eye-catching wall mural along one of only 3 original buildings still remaining after the 1955 attacks on this community.The house of Dr A B Xuma stands proud and today houses a magnificent collection of artifacts, art and memorabilia following the history of Sophiatown.The events leading to the forced removal ignited the "We Wont Move" protests and this iconic piece of art is proudly displayed in the museum.Sophiatown produced a generation of artists , politicians, musicians and intellectuals who gave urban African culture its pulse and style. The suburb became associated with the grand era of DRUM magazine in 1951.We visited St Joseph's orphanage. This is the beautiful inner courtyard. This place of refuge was built to house orphaned coloured boys whose fathers died in wars and skirmishes. Later on Coloured girls were also permitted.The bell/clock tower of the Christ the King Anglican Church was declared a national monument. It is still a Place of worship and its interior has a stunning display of the 14 Stations of The Cross together with moving black and white framed photographs of the forced removal. An event which crushed this once vibrant community.In the 1930s the land was bought by Herman Tobiansky and named after his wife Sophia. Today the streets are still named after his children. However when a sewage depot was installed near to the area, whites lost interest in living there and so Tobiansky allowed people of colour to purchase property and live there. Which they did.and thrived and the area flourished.On February 9, 1955, 2 000'armed police surrounded the streets in a pre-dawn attack, and forcibly removed all the residents. Blacks were trucked off to Meadowlands. Indians, Coloureds and Chinese were sent elsewhere.The Roman Catholic Church, St Xavier played an integral role in trying to assist the displaced. Today Fr Vic is still in their midst administering to the community's pastoral care despite telling us how crime infested and drug dealing are rampant In SOPHIATOWN. Renamed back in 1997 from TRIOMF which the apartheid government had called this area for WHITES only.
