Soweto

American  

[suh-wee-toh, -wey-] / səˈwi toʊ, -ˈweɪ- /

noun

1. a group of townships in northeastern South Africa, southwest of and administered by Johannesburg: constructed in the 1950s and early 1960s to provide housing and services for Black Africans. 26 sq. mi. (67 sq. km).

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Soweto British  

/ -ˈweɪtəʊ, səˈwɛtəʊ /

noun

1. a contiguous group of Black African townships southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa: the largest purely Black African urban settlement in southern Africa: scene of riots (1976) following protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools for Black African children. Area: 62 sq km (24 sq miles). Pop: 858 649 (2001)

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Soweto Cultural  

1. Collective name for a group of townships inhabited by black Africans, located southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Soweto was the site of severe racial violence before the dismantling of apartheid.

Etymology

Origin of Soweto

C20: from so ( uth ) we ( st ) to ( wnship )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Soweto

Fugard once told Mann she took more trips to Soweto in a single month than he did in his entire lifetime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

Just six minutes had been played on an unseasonable chilly night in Soweto when Tshepang Moremi scored the lone goal, firing into the net after Kenyan goalkeeper Brian Bwire parried a cross.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

This episode became known as the Soweto uprising.

From Slate ● Mar. 15, 2025

“Can you believe, here I am and I’m still not sure who to vote for?” said Kedibone Makhubedu, 47, as she lined up outside of a community center in the township of Soweto.

From New York Times ● May 29, 2024

Where Soweto is a sprawling, government-planned ghetto, Alexandra is a tiny, dense pocket of a shantytown, left over from the pre-apartheid days.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah