Boksburg is a city with 471,121 inhabitants on the East Rand of Gauteng

Gauteng

Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...

 province of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887. It was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic

South African Republic

The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...

, W. Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg to all the other major mining towns on the Witwatersrand

Witwatersrand

The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...

 and the Angelo Hotel (1887) was used as a staging post.

Boksburg is part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, that forms the local government of most of the East Rand.

The Mining Commissioner Montague White built a large dam which, empty for years, was dubbed White's Folly until a flashflood
in 1889 silenced detractors. The 150,000 square metre dam is now the Boksburg Lake, and is surrounded by lawns, trees, and terraces.

History

Originally, Boksburg was laid out in 1887 to serve the surrounding gold mines, and named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic

South African Republic

The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...

, Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg to all the other major mining towns on the Witwatersrand

Witwatersrand

The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...

 and the Angelo Hotel was used as a production post.
A railway was built to link Boksburg to Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 in 1890.

Boksburg lake made world news in 1989 when the newly elected Conservative Party municipality decided to fence off the lake and prohibit non-whites from using the facility.

Segregation policies were taken to such an extreme that when council granted transfer of lease of the Golden Lake Restaurant on the lake premises from S.Y Ho to another Chinese woman, S.Y Yip, it was with the provision that the new lease barred nonwhites-including Chinese, from dining there. Controversy surrounding the safety of the lake was created when Councellor Stephanie Greyling made the following statement:
“the lake is now safe…Boksburg Lake was like a second Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 with more than a 100 murders in 18 months…”

However official figures were given as 27, and this included the number of people who died in the neighbouring Boksburg Benoni Hospital. Statistics released by the offices of the Minister of Law and Order listed only two murders at Boksburg Lake from November 1986 until November 1988”

As a result of the council’s policies, blacks boycotted the CBD, and commercial sales dropped 40% to 70%. Also, The Lake became the focal point on the East Rand for violent racial clashes between Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging

The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...

 (AWB) supporters and African National Congress

African National Congress

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...

 (ANC) supporting Coloureds and Blacks from the neighbouring townships. The decision to re-introduce segregation at the facilities sparked off a local and international uproar, with local Coloured and Black residents initiating a yearlong boycott of shops in the CBD.

Chris Hani

Chris Hani

Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress . He was a fierce opponent of the apartheid government...

, leader of the South African Communist Party

South African Communist Party

South African Communist Party is a political party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa by the joining together of the International Socialist League and others under the leadership of Willam H...

 and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...

, the armed wing of the African National Congress

African National Congress

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...

 (ANC), was assassinated outside his Dawn Park

Dawn Park, Boksburg

Dawn Park a suburb of Boksburg close to Vosloorus offers: a shopping centre with a grocery store, liquor store and butchery Next to the shopping centre is a police station and private doctors’ rooms Close to the shopping centre is Dawn Park Primary School...

, Boksburg home in 1993 and is buried in the town's South Park cemetery

Economy

Boksburg boasts a diversified industrial and mining centre. It has become one of the most important gold-producing towns on the Witwatersrand. Boksburg is also any shoppers delight. It boasts the East Rand Mall which is one of the most popular and biggest malls in Gauteng.