Soweto Things to Do

A young Cornish lad, John Albert Baragwanath, arrived on the gold fields to make his fortune. The Surname "Baragwanath" was derived from the Welsh word "Bara", which means bread, and "gwanath" means wheat. However, to the transport drivers, and stagecoach passengers, it was "Baragwanath's Place"or just Baragwanath.
By September 1940, with hostilities escalating, and with the need for hospital and convalescent facilities becoming urgent, the Secretary of State in London formally asked the South African Government if it would provide health care facilities for Imperial troops of Middle East Command. The British War Office suggested that 2 hospitals of 1 200 beds be built in South Africa, as well as a convalescent depot of 2 000 beds. After due consideration one of these hospitals was designated for Johannesburg. In November 1941 construction started on the ground bought from the Corner House mining group, at the 8th mile stone on the Potchefstroom road, - near the place where the old Wayside Inn had been situated. The British Government ultimately paid 328 000 pounds for a hospital of 1 544 beds. The situation internationally in 1941 and 1942 looked bleak for the Allies.
There was thus real urgency to construct the hospital as quickly as possible. Within a remarkable 6 months the first patients could be admitted, in May 1942. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, with its 2 964 beds, is the largest acute hospital in the world. It is situated to the south west of Johannesburg, on the southern border of Soweto. The Hospital grounds cover an area of 173 acres, consisting of 429 buildings with a total floor area of 233 785,19²m.

It is the only public hospital serving ±3,5 million people in Soweto and it provides half of all the hospital services in Southern Gauteng. Being a specialist hospital, referrals for specialist treatment are received from all over the country, as well as surrounding African States.

The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid: The racially prejudiced system that blighted much of its progress and the triumph of reason which crowned half a century of struggle.

The Museum has been assembled and organized by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. An architectural consortium comprising several leading architectural firms, conceptualized the design of the museum on a seven-hectare site. The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience.

The exhibits are from film footages, photographs, text panels and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid.