Springs, Gauteng

Springs
Downtown Springs Skyline
Springs Show map of Gauteng Springs Show map of South Africa Springs Show map of Africa  Springs shown within Gauteng
Coordinates: 26°15′17″S 28°26′34″E / 26.25472°S 28.44278°E / -26.25472; 28.44278Coordinates: 26°15′17″S 28°26′34″E / 26.25472°S 28.44278°E / -26.25472; 28.44278
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	Ekurhuleni
Established	1904
Area
• Total	183.50 km2 (70.85 sq mi)
Elevation	1,627 m (5,338 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	121,610
• Density	660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	57.5%
• Coloured	1.4%
• Indian/Asian	4.4%
• White	36.2%
• Other	0.5%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	30.2%
• Zulu	20.6%
• English	15.7%
• Northern Sotho	8.0%
• Other	25.4%
Postal code (street)	1559; 1576; 1578
PO box	1555 – 1559; 1560 – 1575; 1577 -1579
Area code	011

Springs is a city on the East Rand in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It lies 50 km (31 mi) east of Johannesburg and 72 km (45 mi) southeast from Pretoria. The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area; it has an estimated population of more than 375,000, in 2004 and is situated at 1628 m (5,340 ft) a.s.l. It is part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which includes much of the East Rand.

Springs was divided during the Apartheid era into the middle- and upper-income white suburbs around the city centre, the Indian area of Bakerton east of the CBD, while blacks were relocated to KwaThema, southwest of the CBD.

The city of Springs, east of Johannesburg, is on the East Rand, or what is now known as the Metropolitan area of Ekurhuleni, in the Gauteng Province. It was founded as a coal and gold mining town in 1904, but its history can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century.

From about 1840 farmers moved into the area and declared farms for themselves, especially after the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic, later Transvaal) became an independent republic with the signing of the Sand River Convention in 1852. These initial farms were large, but the measurements of the borders were inaccurate and later, when the correct borders of the farms had to be documented, there were several extra or odd pieces of land that did not belong to any farm. These odd pieces of land then became state property. Such an odd piece existed between three neighbouring farms on the Witwatersrand, namely Geduld (meaning 'patience'), De Rietfontein ('the reed fountain') and Brakpan (literally, 'small, brackish lake'). The 685 ha odd piece was given the name 'The Springs' by the land surveyor James Brooks, probably because of all the fountains on the land. Another story is that he wanted to name it after himself, but because his name (Brooks) resembled the Afrikaans word 'broek' (trousers) so closely, he feared that the Afrikaans farmers in the area would mock it.