Nature of project: The THMC has contracted Trace to develop a visitor experience in Sophiatown, best known for the forced removal of the 1950s which destroyed the place once known as the ‘the little Paris of the Transvaal.’ Sophiatown was one of the few freehold townships in Johannesburg where black could buy stands and build their own homes. It is also an iconic landmark that tells much about the intermingling of races before segregation became entrenched under apartheid. In 1956, most of the original suburb was destroyed to make way for the white neighbourhood of ‘Triomf’. Today, the area has been renamed Sophiatown and is once again a melting pot of different communities.

There are two aspects to Trace’s work. The first is to advise on the conversion of the original 1930s house of Dr. A B Xuma, a prominent activist and doctor, who lived in Sophiatown until 1957, into an interpretation centre for visitors. The second is to develop a walking trail through the neighbourhood that will highlight both past and present aspects of the suburb’s extraordinary story. Both of these interventions are opportunities for a community engagement process and for the development of a neighbourhood history methodology that can be replicated in other areas of the country.

trace personnel involved:
Lauren Segal – Project Director
Nabeel Essa - Project Architect