In 1894, the land that would eventually become Pageview, was allocated by the
South African Republic for
Cape Coloureds[3] (including
Malays) and it became populated by Cape Malays. It was known as the Malay Camp (later Malay Location[3]) with 279 stands. Coloureds had managed to obtain some concessions from the
Boer government of
Paul Kruger, possibly because they shared the
Afrikaans language.
Indians lived in the Coolie location, a slum west of the city, that was burned for sanitary reasons after an outbreak of
bubonic plague in 1904. Most of the displaced Indians moved into the Malay Location,[3] and by the 1940s was it mostly inhabited by Indian South Africans.[4][5][6][7] On 27 January 1942, the Malay Location Standholders and Traders Association requested the name of the township be changed to Pageview after Johannesburg Mayor J.J Page.[5] The town was renamed on 23 February 1943 and the council asked the government to give the Indian land owners ownership of their land.[5] In 1948, the National Party won the election and would soon introduce
Apartheid. The area would be declared a white area which meant the eviction of all non-white residents, with black residents going to
Soweto and Indian residents to
Lenasia with evictions continuing from 1964 to 1970.[5][6] Many homes were
bulldozed, and housing for white people was built on some of the land, with large parts remaining undeveloped. This heritage is now commemorated at the
Fietas Museum.
The
Oriental Plaza, a shopping centre, was built by the Johannesburg City Council to compensate the traders who lost the shops during the forced removals.[5]
In 1894, the land that would eventually become Pageview, was allocated by the
South African Republic for
Cape Coloureds[3] (including
Malays) and it became populated by Cape Malays. It was known as the Malay Camp (later Malay Location[3]) with 279 stands. Coloureds had managed to obtain some concessions from the
Boer government of
Paul Kruger, possibly because they shared the
Afrikaans language.
Indians lived in the Coolie location, a slum west of the city, that was burned for sanitary reasons after an outbreak of
bubonic plague in 1904. Most of the displaced Indians moved into the Malay Location,[3] and by the 1940s was it mostly inhabited by Indian South Africans.[4][5][6][7] On 27 January 1942, the Malay Location Standholders and Traders Association requested the name of the township be changed to Pageview after Johannesburg Mayor J.J Page.[5] The town was renamed on 23 February 1943 and the council asked the government to give the Indian land owners ownership of their land.[5] In 1948, the National Party won the election and would soon introduce
Apartheid. The area would be declared a white area which meant the eviction of all non-white residents, with black residents going to
Soweto and Indian residents to
Lenasia with evictions continuing from 1964 to 1970.[5][6] Many homes were
bulldozed, and housing for white people was built on some of the land, with large parts remaining undeveloped. This heritage is now commemorated at the
Fietas Museum.
The
Oriental Plaza, a shopping centre, was built by the Johannesburg City Council to compensate the traders who lost the shops during the forced removals.[5]