Springs, Gauteng

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Springs (26°15'S; 28°28'E)(5,340 ft) ^[1] is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa and is part of the East Rand, now known as the Ekurhuleni region. It lies 50km east of Johannesburg. The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area; it has a population of more than 200,000.

The original 7 km² farm on which the city of Springs was later to be built, The Springs, was surveyed in 1883. Coal was discovered in the area in 1887 and three years later the Transvaal Republic's first railway was built to carry coal from the East Rand coalfields to the gold mines of the Witwatersrand.

Gradually, especially after coal was discovered further east in South Africa in Witbank, the Springs collieries were closed. In the meanwhile, however, gold had also been discovered in the area. A village was laid out in 1904 and in 1908 the first gold mining began. Springs was granted municipal status in 1912. By the late 1930s, there were eight gold mines near Springs, making it the largest single gold-producing area in the world. ^[2]

Currently, Springs is one of the industrial centers of the Witwatersrand. Mining has been replaced by the manufacturing and engineering industries of economic importance; products of the region include processed metals, chemicals, paper and foodstuffs.

Springs is currently part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality that includes much of the East Rand.

Springs had been 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 Kwa-thema, southwest of the CBD. This divide has faded since democracy, with mixed races in all areas. The influx of poor black families has given rise to informal settlements near all the industrial areas, which has been blamed for higher crime rates and falling property prices^{[citation needed]}.

Famous people who are associated with Springs include:

Nadine Gordimer (b. 20 November 1923), the first South African Nobel Laureate in Literature (1991) and recipient of the 1974 Booker Prize, was born in Springs and attended the local Our Lady of Mercy Convent school. ^[3]
Madi Phala (2 February 1955 - 2 March 2007), well-known artist, designer, and educator, was born and raised in Kwa-Thema, Springs. ^[4]
James Phillips (22 January 1959 - 31 July 1995), a South African rock singer, songwriter and performer, grew up in Springs. ^[5]
Ferdinand Chauvier (d.1985), a hydraulics engineer from the Belgian Congo who moved to Springs in 1951, invented the first automated pool cleaner - Kreepy Krauly - at his Springs home in 1974. Today, the Kreepy Krauly concept is used in over 90% of swimming pools worldwide. ^[6]
Penny Heyns (b. 8 November 1974), double Olympic gold medallist in swimming (1996), holder of 14 swimming world records, and the only woman in history to complete the Olympic double of winning both the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke, was born in Springs and attended a local primary school. ^[7]