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Sharpeville
Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Sharpeville

Sharpeville is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, in southern Gauteng, South Africa.

Plan a trip to Sharpeville→From Johannesburg

Sharpeville is one of the oldest of six townships in the Vaal Triangle. It was named after John Lillie Sharpe who came to South Africa from Glasgow, Scotland, as secretary of Stewarts & Lloyds. Sharpe was elected to the Vereeniging City Council in 1932 and held the position of mayor from 1934 to 1937.

Get in

Getting to Sharpeville

Vereeniging is located between the Vaal river and the N1. From Johannesburg, follow either the R59 south for around 69 km and take the Voortrekker Road exit. One can also reach Vereeniging using the N1, but the R59 is a lot more direct and simpler. Commuter trains from central Johannesburg departs at least every hour. Operated by Metrorail, these have a reputation for being somewhat grubby and often overcrowded.

  1. 01
    Vereeniging
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Sharpeville Memorial

    In recognition of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960.

  2. 02
    Vaal Teknorama

    Museum focusing on the industrial development of the area.

  3. 03
    Peace

    In memory of the Anglo-Boer War Maccauvlei Garden of Memorial.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Radile Mokone (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.