Thembisa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thembisa Tembisa
Lazarus Mawela Station in Thembisa township
Thembisa Location in Gauteng Show map of Gauteng Thembisa Location in South Africa Show map of South Africa Thembisa Location in Africa Show map of Africa
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	Ekurhuleni
Established	1957
Area
• Total	42.80 km2 (16.53 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	463,109
• Density	10,820.3/km2 (28,024/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	98.9%
• Coloured	0.2%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	0.1%
• Other	0.7%
First languages (2011)
• Northern Sotho	33.1%
• Zulu	21.7%
• Tsonga	13.3%
• Xhosa	7.0%
• Other	24.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	1632
PO box	1628
Area code	011

Thembisa, also known as Tembisa, is a large township in South Africa. It is located north of Kempton Park in the Gauteng province. Thembisa was created in 1957. It became home to many black people who were moved from other areas. These areas included Alexandra, Edenvale, Kempton Park, Midrand, and Germiston.

Thembisa's History

Thembisa was founded in 1957. The city council of Germiston managed its creation. They oversaw the movement of black people from areas that were set aside for white people. These places included Dindela, Tikkieline, Phelindaba, and Modderfontein. Thembisa is the second largest township in Gauteng. Only Soweto is larger.

Local Government and Community Action

In 1977, the government started "Community Councils." These were local groups meant to help manage townships. By 1982, they became "Town Councils." However, these councils had limited power and not much money. To get money for township improvements, they increased rent and service fees. This led to people in Thembisa and other townships forming groups. They wanted to protest against these increases.

The 2016 Tornado in Thembisa

On July 26, 2016, a powerful tornado hit Thembisa. It started in Kempton Park and moved into the township. About 20 people were hurt. More than 400 people lost their homes. One of the most visible damages was to the Phumulani Mall. Its roof collapsed after the tornado passed through.

The Name Change to Thembisa

The township's name was officially changed from "Tembisa" to "Thembisa" in early 2020. The Minister of Arts had actually approved this name change earlier, in 2016.

Getting Around Thembisa

Thembisa has good connections to nearby cities.

Main Roads in Thembisa

Two main roads connect Thembisa to other places. The M57 metropolitan route and the R21 highway pass by Thembisa to the east. The M57 goes north to Pretoria and south to Kempton Park.

The northern part of Thembisa is linked to Midrand by the R562 route. This road is also called Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Road. The R562 forms the border between Thembisa and Olifantsfontein.

The main road through the center of Thembisa is the M18 route. It is made up of Andrew Mapheto Drive and Reverend RTJ Namane Drive. This road connects Thembisa to Olifantsfontein and Centurion in the north. It also goes to Chloorkop, near Kempton Park West, in the south-west.

Train Travel in Thembisa

The main Metrorail train line runs between Pretoria (north) and Johannesburg (south). This line has a station in eastern Thembisa called Oakmoor.

South of Oakmoor station, a branch line goes into the township. This branch line has three stations: Thembisa (east), Limindlela (center), and Leralla (west).

Famous People from Thembisa

Many talented people come from Thembisa. Here are a few:

• Lerato Chabangu - a soccer player
• Panyaza Lesufi - the Premier of Gauteng province
• Tsietsi Mahoa - a soccer player
• George Maluleka - a soccer player
• Thabo Matlaba - a soccer player
• Pearl Modiadie - a TV presenter, radio DJ, and producer
• Refiloe Nt'sekhe - a political leader
• Jerry Sikhosana - a former soccer player and coach
• Tyler ICU - a DJ and record producer
• Mthokozisi Yende - a soccer player
• Lady Zamar - a singer and songwriter
• Themba Zwane - a soccer player
• Moses Taiwa Molelekwa - a pianist
• Aymos - a singer and songwriter