Springs is a former independent city that is now part of the City of Ekurhuleni, based in the east of Johannesburg (East Rand), in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It lies east of Johannesburg and southeast from Pretoria. Its name is probably derived from the large number of springs in the area, and its estimated population is more than 121,610 in 2011. It is situated at above sea level.

During the apartheid-era, the city was racially segregated under the Group Areas Act. These consisted of middle and upper-income white suburbs around the city centre and the Indian area of Bakerton east of the CBD. A community of black Africans were living in a "black spot" of Springs known as Payneville. The Town Council ordered the creation of a new black township to relieve overcrowding in Payneville. In the 1950s, the residents were forcibly removed and relocated to the newly created, KwaThema, southwest of the CBD.

Springs has a high concentration of Art Deco architecture. After Miami in Florida, it has the highest number of small-scale Art Deco buildings in the world.

Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014), the first South African Nobel Laureate in Literature (1991), was born and raised in Springs.Nadine Gordimer obituary The Guardian. 15 July 2014

History

Springs is east of Johannesburg and on the East Rand, or what is now known as the Metropolitan area of Ekurhuleni, in the Gauteng Province. It was founded as a coal and gold mining town in 1904.

From about 1840, new settlers declared farms for themselves, especially after the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic, later Transvaal) became an independent republic with the signing of the Sand River Convention in 1852. These initial farms were large, but the measurements of the borders were inaccurate, and later, when the correct borders of the farms had to be documented, there were several extra or odd pieces of land that did not belong to any farm. These odd pieces of land then became state property. Three neighbouring farms on the Witwatersrand, namely Geduld (meaning 'patience'), De Rietfontein ('the reed fountain') and Brakpan (literally, 'small, brackish lake'), qualified.

The 685 ha odd piece was given the name 'The Springs' by the land surveyor James Brooks, probably because of all the fountains on the land. Another story is that he wanted to name it after himself, but because his name (Brooks) resembled the Afrikaans word 'broek' (trousers) so closely, he feared that the Afrikaans farmers in the area would mock it.

On 16 September 1884 the official map of The Springs was registered in Pretoria, the Republic's capital. Initially, the land's value was equal to R200, but the discovery of coal and gold and its subsequent mining increased the value considerably.

In 1888 the first contract was signed to mine coal in the Springs. Initially mining was on a small scale, but rose when the Great Eastern Mine was established. At that time there were a number of corrugated iron houses around the mine and a few small hotels and general dealers. In 1902 a health committee was appointed to look after the building and location of structures and hygiene in the growing township. In 1904 the Grootvlei Proprietary Mines were registered and shafts were sunk. This followed the discovery in 1899 of gold on the farm Geduld and the further discovery of the main reef in 1902.

In April 1904, The Springs was proclaimed a town, called Springs, the health committee replaced by a town council, and it flourished as a mining town. In 1962, Springs produced 10% of the country's gold and 9% of its uranium. However, by the end of the 1960s the last mine in town, the Daggafonteinmyn, (literally: Marijuana fountain mine) was emptied. In response, the town developed into an industrial centre.

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 in 1890–1891, the Transvaal Republic's first railway, the Randtram Line, was built by the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM) 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.

Springs is currently one of the industrial centers of the Witwatersrand and also the Eastern Gateway of Gauteng towards Mpumalanga and Northern Kwazulu Natal. Mining has been replaced by manufacturing and engineering industries of economic importance; products of the region include processed metals, chemicals, paper and foodstuffs.

Geography Communities

The following are the main suburbs of Springs:

Modder East (Eastvale) Dersley Presidents Dam Presidents Ranch Krugersrus New State Areas Krugersrus Ext Rowhill Petersfield Petersfield Ext Paul Krugersoord East Geduld Geduld Geduld Ext Springs Ext Springs CBD Lodeyko Welgedacht Holfontein Persida Welgedag Small Holdings Everest Gugulethu Slovo Park Slovo Park East Bakerton Strubenvale Strubenvale Ext Grootvlei Great Valley Casseldale Palmiet Kuil Largo Aston Lake Edelweiss Edelweiss Ext Daggafontein Daggafontein Ext Selection Park North Selection Park South Selcourt Struisbult Pollak Park Wright Park Reedville Dal Fouche KwaThema Payneville

Architecture and monuments Springs is known for its high concentration of Art Deco architecture, as it is home to the second-highest number of small scale Art Deco buildings in the world, after Miami, Florida. These Art Deco buildings were mostly constructed in the CBD during the interwar period, during the greatest growth period in the city. The style of architecture was employed to "counteract the incipient provincialism associated with a colonial city." In 1998, Micha Birch, then a member of the National Monuments Council, approached the municipality about arranging an exhibition of the city's Art Deco architecture. Art Deco examples include the Central Fire Station, built in 1938. A number are also known for their graphic artwork and letter work, notably seen in the Court Chambers, Renesta House, Palladium Cinema and Nureef House. In 2023, Barbara Adair published In the Shadow of the Springs I Saw, with photographs and stories of Art Deco buildings in Springs and their inhabitants.

Other landmarks include several monuments, including the War Monument, the war cemetery (for soldiers who died in the Second World War), the Old Springs Fire Station, and the now-derelict Dutch Windmill in the former Martiens Kotze (Pioneer) Park.

Other notable buildings include the Ken Gampu Theatre (formerly Springs Civic Theatre) and the now-demolished Mudhook Hall.

In 2021, a private initiative to restore various local military memorials was undertaken. The Springs War Memorial was one of those restored in the initiative. In 2023, the derelict MOTH (Men with Tin Hats) Memorial in 1st Avenue Geduld, under the direction of Tony da Cruz, was also restored.

A new Mine and Military Museum (MMM) was also founded in 2023 to restore and display South African historical artifacts. It exhibits artillery pieces, including ones from Joubert Park, Johannesburg, Ermelo and Durban, and airforce aircraft, such as Impala, Mirage and Puma helicopters.

Climate Springs has a typical sub-tropical climate with four distinct seasons.

Spring is warm to hot with some afternoon showers. Spring usually starts to show during the latter half of August, although it is officially springtime in September.

Summer is hot, with afternoon thunder showers early in the season, and drier during January and February, the two hottest months. The average high during summer is , and the average low is , although it can go as high as . A record high of has been recorded.

Autumn is generally cooler, starting with late rains early in the season. Cold set in towards winter, with the first frost in late autumn. At times, the first signs of autumn can be seen in late February.

Winter is very cold, with severe frost and very occasional snow, the coldest months being July and August. August is usually a very windy month, continuing into early spring in September with sandstorms and strong winds. The average high during winter is , and the average low is – . Temperatures can drop to – , and a record low of has been recorded.

The average rainfall in Springs is per annum.

Flora and fauna Springs is part of the Highveld grassland vegetation area, which consists of the southern half of Gauteng, Western Mpumalanga, the southeastern parts of the Limpopo province, most of the Freestate, Northern Eastern Cape, and the southeastern parts of Northwest and Eastern Northern Cape.

Springs is mostly grassland, with short grass with some smaller succulent plants such as the aloe. The plough-breaker, which is unique on the Highveld, can also be found in the area. The wetland areas in Springs has an area of , fed by the Blesbokspruit and Lesser Blesbokspruit, with concomitant water plants and trees growing nearby.

The Blesbokspruit Wetland Region in Springs draws over 300 species of birds, including the great flamingo, Egyptian Goose, barn owl, blue crane, guineafowl, secretary-bird and the ostrich. Water mammals such as the otter and lesser otter have been observed in less populated areas. The blesbok, mongoose, reed buck, read jackal, black wildebeest, springbok, mountain zebra, the porcupine and other mammals are to be found, but usually within reserve areas.

Various species of reptiles such as the rinkhals, puffadder brown house snake, aurora house snake and various lizards, including the giant girdled lizard, and the African bullfrog are also to be found in wetland areas of Springs.

Demographics

Jewish community

Up until the late 1990s, Springs had a vibrant Jewish community. There were two synagogues, with a total of 300 families. By 2015, most of the community had left for Johannesburg, Cape Town, or further afield like Israel, Australia, the US and the UK. The community's last rabbi was the Manchester-born Rabbi Yossi Liberow.Rabbi Liberow brought back from the brink South African Jewish Report. 30 April 2020 The synagogue building, Springs Shul, still stands, but by 2015 operated as an Acts Church.

The town's first synagogue, Springs Gates of Hope Synagogue, was consecrated on 3 May 1908 and extended in 1933. Due to the growing membership, the original synagogue was demolished and the new synagogue, known as the Springs Shul, opened in September 1951.Ninety-year-old clock has Springs in its step South African Jewish Report. 22 June 2023

In the 1940s, a Reform synagogue, Temple Emeth, (later Temple Emet) was designed by the architect, Harold Le Roith. The synagogue closed in the 1990s.The smaller congregations progressivejews.co.za. Retrieved on 21 July 2024

The Nobel Prize-winning Jewish writer, Nadine Gordimer was raised in Springs. Her father was a member of a local synagogue and attended Yom Kippur services.Gordimer, Nadine.A South African Childhood The New Yorker. 8 October 1954

Economy Springs is an economic hub in Ekurhuleni, with industries including manufacturing, commerce, service, hospitality, mining and service providing companies.

Mining Historically, Springs was known as a mining centre for gold and coal. Springs is still one of the gold mining centers in South Africa, which includes Gold One, Modder East Operation, the Geduld Mine, East Geduld Mine and the Daggafontein and East Daggafontein mines. New coal mines towards the east of the city are being developed.

Manufacturing