SOWETO is an acronym for South Western Townships, and is in the south-west part of Johannesburg. In reality, it is a collection of many townships like Orlando, Dube Moroka and Pimville with poor and wealthy living side-by-side.

It was established in 1904, when Klipspruit was established to predominantly house black labourers. It was only in 1963 that 'Soweto' was taken on as an appropriate name for the quickly developing townships, after a four-year long competition.

It was a stronghold for the anti-apartheid movement, which came to head in 1976, during the Soweto Uprising. People such as Nelson Mandela, Albert Luthuli and Desmond Tutu all called it home at some stage in their lives.

Soweto has a very close relationship with football, with three of the biggest Premier Soccer League teams claiming it as their birthplace. Moroka Swallows, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs were all founded in difficult circumstances in Soweto. Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs annual meeting, known as the 'Soweto derby' is one of the most highly competed derbies in international football. Many players also hail from the area, including Jomo Sono, Kaizer Motaung, Doctor Khumalo and Lucas Radebe.

Parts of the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi were filmed in Soweto.