The township of Orlando in Soweto celebrates 90 years of existence.

Various activities have been planned to celebrate the historical settlement which was established in 1931 and named after Edwin Orlando Leake, a former mayor of Johannesburg.

Following its rapid growth, the settlement would later be divided into Orlando East and Orlando West.

This weekend, its cultural heritage will be celebrated through an exhibition titled Orlando 90th Timeline.

The photographic exhibition will open on Saturday at Orlando High in Orlando East and will run until September 27.

It will be opened by the 1976 student uprising leader Seth Mazibuko and music diva Letta Mbulu, who were born in Orlando West and East respectively.

Orlando 90 will feature photographs from archives of different institutions from apartheid up to post 1994.

Among the photographers whose work will be featured is Pimville-born photojournalist Jacob Mawela.

The exhibition is a precursor of the big and main exhibition planned for 2023.

The exhibition was curated by a collective of Orlando East residents, historians and organisations that include City of Johannesburg’s Directorate of Arts, Culture & Heritage, The Wits History Workshop, University of the Witwatersrand Historical Papers Research Archive, SA History Archive, National Archives of SA, Museum Africa Archives, Sticky Situations, the James Mpanza Legacy Foundation Trust and the Orlando Pirates FC Supporters Branch.

According to Mawela, Orlando 90 allows you to step through time while providing a glimpse of the area’s rich history of music, sport, personalities and everyday life.

The exhibition features relocations, memorabilia, articles, posters and maps.

Pictures on display capture different aspects of the historical township’s social life and notable individuals who have contributed to the history of the township.

The exhibition will give viewers insight on how it all began and how the township has developed over the years.

“It is an exhibition that walks through a timeline of the Soweto neighbourhood from its establishment and architecture in the early 1900s, its early development in the 1930s and the James Sofasonke Mpanza-led squatter movement of the 1940s to the establishment of the model of townships by the apartheid government through the Group Areas Act in the 1950s, and beyond,” Mawela says.

After 1994, the photojournalist embarked on a visual documentation of the neighbourhood.

Mawela, who is also a freelance journalist, is known for his travelling exhibition Names in Uphill Letters.

He says he started the initiative because he has always been fascinated by the history and architecture attached to some of the old buildings he photographed.

“Among the people that I felt were important to SA’s history was Professor [Thamsanqa] Kambule because of the role he played fighting for high-quality black education in apartheid South Africa. I took his picture inside a classroom. I also have a picture of Irvin Khoza and Jomo Sono featured.

“Featuring Orlando High was important for me because it is the first high school in Soweto. All I can say is that you will enjoy stepping into the past and future of Orlando East and immersing yourself in the rich history that its people and places have to offer.”

The Orlando history is not complete without the mention of people like Mpanza – recognised in history as the “father of Soweto” because of the land invasions he led which resulted in the founding of Soweto.

Referred to as Maghebula, he became an Orlando resident in 1934 and would regularly be spotted riding a horse through its streets. 

Mpanza formed Orlando Boys Club in 1937 which was renamed Orlando Pirates Football Club in 1939.

Another notable heritage and landmark in the township is Orlando Stadium, which is home to Orlando Pirates. The venue, which opened in 1959, was built after Mpanza's petitioning of the Johannesburg city council. 

Another notable venue is the Donaldson Orlando Community Centre, better known as the DOCC, which hosted arts and culture events, community events and indoor sports. The DOCC, where Nelson Mandela trained for his boxing, is now a heritage site. 

Not far from the stadium stands the historical Orlando High School, an academic institution that produced people like minister of basic education Angie Motshekga, judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng and soccer boss Kaizer Motaung, among many others. 

bambalelep@sowetan.co.za