Editing Soweto (section)

==Housing==
The area is mostly composed of old "matchbox" houses, or four-room houses built by the government, that were built to provide cheap accommodation for black workers during [[apartheid]]. However, there are a few smaller areas where prosperous Sowetans have built houses that are similar in stature to those in more affluent suburbs. Many people who still live in matchbox houses have improved and expanded their homes, and the [[City Council (Johannesburg)|City Council]] has enabled the planting of more trees and the improving of parks and [[Open space reserve|green space]]s in the area.

[[Hostel]]s are another prominent physical feature of Soweto.<ref>da Silva, M & Pirie, G.H. Hostels for African migrants in greater Johannesburg. ''GeoJournal'', 12 (1986), 173–182.</ref> Originally built to house male migrant workers, many have been improved as dwellings for couples and families.

In 1996, the [[City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality]] awarded tenders to [[Conrad Penny]] and his company Penny Brothers Brokers & Valuers (Pty) Ltd. for the valuation of the whole of Soweto (which at the time consisted of over 325,000 properties) for rating and taxing purpose. This was the single largest valuation ever undertaken in Africa.<ref name="PennyBros">[http://pennybrothers.co.za/soweto.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726060224/http://pennybrothers.co.za/soweto.html|date=26 July 2013}}</ref>