Thembisa

The name Thembisa is a Nguni word meaning “promise” and “hope”, was later misspelled as Tembisa. When the settlement was founded, it carried a lot of hope and promise for a brighter future for its inhabitants. Though its initial residents were forcefully removed from parts of Kempton Park and Edenvale, for the purpose of clearing blacks from "white areas", settling in Thembisa also marked the end of years of harassment by apartheid authorities, and a reprieve from a life of squalor in their previous settlements.[2] Today Thembisa enjoys better infrastructure and its population has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with its attraction being its location in the heart of Gauteng province's industrial zone.

The misspelling was corrected and the township renamed Thembisa in February 2020.[3]

The township was founded in 1957. After the Afrikaner-dominated National Party gained power in 1948 and began to implement apartheid, the pace of forced removals and the creation of townships outside legally designated white areas increased. The Johannesburg council established new townships for black people evicted from the city's freehold areas.

In 1956, townships were laid out for particular ethnic groups as part of the state's strategy to sift black people into groupings that would later form the building blocks of the so-called "independent homelands". It is the second largest township in Gauteng, following Soweto.

In 1977 the government initiated the Community Councils and in 1982 upgraded them to Town Councils, under the Black Local Authorities Act. The government vested limited powers on these councils but without financial muscle. Therefore, to raise revenue for purposes of developing the townships, the councils increased rent and service charges. This caused the residents in different townships, including Thembisa, to establish civic structures to resist the rent and service charge increases.[4]

In 2016, on July 25, residents were caught off guard when a tornado hit the area. The twister started in Kempton Park and moved over to Thembisa, causing the most destruction here. Around 20 individuals were seriously injured and in excess of 400 were left destitute. A standout amongst the most noticeable sights was the damage caused to the Phumulani Mall, where the rooftop crumbled after the tornado passed through it.

The township was not historically allowed to create employment centres within its area, so almost all of its residents commute daily to their employment destinations in places such as Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Midrand.

• Lerato Chabangu - soccer player
• Panyaza Lesufi - Gauteng MEC for Education
• Tsietsi Mahoa -soccer player
• George Maluleka - soccer player
• Thabo Matlaba - soccer player
• Pearl Modiadie - TV presenter, radio DJ, producer
• Refiloe Nt'sekhe - Deputy Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance (South Africa) (DA)
• Jerry Sikhosana former soccer player, most famously for Orlando Pirates F.C., coach
• Claude Tshidibi - rugby union player
• Mthokozisi Yende - soccer player
• Lady Zamar - singer, songwriter
• Themba Zwane - soccer player