Marabastad (also called Asiatic Bazaar or Location) is a business area near the Pretoria city centre.

The original Maraba Village, situated just to the south of the present Marabastad, was founded and ruled by the Pedi Chief Maraba. The name Marabastad is the Afrikaans word meaning Maraba City.

Marabastad was a culturally diverse community, with the Hindu Mariamman Temple arguably being its most prominent landmark. Like the residents of other racially diverse areas in South Africa, such as District Six, "Fietas " and Sophiatown, the inhabitants of Marabastad were relocated to single-race townships further away from the city centre. These removals were due to Apartheid laws like the Group Areas Act . Unlike Sophiatown, Fietas and District Six, it was not bulldozed, but it retained many of its original buildings, and became primarily a business district, with most shops still owned by the Indians who had also lived there previously. In addition, a large shopping complex was built to house Indian-owned shops.

The black residents of Marabastad were relocated to Atteridgeville (1945), the Coloured residents to Eersterus (1963), and the Indian residents to Laudium (1968).

There are plans to revive once-picturesque Marabastad, and to reverse years of urban decay and neglect, although few seem to have been implemented as of 2004.

External links

• A short history of Marabastad
• A newspaper description of Marabastad today