Sunnyside is one of the oldest suburbs of the city of

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The well-established area is situated east of Nelson Mandela drive (and the

Apies River __NOTOC__ The Apies River is a river that flows through the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Its source is located just south of the city (south of Erasmus Park) and it flows northward until it drains into the Pienaars River. The word "Apies" is A ...

), adjacent to

Pretoria Central Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...

Development

Sunnyside of the late 19th and early 20th century was a suburb of houses and mansions. Esselen street was named after Ewald Auguste Esselen, the State Attorney of the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

from 1894 to 1895. Since 2012 the street has been renamed to

Robert Sobukwe Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (5 December 1924 – 27 February 1978) was a prominent South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), serving as the first president of the organization. Sobukwe w ...

street. The character of the suburb changed with the influx of mainly Afrikaners to Pretoria during the middle to late 20th century, when blocks of high-rise flats transformed the western section. The one time house of the writer and poet Jan F. E. Celliers however survived until 1970. The suburb now consists mostly of high density residential developments, which in the 21st century ranges from reasonably upmarket to dilapidated. Esselen street is flanked by a strip of retail businesses, restaurants and clubs. The day time street scene is very busy, with heavy pedestrian traffic and hawkers peddling food or wares on street corners. Student residences or communes and residential houses are situated in the quieter eastern part. Like much of the inner city, this suburb's retail, entertainment and nightlife area has become less upmarket since the 1980s, and rundown and dirty in places.

Demographics

The post-Apartheid era saw an influx of local and foreign people of different races to the high density residential areas, which they found affordable. Consequently a number of languages are now spoken here. The social evils of crime and substance abuse have necessitated beefed up security at all residences, the inhabitants of which are often living in impoverished conditions. left, 300px, Sunnyside on a map of 1895

References

External links

An early photo of Esselen Street (now Robert Sobukwe Street)
Suburbs of Pretoria {{Gauteng-geo-stub