Reiger Park
a tight community on the East Rand
A small, proud township in Boksburg with more churches per square kilometre than almost anywhere else in Gauteng — and a community determined to be known for more than its hardest years.
Boksburg, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng
Facts on this page are sourced — see references
A small place with a big heart
Reiger Park is a compact township in Boksburg, on the East Rand, within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.[1] It is small enough that most long-time residents know each other, and it has earned an unusual nickname from its own people: locals call one part of the township "Jerusalem," simply because of how many churches are packed into it.[1]
Reiger Park has, like Eldorado Park, faced real struggles with gang activity and substance abuse, and it has occasionally made headlines for the wrong reasons.[2] We do not want to minimise that history. But we also will not let a handful of difficult years define an entire community of grandparents, schoolchildren, choir members, and small-business owners who get up every day and build a life here with quiet determination.
Geography & Climate
Where it sits
Reiger Park lies within the town of Boksburg, on the East Rand portion of the Witwatersrand, at a similar Highveld elevation to Johannesburg — around 1,750 metres above sea level.[3] "Reiger" is Afrikaans and Dutch for heron,[4] and the township sits a short distance from Cinderella Dam,[5] one of several wetland areas dotted across the East Rand.
The township sits close to Boksburg Lake,[2] the historic Boksburg town centre, and the N12 and N17 highways, putting it within easy reach of Germiston, the rest of Ekurhuleni, and OR Tambo International Airport. Like the rest of the Witwatersrand, Reiger Park enjoys a dry, sunny climate with warm, thundery summers and cold, clear winters.[3]
How Reiger Park came to be
Reiger Park began life under a different name, and its story is closely tied to the gold-mining history of the East Rand.
Post-1945
Founded as Stirtonville
After the Second World War, families moved here from rural areas in search of work on the East Rand gold mines, settling in a mixed community that became known as Stirtonville.[1][2]
1962–1963
Renamed under apartheid
Under the apartheid government’s policy of separate development, residents classified as Black were relocated to Vosloorus and those classified as Indian to Actonville, while the remaining residents classified as "Coloured" stayed on and the area was renamed Reiger Park.[1][2]
1970s–1980s
Growth alongside hardship
The community grew through these decades even as it faced under-investment and, later, the arrival of drugs — mandrax, in particular, from the mid-1970s — that would trouble the area for years to come.[6] Residents responded by building the dense network of churches, schools, and community halls that still anchor Reiger Park today.
1994 onward
A new chapter after apartheid
Since the end of apartheid, Reiger Park has been part of a unified Ekurhuleni, working — alongside its residents, schools, and faith communities — toward safer streets and stronger opportunities for the next generation.
Honest & Hopeful
Reiger Park today
Reiger Park today is best known by outsiders for the gang activity that has affected parts of the township, and we will not pretend that challenge has disappeared.[2] But the Reiger Park we serve in is also a community with over a hundred formal and informal churches, several schools, a public library, and a swimming pool[2] — and with residents like the local historian who collects old photographs so the next generation does not forget where they came from.[6]
It is a community proud of where it has been, from its mining-town roots to former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder Bernard Parker, who grew up here.[7] More than anything, it is a community that keeps showing up for itself: for Sunday worship, for school fundraisers, and for each other.
Worth Knowing
Why we love serving here
A few of the things that make Reiger Park worth getting to know.
"Jerusalem" of churches
Few places in Gauteng have as many churches per resident — faith is part of the fabric of daily life here, not an afterthought.
Everyone knows everyone
Reiger Park is small enough that neighbours genuinely look out for one another, which is part of what makes it feel like home so quickly.
A proud working-class history
From its mining-camp origins to today, Reiger Park has always been a community of people who work hard and build things, including a strong local football tradition.
Close to Boksburg and the East Rand
Boksburg Lake, the N12 and N17 highways, and OR Tambo International Airport are all close by, making Reiger Park an easy, central place to visit.
Sources & Further Reading
Where this information comes from
The history, geography, and figures referenced on this page draw on the public sources below. We link directly so you can verify anything for yourself.
- [1]Reiger Park — Wikipedia
- [2]Boksburg — Wikipedia
- [3]Climate of South Africa — Wikipedia
- [4]De Reiger (Dutch/Afrikaans for "the heron") — Wikipedia
- [5]Cinderella Dam, Gauteng — Mapcarta
- [6]Resident wants youngsters to know Reiger Park's history — Boksburg Advertiser / The Citizen
- [7]Bernard Parker — Wikipedia
Come and see for yourself
There is no substitute for visiting in person — join our Reiger Park congregation for worship and experience this community’s warmth firsthand.