Soweto, is that an African word?

Last year I visited South Africa, the country, and one of the cities I visited was Johannesburg.  I made sure that I also visited Soweto, one of the townships making up the area.  Soweto is famous for being a turning point for blacks and their plight for equality.  Up until our tour of the area, I thought that the word Soweto was African.  Soweto actually is an abbreviation for south western township.  This was the first of many myths that were dispelled.