[2] The Green Belt Action Group was founded in 1986 by a group of smallholders situate North of Johannesburg (in a declared Green Belt) to oppose the "Draft Guide Plan for the Pretoria.
In addition, the area had a reputation for being a safe haven for all races, including multi-racial couples.
It was closer to northern suburbs, which consisted of both affluent white areas and very rural multi-racial area than Soweto (upon which it was based), and the development was canceled after complaints from the "Greenbelt Action Group", among others The Draft Guide plan was an ill-conceived and essentially ill researched plan for the development of the huge PWV area it embraced proposed highways, townships, water reticulation and agriculture to name a few.
The name Norweto was a small part of it and was not a Government name but one "invented' by the Environmental Editor of a Johannesburg Daily News paper.
GAG raised over 250,000 written objections to the Guide plan by means of public meetings, media articles and interviews.