Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land on one of the original farms called Klipriviersberg.

[2] It was originally called Welfare Park when it was established as a suburb on 23 September 1942.

[2] It obtained its current name in 1962, found in hills in the south of Johannesburg.

[2] South Hills also consists of numerous old council houses.

Municipal buses cover the main routes from South Hills into Johannesburg Central.