Another meaning of the name came from the fact that the previous owner of the land had many sheep, and was known as the father of sheep (Rra-nku) 'Ga-Ranku' refers to the place of the father of sheep. 'We are taken' is not a likely meaning of the word since it derives from a Sotho word, while most Ga-rankuwa residents are Tswana.Tswana.Garankuwa was also very active during 1976 student uprising which resulting in many government buildings being burnt and many students fleeing into exile in neighboring countries. The suburb also played a large role in overthrowing the formally Bophuthatswana homeland in 1993–94 resulting in scores of people being brutally killed by Bophuthatswana armed forces.