Complex sentence: It acquired a cosmopolitan and politically progressive feel, it was one of the first identifiable gay and lesbian areas in urban South Africa, but due to poor planning its infrastructure could not cope with the rapid population growth.
Split into simpler sentences: It acquired a cosmopolitan and politically progressive feel, and was one of the first identifiable gay and lesbian areas in urban South Africa. However, due to poor planning its infrastructure could not cope with the rapid population growth.