Sasolburg
| Sasolburg | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Coordinates | 26 ° 49 ′ S , 27 ° 50 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| free State | |||
| District | Fezile Dabi | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-FS | ||
| local community | Metsimaholo | ||
| height | 1500 m | ||
| Residents | 30,699 (2011) | ||
| founding | September 26, 1950 | ||
| Website | www.sasolburg.net (English) | ||
Sasolburg is an industrial city in the far north of the Free State Province in South Africa . In 2011 the place had 30,699 inhabitants. the neighboring township of Zamdela had 82,339 inhabitants.
geography
Sasolburg is about 1,500 meters above sea level, so the city has a dry climate . There are around 638 mm of precipitation annually, the average temperature is 26.9 ° C in summer and 1.6 ° C in winter. Sasolburg is located on the Vaal , which separates the Free State from the former Transvaal province . The Vaal Dam is not far from Sasolburg.
Together with the cities of Zamdela, Deneysville and Oranjeville and the surrounding rural areas, Sasolburg forms the Metsimaholo Local Municipality .
history
Sasolburg was founded on September 26, 1950 to provide housing and other facilities for the employees of the Sasol company . Another purpose was the establishment of a pilot refinery for the production of oil from coal by the US American M. W. Kellogg Co. , since the oil is scarce, but the coal reserves in South Africa are still very rich. The political developments of the late 1960s and early 1970s (especially the trade embargoes against the country) made this project very important. Plans were made for a production facility in the Eastern Transvaal that would produce around 25 percent of national needs. The town of Secunda was rebuilt to house the crews of the project known as SASOL 2 .
The industrial facilities in Sasolburg were attacked in 1980 by Umkhonto we Sizwe , the military wing of the African National Congress . However, the symbolic value of the action was more significant than the economic damage it caused.
flora
The place is known for its extraordinary abundance of trees, especially oaks .
Personalities
- Hardy Holte (* 1957), German author, born in Sasolburg
- Chris Harmse (* 1973), hammer thrower
- Olaf Zenker (* 1973), German ethnologist
- Charlene du Preez (* 1987), track cyclist
- Tshepang Makhethe (* 1996), hammer thrower
Web links
- Official homepage of the city (English)