Klerksdorp
| Klerksdorp | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 26 ° 52 ′ S , 26 ° 40 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| northwest | |||
| District | Dr Kenneth Kaunda | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-NW | ||
| local community | City of Matlosana | ||
| Residents | 186,515 (2011) | ||
| founding | 1837 | ||
| Post Code | 2570, 2571 | ||
| Website | www.klerksdorp.co.za (English) | ||
 Dutch Reformed Church in Klerksdorp
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Klerksdorp is a city in the north-west province of South Africa and, together with Orkney , Stilfontein and Hartebeesfontein and other places, belongs to the City of Matlosana municipality . The greater Klerksdorp area has over 350,000 inhabitants and is one of the most industrialized and economically most important part of the north-west province. The city itself has 186,515 inhabitants (as of 2011), including 111,938 inhabitants of the Jouberton township , which belongs to Klerksdorp as a sub place .
history
The city's roots lie in the Voortrekker movement. In 1837 they settled on the banks of the Schoonspruit, which flows through the city. One of them, CM du Plooy, claimed a 160 km² farm in the area, parts of which he gave away to others in gratitude that they had helped him build irrigation systems and a dam. In honor of the first local magistrate, Jacob de Clerq, the area was named "Klerksdorp".
In August 1886 gold was found on the Rietkuil farm . Since gold was also found in the Witwatersrand at the same time, thousands of gold diggers came to Klerksdorp in the course of the subsequent gold rush , which became a town that even had its own stock exchange.
During the Second Boer War there was heavy fighting in the area. A British concentration camp was in the area. On March 11, 1902, negotiations took place here between Lord Kitchener and the Boer General Koos de la Rey , which ultimately made the peace of Vereeniging possible and thus ended the war.
Economy and Transport
Klerksdorp is located in a mining area. Among other things, there are gold and uranium deposits .
The National Route 12 , which among other things Wolmaransstad in the West Potchefstroom connects the east, through Klerksdorp. The R30 runs from Ventersdorp in the north to Bothaville in the south . The R503 branches off the N12 between Klerksdorp and Jouberton and leads northwest to Hartbeesfontein .
Shosholoza Meyl's passenger trains serve Klerksdorp station several times a week, which is also used by freight.
Attractions
The old stock exchange in the city center was built shortly after the first gold was found in the area. Today it houses a museum that shows life in the region at the end of the 19th century.
The Klerksdorp Museum has been showing archaeological, geological and cultural-historical exhibits since 1973. It uses the premises of the former prison built in 1891. Other sights in the Klerksdorp Museum include Klerksdorp spheres , which were found in the Wonderstone Mine in South Africa and are estimated to be 2.8 billion years old.
sons and daughters of the town
- Theophilus E. Dönges (1898–1968), President of South Africa
- Elisabeth Eybers (1915–2007), South African-Dutch poet
- Desmond Tutu (* 1931), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Anglican Archbishop
- Philemon "Phil" Masinga (1969-2019), football player
- Daylon Claasen (* 1990), soccer player
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 21, 2013
- ^ Adrian Frith: Census 2011 , accessed on January 19, 2020
- ↑ Klerksdorp, in: South Africa's North-West Province - A Guide to it's History and Heritage ( Memento of the original from September 4, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Mining in North West: Overview 2017. globalafricanetwork.com (English), accessed on January 20, 2020
