The Towns of Matjhabeng
Welcome to Matjhabeng, pulsing heart
of the Free State Goldfields. Situated on top of the gold
bearing reefs of the Witwatersrand, Matjhabeng Municipality
incorporates the city of Welkom and the towns of
Odendaalsrus, Virginia,
Hennenman, Allanridge and
Ventersburg, with a combined population of more
than 400†000 people.
Matjhabeng Municipality came into existence in year 05
December 2000, after 1994 South Africa’s first democratic
elections, and incorporated these previously independent
municipalities. In addition to these municipalities, former
townships such as Meloding,
Nyakallong, Kutlwanong,
Thabong, Bronville, Harmon,
Phomolong and Meloding have been
included. Under the administration and protection of
Matjhabeng Municipality, significant and continuing advances
are being made in improving the infrastructure and living
standards of all residents of the area. The majority of the
population are employed in the mining sector, which is the
economic lifeblood of the region.
The area is rich in South African
history, with the first documented settlement of the area in
the 1850’s. The area continued to develop as a largely
agricultural region, abundant in wildlife.
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Welkom:
South Africa's
youngest town established around the gold mining
industry in 1947. The town sprung up after gold was
discovered on a farm called St
Helena. The town has grown perhaps with a
faster rate as Johannesburg, yet is proud of the fact
that its traffic system of traffic circles were so well
designed that they still have only a few traffic lights.
It is in the Free State
the second largest town and the core of the relatively
recent geologic windfall of the
Free State.
An
industrial giant, Welkom is one of the few towns in the
world in which residential, mining and industrial areas
blend harmoniously ... has good shopping malls and
restaurants, an airport and a thriving theatre.
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Hennenman:
The town was found due to a decision to ensure the
most direct route through the Free Sate to Johannesburg. The railway
line would pass through the
Free State in as direct a
manner as possible. The Ventersburg Rd Station was
opened on the 20 February 1892.It was decided that
the whistlestop would be constructed a distance of
22kms form the twenty odd year town on Ventersburg.
It didn’t take long for a community to establish
itself around the whistlestop.
Soon enough the need for stores catering to the railway
personnel and associated activities arose. The farmers
we inspired by the efficiency of the rail transportation
system. The discovery of lime deposits close to the
station brought the Portland Whites Cement Company to
Ventersburg Rd. By 1914 the company was producing
cement. On the 25th May 1927 the town was
named Hennenman after Petrus Ferdinand Hennenman.
Phomolong township emerged from the
forcefully removed old location near Hennenman town,
which was then used as Ventersburg station.
Historically, the old location, where mostly black
people resided, came into existence in 1944. It was
located on the Southern part of the train main lines.
Bremer Milling Company is situated at the place where
black people lived in peace. They were the neighbours of
the other race group – white people. The area was near
the shops that formed the central business area. They
would go there on foot. The Nel Administration was
running the local Municipality Affairs by then.
The fateful day came in 1950, where black people were
told to vacate the area. They were not given reasons, as
to why black people had to leave the place. The
unconfirmed reasons were that the black people were
making a lot of noise and their children were playing in
town. However, before that fateful day, many of black
people learned, there were houses built in another area,
not so far, though they did not know the motive thereof.
The administration began to ferry people by force to a
new place unknown to many. However, there were those who
resisted strongly against this removal. When heads of
the resistant families were at work, the administration
used the caterpillars to demolish the dwellings and
ferried their families by trucks to a new place which is
about 15 kilometres.
Phomolong location, as it is known today,
came into existence in 1950. However, it was jokingly
called “Vergenoeg” an Afrikaans word – meaning, far away
enough. Then the name Phomolong came up, to related to
present situation. Some of the prominent people used to
say, now that our people are living the old location are
going to rest.
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Allanridge:
Situated on the R30 between Odendaal and Bothaville. The
distance from Welkom to OD is 12 km, from OD to Allanridge
is 14km. The town was named Allanridge after the geologist
Allan Roberts. It was established in 1950 receiving
municipal status in 1956.
Home of the Lorraine Gold Mine, one of the biggest in
the Goldfields, Allanridge is a town of sunshine, and
the thousands of flamingos who make the area their home
provide natural beauty.
Nyakallong location was established by the
mine workers working at Loraine mine and started as
dwelling for mine workers only as many were expected to
have their permanent place were they come from.
Nyakallong is about 3 kilometres from Allanridge. It
consists with various ethnics groups, Ba-Sotho, Amaxhosa
and Amaxulu as they form part languages mainly spoken.
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Ventersburg:
The SAPS museum found on the south side of town
marks the historical site of one of the first
prisons in South Africa and the first of its
kind to be restored to its original state. This was
built around 1895. Mmamahabane has the most churches
per square kilometer than any other township in
South Africa.
Ventersburg was named after the
pioneer, PA Venter, of the farm Kromfontein, who died in
1857. Ventersburg’s early history is closed connected to
the history of the Reform Church, as Ventersburg was the
third Reform Church congregation established in 1864.
In 1871 the first erven, which were part of the farm
Kromfontein, were sold. The house of Assembly on 6 May
1873 declared Ventersburg a town in the Winburg
District. The Dutch Reform Church was built in 1891 and
it was burnt down in 1900 with the occupation of the
British of Ventersburg. A new Dutch reform Church was
built in 1912. In 1903 Ventersburg Municiplity was
established. In 1939 Ventersburg was electrified. Today
the town uses ESKOM electricity.
It is almost impossible for a traveller to pass
Ventersburg, as it is situated next to the North to
South N1 road. Since its establishment the town served a
large and thriving farming community. The development of
the Free State Goldfield in the fifties expedited the
growth and development of Ventersburg, which is situated
on the edge of the goldfields. There are many people
staying in Ventersburg and working in the goldfields.
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Virginia:
Despite its rapid progress following the gold
discoveries of the 1940s, the city has remained a
beautiful, tranquil city enhanced by lovely gardens. The
Sand
River, on which it is set,
is ideal for boating, water-skiing, fishing and
swimming. A hiking trail along its banks is much
frequented by bird-watchers. Nearby, a small game
sanctuary supports a variety of antelope.
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