WAKKERSTROOM

WAKKERSTROOM


Wakkerstroom is a small town near the town of Volksrust in Mpumalanga Province.

Coordinates : 27°21′S 30°08′E

Wakkerstroom, (Awake Stream), is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province in South Africa.
Town on the KwaZulu-Natal border, 27 km east of Volksrust and 56 km south-east of Amersfoort. It was laid out on the farm Gryshoek, proclaimed in 1859, and administered by a village council from 1910. Originally named Marthinus-Wesselstroom, it became known as Wesselstroom and then Wakkerstroom, ‘awake stream’, ‘lively stream’, after the river, which also gave its name to the district, namely the Mzinyati.
It was established in 1859 and its name is an Afrikaans translation of the Zulu name for the river that flows near the town, uThaka, (Awake). Sheep and cattle farming are the primary industries.
Mountainous with kloofs, mountain springs, vlei areas, dams, conservation and heritage site. It is internationally renowned as a "birders paradise".

Amersfoort in Mpumalanga

Amersfoort in Mpumalanga


Amersfoort is near Volksrust
Amersfoort is a small town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town was established in 1888 around a Dutch Reformed Church which was built in 1876.Lying at 1,664m above sea level in the upper reached of the Vaal river basin on the banks of the Schulpspruit, the area was first settled by Europeans in 1876 when two farmers of the area donated land to the church, where Rev. Frans Lion Cachet proceeded to build a Dutch Reformed church. The new village was named after the hometown (in the Netherlands) of the Dutch farmers. When the area became too small for the growing village, more land was purchased from one of the original donors and the town was proclaimed in 1888. The bridge over the Vaal River was built in 1896 and is a national monument. The township of eZamokuhle (meaning "to make it beautiful") lies adjacent to the town and contributes greatly to its economy.
Pixley ka Isaka Seme, one of the founders of the South African Native National Congress, later renamed the African National Congress maintained law offices in Amersfoort and spent time there in connection with his legal and political work for the community at Daggakraal, the Native Farmers Association, and the Swazi royal family in Swaziland.

Eskom Majuba Power Station

Eskom Majuba Power Station



Majuba Power Station between Volksrust and Amersfoort in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom. Majuba is Eskom's only power station that is not linked to a specific mine and it receives its coal from various sources.

Majuba has three 665 MW dry-cooled units and three 716 MW wet-cooled units with a total installed capacity of 4,110MW with a turbine Maximum Continuous Rating of 35.3% on the dry-cooled turbines and 37.7% on the wet-cooled units.

Construction started in September 1983 and by April 1996 the first unit was connected to the grid. The last unit was commissioned in April 2001.

 

Wakkerstroom Town

Wakkerstroom Town


Wakkerstroom is a small town near the town of Volksrust in Mpumalanga Province.

Coordinates : 27°21′S 30°08′E

Wakkerstroom, (Awake Stream), is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province in South Africa.
Town on the KwaZulu-Natal border, 27 km east of Volksrust and 56 km south-east of Amersfoort. It was laid out on the farm Gryshoek, proclaimed in 1859, and administered by a village council from 1910. Originally named Marthinus-Wesselstroom, it became known as Wesselstroom and then Wakkerstroom, ‘awake stream’, ‘lively stream’, after the river, which also gave its name to the district, namely the Mzinyati.
It was established in 1859 and its name is an Afrikaans translation of the Zulu name for the river that flows near the town, uThaka, (Awake). Sheep and cattle farming are the primary industries.
Mountainous with kloofs, mountain springs, vlei areas, dams, conservation and heritage site. It is internationally renowned as a "birders paradise".

Charlestown

Charlestown


Established : 1889
Charlestown is a small town situated at the top of Laing's Nek pass in KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa between Newcastle and Volksrust. It started out as an important railway station and customs post between Natal and Transvaal in 1891 until the Union of South Africa came into being in 1910, and customs tariffs were abolished. It is named after Sir Charles Mitchell, governor of Natal.
It became a dormitory suburb of Volksrust, just across the border in the Transvaal, and many black people bought freehold land in the town. During the 1960s, however, the apartheid policy of the government led to most of the black inhabitants being forcibly removed to Madadeni, near Newcastle, and Charlestown became a ghost town.

Volksrust Township

Vukuzakhe

The name Volksrust (the nation rests) is attributed to Dorie de Jager, Dirkie Uys' sister. The story goes that this occurred when battle-weary Boer soldiers came to this place to recover from the South African War. On 27 March 1889, President Paul Kruger of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republik (literally: South African Republic) officially announced the name of the town. Today Volksrust has a Concentration Camp Memorial to honour those who lost their lives in these concentration camps, the first in the world.

The population of the town includes Black, White, Asian and Coloured people. The population survey of 2001 showed that over the years, the number of people living in the areas has increased from the 1999 population count. Like most towns in the urban and rural areas, people living in Volksrust also suffered under the apartheid Groups Areas Act legislation. Before 1994, Black people stayed in the township known as Vukuzakhe (meaning: built yourself). Vukuzakhe is further divided into eight sections. The first sections to be established were Kwesimhlophe (or: for Black people) and Kwesimnyama (for Coloured people). Around 1946 the government built small four roomed houses in an area that became known as New Stand. In 1958 after the forced removals of people from Charlestown, (an area that produced coal for a very short period of time), people were moved to Vukuzenzele (meaning: wake up and do it for yourself). As more and more people were forcibly removed from their land, Vukuzakhe also grew.

In 1961, the government introduced semi detached two-roomed houses where two different families lived on either side. The people called this area Lindela (meaning: wait). It is not known why the name was given but its meaning is significant to people being displaced. Sgodiphola was the next attempt to relocate people from neighbouring farms where White farmers wanted to settle. In the 1970s another area came into existence, which was similar to New Stand, but the rooms were a little bit bigger. Once again the area was known as Dukuza (which means - pacify). Around the 1980s the government began another project that looked at improving the lives of people, by building houses with sewerage systems and electricity. This area became known as Phumula Mqhashi (settling of tenants). It was the only area in the 1980s that had running water and electricity. Other areas were without electricity, running water and were still using the bucket system. It was only after 1994 that the infrastructure was improved. Interestingly, Volksrust had proper sanitation and tarred roads. White children enjoyed well kept and maintained playgrounds while Black children did not.