Swartruggens
Swartruggens is a small farming town in North West Province, South Africa that was established in 1875.
Swartruggens | |
---|---|
Swartruggens Swartruggens | |
Coordinates: 25°39′S 26°42′E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | North West |
District | Bojanala Platinum |
Municipality | Kgetlengrivier |
Established | 1875 |
Area | |
• Total | 10.74 km2 (4.15 sq mi) |
Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 1,969 |
• Density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 39.5% |
• Coloured | 1.8% |
• Indian/Asian | 5.5% |
• White | 52.3% |
• Other | 0.8% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Afrikaans | 57.4% |
• Tswana | 21.9% |
• English | 14.1% |
• Zulu | 1.7% |
• Other | 4.9% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 2835 |
PO box | 2835 |
Area code | 014 |
Location
The town is located by the Elands River, 69 km from the town of Zeerust, 56 km west of the city of Rustenburg and 34 km north-west of Koster.[2]
It takes its name 'Swartruggens' from a series of hills there, formerly known as Zwartruggens, a Dutch name for 'black ridges'.[3]
History
The town of Swartruggens was founded in 1875 on the farm Brakfontein.
After the Siege of Mafeking, during the Second Anglo-Boer War, one of the supply depots established by Robert Baden-Powell as he moved towards Pretoria was in Swartruggens.[4]
A cemetery for British war dead from the Second Anglo-Boer War is located in the town.[5]
References
- "Main Place Swartruggens". Census 2011.
- Swartruggens - North West Province South Africa Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
- "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Sciences Research Council. p. 424.
- "North West History – Battle of Elands River". Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- Wulfsohn, Lionel (1 January 1992). Rustenburg at War: The Story of Rustenburg and Its Citizens in the First and Second Anglo-Boer Wars. L.M. Wulfsohn. p. 255. ISBN 9780620167697.
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