Ermelo, South Africa
| Ermelo | |
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Ermelo railway station
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 Ermelo
Ermelo
Ermelo
Ermelo shown within Mpumalanga
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| Coordinates: 26°32′S 29°59′E / 26.533°S 29.983°ECoordinates: 26°32′S 29°59′E / 26.533°S 29.983°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Mpumalanga |
| District | Gert Sibande |
| Municipality | Msukaligwa |
| Established | 1880 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 47.46 km2 (18.32 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 83,865 |
| • Density | 1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 82.6% |
| • Coloured | 0.7% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.8% |
| • White | 14.5% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 70.8% |
| • Afrikaans | 14.3% |
| • English | 4.8% |
| • Swazi | 4.1% |
| • Other | 6.0% |
| Postal code (street) | 2351 |
| PO box | 2350 |
| Area code | 017 |
Ermelo is the educational, industrial and commercial centre of the 7,750 km² Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga province, Republic of South Africa. It is both a mixed agriculture and mining region. Its is found 210 km east of Johannesburg.
Some of the earliest inhabitants of the area were the mysterious Leghoya people. Not much is known about them, but ruins of their settlements dating back to c.1400 can be found in the area.
During the mid-1800's, the area prior to the formation as a village, was an outspan area for resting team-animals transporting goods across the region mainly due to the water of the small lakes dotting the area. Modern Ermelo was founded by Dutch Reformed Church Reverend Frans Lion Cachet (1835–1899). He would minister to the many farms in the area. A congregation was started by Cachet in 1870, and was recognised by the 5th annual general meeting of the church in April 1872.
The town would be formed on the farm Nooitgedacht purchased from P.J. Fourie in 1879 and proclaimed on 12 February 1880. It would be managed by the church until 1895 when the government of the South African Republic took over its management. Cachet named it after a town in the Netherlands. Cachet was an outspoken preacher, who had a strong interest in evangelism to Jews, his own family having Jewish heritage. Cachet had met and been influenced by Hermanus Willem Witteveen from Ermelo in the Netherlands as a young man, and named the settlement in honour of Witteveen.
In 1901, the town was reduced to a single standing home by the British during the Second Boer War. The town would be rebuilt in 1903.
Mixed farming such as maize, cattle, potatoes, beans, wool, pigs, sunflower seeds, nuts, sub-tropical fruits, lucerne and sorghum take place around the district. The town is the home of the Nooitgedacht Agriculture Development and Research Centre that researches crop production and animal husbandry.
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Wikipedia