Krugersdorp

Krugersdorp
Featherbrooke estate in Krugersdorp
Krugersdorp Show map of Gauteng Krugersdorp Show map of South Africa Krugersdorp Show map of Africa  Krugersdorp shown within Gauteng
Coordinates: 26°6′S 27°46′E / 26.100°S 27.767°E / -26.100; 27.767Coordinates: 26°6′S 27°46′E / 26.100°S 27.767°E / -26.100; 27.767
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
District	West Rand
Municipality	Mogale City
Established	1887
Area
• Total	247.22 km2 (95.45 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	140,643
• Density	570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	42.3%
• Coloured	1.4%
• Indian/Asian	5.4%
• White	50.2%
• Other	0.8%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	42.0%
• English	19.5%
• Tswana	14.5%
• Zulu	4.8%
• Other	19.2%
Postal code (street)	1740
PO box	1740
Area code	011

External image

Memorial to those who died in the concentration camp - from the Genealogical Society of South Africa

Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for Kruger's town) is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west of the reef. The government bought part of the Paardekraal farm and named the new town after the Transvaal president, Paul Kruger. Krugersdorp no longer has a separate municipal government after it was integrated into Mogale City Local Municipality along with surrounding towns. It is now the seat of government for Mogale City.

Krugersdorp is the site of a December 1880 gathering at which more than 6,000 men vowed to fight for the Transvaal's independence. Founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius after the discovery of gold on his farm, Paardekraal, thereafter the mining industry played an important role in the development of the city. Two important events in the history of South Africa: the Transvaal War of Independence (1881) and the discovery of the Witwatersrand Goldfields (1886) took place in Krugersdorp. These events had far-reaching political and economic consequences for the country's development.

By the time the town was founded, the existence of the gold reef along the Witwatersrand had become common knowledge, and thousands seeking their fortunes pitched their tents and pegged claims. In 1888, Krugersdorp was proclaimed a separate gold field.

During the Anglo Boer War the British built a concentration camp in the valley that is now occupied by the Centenary Dam. This camp was overlooked by the "D" Shaft of the Luipardsvlei Estate Gold Mining Company, which was shut down in around 1929 when mining shifted to deeper ore bodies that offered the prospect of larger tonnages. As of 2014^[update] this shaft is being brought back into production. Part of the heritage of the area will feature in a museum to be built post-closure. An essential part of the museum's content will be the Boer War legacy.

In 1952, the West Rand Consolidated Mine was the first in the world to extract uranium as a byproduct of the gold refining process.

Gold, manganese, iron, asbestos and lime are all mined in the area.