Louis Trichardt
| Louis Trichardt | |
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Aerial view of Louis Trichardt
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 Louis Trichardt
Louis Trichardt
Louis Trichardt
Louis Trichardt shown within Limpopo
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| Coordinates: 23°03′S 29°54′E / 23.050°S 29.900°ECoordinates: 23°03′S 29°54′E / 23.050°S 29.900°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| District | Vhembe |
| Municipality | Makhado |
| Established | 1946 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 56.42 km2 (21.78 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 25,360 |
| • Density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 72.7% |
| • Coloured | 1.3% |
| • Indian/Asian | 5.7% |
| • White | 20.0% |
| • Other | 0.3% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Venda | 39.5% |
| • Afrikaans | 22.8% |
| • English | 11.7% |
| • Northern Sotho | 6.6% |
| • Other | 19.4% |
| Postal code (street) | 0920 |
| PO box | 0920 |
| Area code | 015 |
Louis Trichardt (formerly Trichardtsdorp) is a town at the foot of the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is named after the voortrekker leader Louis Tregardt. It is the centre of the Makhado Local Municipality, which comprises 16,000 km² with a total population of 270,000 (2001). Louis Trichardt is located in a fertile region where litchis, bananas, mangoes and nuts are produced. The national road N1 runs through the town. Louis Trichardt is 437 kilometres from Johannesburg and one hour's drive from the Zimbabwean border at Beitbridge. Louis Trichardt was known as Makhado for a short period (see below). Vleifontein, Elim, Tshikota, Madombidzha, Makhado Park and Dzanani surrounds the town at all directions. The mayor of the town is F.D. Mutavhatsindi.
Like many other towns in South Africa, Louis Trichardt had its origins in Voortrekker settlement of the area. Two groups of Trekkers reached the Soutpansberg mountain range in 1836, one under the leadership of Louis Tregardt (born near Oudtshoorn, South Africa, 10 August 1783) and another under Hans van Rensburg. Van Rensburg decided to lead his group to Sofala (near current Beira), Mozambique, but his entire party was killed en route.
Trigardt and his group stayed near the mountain, camping near what eventually became the town of Louis Trichardt. They planted crops and started exploring the area northwards in an attempt to locate Van Rensburg and his group. After spending a year in the area, they decided to head for the fort at Delagoa Bay, a journey that took them 7 months to complete, during which more than half the group perished (including Tregardt himself).
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Wikipedia