Nigel, Gauteng

Nigel
Nigel
 Nigel shown within Gauteng
Nigel
Nigel (South Africa)
Nigel
Nigel (Africa)
Coordinates: 26°25′13″S 28°28′6″E / 26.42028°S 28.46833°E / -26.42028; 28.46833Coordinates: 26°25′13″S 28°28′6″E / 26.42028°S 28.46833°E / -26.42028; 28.46833
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
Municipality Ekurhuleni
Established 1886
Area[1]
 • Total 139.07 km2 (53.70 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 38,318
 • Density 280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 44.9%
 • Coloured 16.7%
 • Indian/Asian 3.9%
 • White 33.4%
 • Other 1.1%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Afrikaans 43.5%
 • Zulu 23.3%
 • English 16.1%
 • Sotho 5.3%
 • Other 11.8%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street) 1491
PO box 1490
Area code 011

Nigel is a small gold mining town in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The town is on the edge of the area known as the East Rand.

Background

A farmer, shopkeeper and prospector, Petrus Johannes Marais, having read Sir Walter Scott's The Fortunes of Nigel at the time (see Nigel), formed the Nigel Gold Mining Company after the discovery of gold on the farm Varkensfontein in 1886.[2]:286 The town, which grew around the mine, still bears names derived from Scott's book and its characters with the suburb of Glenvarloch and its streets derived from that source.[2]:286

Today the town is focused primarily on mining and also has various heavy industries.

The town became known as the setting of the popular Afrikaans-sitcom Vetkoekpaleis [3], a sitcom that revolves around the daily lives of staff members of the Vetkoekpaleis (a Vetkoek-themed fast-food restaurant).

Nigel's municipal government became part of the much larger City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality following the creation of new local government structures in 2000, along with most of rest of the East Rand.

On August 1, 2010, a fire at the Pieter Wessels old age home lead to the deaths of 22 people.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Nigel". Census 2011.
  2. 1 2 Conolly, Denis (1975). The Tourist in South Africa. Travel-Guide (PTY) LTD. ASIN B0000E7XZN.
  3. ↑ Vetkoek-Paleis - S04E04, retrieved 2018-09-13
  4. ↑ "Four more residents die at old age home". BuaNews Online. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.

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