Swartruggens

Swartruggens is a small farming town in North West Province, South Africa that was established in 1875.

Swartruggens
Ou Stasie in Swartruggens
Swartruggens
Swartruggens
Coordinates: 25°39′S 26°42′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceNorth West
DistrictBojanala Platinum
MunicipalityKgetlengrivier
Established1875
Area
  Total10.74 km2 (4.15 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
  Total1,969
  Density180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
  Black African39.5%
  Coloured1.8%
  Indian/Asian5.5%
  White52.3%
  Other0.8%
First languages (2011)
  Afrikaans57.4%
  Tswana21.9%
  English14.1%
  Zulu1.7%
  Other4.9%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
2835
PO box
2835
Area code014

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

  1. "Main Place Swartruggens". Census 2011.
  2. Swartruggens - North West Province South Africa Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Sciences Research Council. p. 424.
  4. "North West History – Battle of Elands River". Archived from the original on 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  5. Wulfsohn, Lionel (1992-01-01). 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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