Vryburg

The name Vryburg comes from the period in the 1882 when Vryburg was established as the capital of the Republic of Stellaland. The Republicans called themselves Vryburgers (“free citizens”), and since the Afrikaans word for “citizen” is burger and the word for “borough” (or “fortress”) is burg the name of the town followed.[2] The first and only president was G.J. van Niekerk. A site for the township was selected and named Endvogelfontein. On 15 November the same year, the name was changed to Vryburg. In December that year, newly laid out plots were apportioned to the volunteers by means of a lottery and by February 1883 some 400 farms had been established. On 16 August 1883, Administrator Van Niekerk proclaimed the Republic of Stellaland with Vryburg as capital and himself as President.

By 1884 the town consisted of about 20 houses.[3]

Stellaland split into two rival factions – those who supported annexation into the Cape Colony as mooted by Cecil Rhodes, and those who preferred independence.

In February 1884, the London Convention was signed, making Stellaland a British protectorate, with the Reverend John McKenzie appointed Commissioner to British Bechuanaland.

In 1885, the British seized the town and incorporated the area into British Bechuanaland, which in turn became part of the Cape Colony in 1895.

Vryburg today is the industrial and agricultural capital of the Bophirima (Western) region.

During the Second Boer War, the British built a concentration camp here to house Boer women and children.

The Tiger Kloof Native Institute was set up south of the town by the London Missionary Society in 1904. A cornerstone for the building of the institute was laid in 1905 by the Earl of Selborne.[4] The stone church on the premises is a national monument.

By 1910, the Cape Colony became the Cape Province, one of the four provinces of the Union of South Africa and later the Republic of South Africa. When nine provinces were established in 1994, Vryburg finally became part of the North West Province.

Vryburg railway station

Vryburg is South Africa's largest beef-producing district, with Bonsmara cattle the most popular. It is sometimes called "the Texas of South Africa".

Maize and peanuts are important crops produced in the district. The town hosts South Africa's third largest agricultural show.

The town today is an industrial and agricultural hub. Its modern architecture blends naturally with its surroundings and the well-preserved old buildings are carefully maintained.