Municipal History
1890
Amersfoort
Amersfoort originated in 1876 as a church centre and was named after the town with the same name in the Netherlands. The settlement was proclaimed a town in 1888.
1952
Volksrust
The history of Volksrust began in 1888 when the Transvaal government decided to establish a town on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment, on the border of Natal. A place was chosen near where the Boers won a decisive battle in the first Anglo-Boer War (December 1880 – March 1881) to regain their independence from the British. Several farms were bought for the purpose and named Volksrust (People’s Rest) presumably by Ms Dorie de Jager (sister of Dirk Uys) because the Transvaal forces rested there after the Battle of Majuba.
Today, the town is a commercial centre of which the main products are maize, wool, sorghum, sunflower seed, beef and dairy. The town is the junction for the main Johannesburg-Durban railway line with other towns in the eastern part of Mpumalanga.
2006
Wakkerstroom
Wakkerstroom was established due to a need for a town between Potchefstroom and Utrecht with good grazing and plenty of water for the residents and travellers. Dirk Uys was instructed to find a suitable site but instead of reporting back with the suitable site he also surveyed stands and submitted plans to the Volksraad for approval. The plans were approved on 21 September 1859 but the name given by Uys (Uys and Burg) was rejected and the town was officially named Marthinus Wesselstroom in the district of Wakkerstroom. Later on the district name was adopted as the “unofficial” name for the newly proclaimed township. However, the earliest people that lived in the Wakkerstroom area were the Khoisan due to the examples of rock art that can be found in the vicinity.
2006
Perdekop
Perdekop was established due to an equine sickness epidemic during the second Anglo-Boer war. The people realised that the higher altitude protected the animals from the epidemic and a settlement was established there due to the fact that it was a safe haven from the epidemic.
Pixley Ka Isaka Seme bought land on behalf of the associations of Daggakraal, Kwa-Ngema and Driefontein and these purchases probably gave great impetus to the enactment of the Native Land Act of 1913 which forbade the purchase of land by a black person in South Africa. In spite of the large concentration of people in the area, it did not even appear on any road maps which were a result of the former apartheid era that prevailed in the country before 1994.
2006
Daggakraal
Daggakraal is part of Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality located in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. While it may not be as widely known as some other cities or towns in South Africa, it has its own unique history and significance.
Plan
By 2030 South Africa should observe meaningful and measurable progress in reviving rural areas and in creating more functionally integrated, balanced and vibrant urban settlements.
Path
The path outlines the job drivers to be from Infrastructure development, main economic sectors, seizing the potential of new economies, investing in social and public services and spatial development (Regional Integration).
Development
Builds on various chapters of the National Development Plan (NDP) and extends Chapter 8 “Transforming human settlements and the national space economy’ and its vision for urban South Africa.
Community
Spatial integration, Inclusion and access, sustainable economic growth and development and effective governance and Financial reform.
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