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Roodepoort is a town in the
Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
province of
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. Formerly an independent
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, Roodepoort became part of the Johannesburg municipality in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and
Sandton Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs ...
. Johannesburg's most famous
botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
,
Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...
National Botanical Gardens (now renamed
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden __NOTOC__ The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (''previously known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden'') is a botanical reserve in Roodepoort near Johannesburg. Formally established in 1982, it is one of the youngest of Sou ...
), is located in Roodepoort.


History

In 1884, brothers Fred and
Harry Struben Harry Struben born Hendrik Wilhelm Struben aka Henry William Struben (9 October 1840 Lower Rhine, Germany - 18 October 1915 Rosebank, Cape Town) was the brother of Frederick Struben, who together managed the first gold-mining operation on the ...
, having discovered
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
on the farm Wilgespruit at the western end of the
Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...
, were granted concessions to mine the area. When George Harrison's find at ''Langlaagte'' came to light and gold fever took hold, the Strubens brothers were joined by a swarm of gold diggers. Other areas such as ''Maraisburg'' were prospected and mined by A.P. Marais and at ''Florida'', the owners were van der Hoven, Bantjies and Lys. Though the Struben brothers' ''Confidence Reef'' bore little gold and their mine was unprofitable, the ramshackle town that grew around it became the Roodepoort Municipality in 1904. Incorporating the towns of Hamburg,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
and Maraisburg, Roodepoort became a city in 1977, and has since developed as one of Johannesburg's most prominently-
Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...
(language of Dutch origin) speaking districts.


Geography


Communities

Residential areas in the new developing parts of Roodepoort are expanding at a faster pace than anywhere else in South Africa. This growth is said to be fueled by various factors such as the fast-growing Black middle class, the close proximity to other large Gauteng cities and established and advanced infrastructure.


Ethnicity

Traditionally, Roodeport was an Afrikaans-speaking area, but after apartheid, the area has attracted different ethnic groups and the dominant language is now English. The rapid expansion of middle-class housing in the area has caused an influx of all ethnic groups, most of whom are middle class.


Economy


Retail

Roodepoort has seen large population growth due to Johannesburg
urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
. There are two major malls in the area - Clearwater Mall, the most upscale in Roodepoort and Westgate Mall the largest and oldest. Areas of interest for entertainment include the ''Featherbrooke Village'' centre which is close to the old Monash University (now the IIE MSA) and is a student hotspot. Also found in the area is the Hillfox Centre and the Strubens Valley strip malls, both are large retail centres. Roodepoort has a wide variety of restaurants and shopping centres. The CBD of the city has shifted from its historical center to a location adjacent to the N1 Highway & 14th Avenue interchange in
Constantia Kloof Constantia Kloof is a suburb of Roodepoort in Gauteng, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stre ...
. Regional headquarters of banks, a large hospital, various office parks and two large hotels are found in the new CBD. Roodepoort still has a large industrial sector along Main Reef Road ( R41). A number of logistical firms work from the area as well as other light industry.


Sport

The city has a large golf course called Ruimsig Country Club in the suburb Ruimsig. Another smaller golf course is the Jackel Creek Golf Estate. In between the two, there is a links golf course Eagle Canyon. Further south in Roodepoort there's a golf course called CMR Golf Club. Roodepoort Athletics Stadium is also found within the city. It has three mega private gym facilities owned by Virgin Active and Planet Fitness.


Parks and greenspace

The Roodepoort area has numerous parks and green areas.
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden __NOTOC__ The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (''previously known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden'') is a botanical reserve in Roodepoort near Johannesburg. Formally established in 1982, it is one of the youngest of Sou ...
, formerly known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden, is a 300 hectares (3.0 km2) botanical reserve with grass parks, natural cliff face and waterfall. Another large greenspace is the
Kloofendal Nature Reserve Kloofendal Nature Reserve is a municipal nature reserve in Roodepoort, South Africa. It is one of the first nature reserves in Johannesburg. It is also recognized as the place where gold was first mined in Johannesburg. The old gold mine can ...
, a 128ha park with trails, amphitheatre, dam and small wild mammals. Further to the south is Florida Lake with its bird life and related aquatic activities.


Law and government


Government

Although Roodepoort has traditionally been regarded as being part of the
West Rand The West Rand is the name of the urban western part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a gold-bearing reef discovered in 1886 and sparked the gold r ...
, it was not made part of the West Rand District Municipality, instead being integrated into the
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Z ...
, following the post-
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
re-organisation of local government in the late 1990s.


Education


Schools

Roodepoort is home to several private and state schools, including Ruimsig Montessori International School, Crawford International, Trinity House, Charter College, Allen Glen High School, West Ridge High School, Horizon View Primary, Ridgevale Primary School, Hoƫrskool Roodepoort, Hoƫrskool Die Adelaar, The Kings School West Rand and Ruimsig Academy.


University

In 2001, Monash University Australia opened a campus in Roodepoort called Monash South Africa (MSA). The university pulled out of South Africa in 2018 but sold the university to the Independent Institute of Education. Monash South Africa is now the IIE MSA offering the same qualifications as the old Monash University.


References


External links

{{Authority control West Rand Johannesburg Region C 1884 establishments in the South African Republic