Burgersdorp is a medium-sized town in

Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC ...

in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality of the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

province of South Africa. In 1869 a Theological Seminary was established here by the '' Gereformeerde Kerk'', but in 1905 it was moved to

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom ( ; ), colloquially known as Potch, is an college town, academic city in the North West (South African province), North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstro ...

, acting as an instrument in the formation of the PUK in 1919, then becoming the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education in 1951. The Afrikaner Bond political party was founded in Burgersdorp in 1881.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the town of Burgersdorp proper has a population of 5,240, while the adjacent townships of Mzamomhle and Tembisa have populations of 4,656 and 6,094 respectively, giving the urban area a population of 15,990. Of this population 78.1% described themselves as

Black African Black is a racial classification of people, usually a Politics, political and Human skin color, skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and ofte ...

, 11.98% as

Coloured Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

and 9.4% as

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. 69.2% spoke Xhosa as their home language, 20.1% spoke

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

, 3.3% spoke Sotho, 1.4% spoke English as their home language and 6.0% spoke some other language.

Transport

Rail

The first rail connection to Burgersdorp was opened on 19 March 1885. Today

Shosholoza Meyl Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that operates long-distance (inter-city rail, intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 mi ...

provides passenger rail service to Burgersdorp on its

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

route.

Road

Burgersdorp is located on the junction of the R58 between

Aliwal North Maletswai (previously Aliwal North) is a town in central South Africa on the banks of the Orange River, Eastern Cape Province. It is a medium-sized commercial centre in the northernmost part of the Eastern Cape. The Dutch Reformed Church was b ...

and Venterstad; and the R391 leading to Hofmeyr, Molteno and Steynsburg.

Society

Sport

Match 18 of the 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa was played in Burgersdorp.

Museums, monuments and memorials

Ten of the Eastern Cape's provincial heritage sites can be found in Burgersdorp. They include the Christ Church, the Coetzee House, the De Bruin House, the Jubilee Fountain, the Old Goal, the Old Reformed Church Parsonage, the Old Reformed Church Theological Seminary as well as the three listed below in more detail.

Dutch Reformed Church

This church was declared a provincial heritage site in 1996.

Blockhouse

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

blockhouse overlooking the town, commonly known as the Sentinel was declared a provincial heritage site in 1939.

Dutch Language Monument

A monument to Dutch, built in 1893 is located in the town. The monument depicts a woman pointing her finger at a book in her hands. This monument was declared a provincial heritage site in 1937. Although the main inscription on that monument refers to the ''Hollandse taal'' (Dutch language), it can be understood to mean

, because the ''Hollandse taal'' in South Africa was only split since 1925. But the monument is officially recognised as a monument to Dutch. The monument was damaged during the Anglo-Boer War, and Lord Milner had it removed. It was replaced with a replica in 1907. The original was later discovered in

King William's Town Qonce, formerly King William's Town, is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River (Eastern Cape), Buffalo River. The town is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London, South Africa, ...

in 1939, and moved back to stand next to the replica in Burgersdorp. Some sources claim that Lord Milner had removed the original monument not because it was damaged, but because he was opposed to Dutch (and Afrikaans), and that the replica was built not by government but by a group of Afrikaners. Burgersdorp-Language Monument-002.JPG, The replica (''left'') and original (''right'') Dutch Language Monuments Burgersdorp-Sentinel-001.JPG, The Sentinel Blockhouse Burgersdorp-NGKerk-001.JPG, The Dutch Reformed Church

Education

Burgersdorp has 5 primary schools and 2 high schools *PRIMARY SCHOOLS* Mzimkhulu Primary School Mpumelelo Mfundisi Public Primary School Maruping Primary School Eureka Primary School Burgersdorp Laerskool *HIGH SCHOOLS* Ethembeni Senior Secondary School Burgersdorp Hoerskool

References

External links

Hoërskool Burgersdorp

Laerskool Burgersdorp

Burgersdorp.za.net

Name of Burgersdorp
Dictionary of Southern African Place Names, Raper P.E., 1987 {{Joe Gqabi District Municipality Populated places in the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality Populated places established in 1846 Populated places founded by Afrikaners 1846 establishments in the British Empire