Stilfontein (

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 g ...

for ''quiet spring'') is a former mining town which is located on the N12 (National Road) with 17,942 inhabitants, situated between

Klerksdorp Klerksdorp () is located in the North West Province, South Africa. Klerksdorp, the largest city in the North West Province, is located southeast of Mahikeng, the provincial capital. Klerksdorp was also the first capital of the then Transvaal Rep ...

and

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty riv ...

North West Province North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana. History North West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994, an ...

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 count ...

. Khuma is situated 11,3 kilometres from the town. It was incorporated into the City of Matlosana and some municipality administration is located in Matlosana (Klerksdorp).

History

Stilfontein was established in 1949 as a residential centre for three large gold mines: the Hartebeesfontein, Buffelsfontein, and Stilfontein mines. In May 1949, two shafts (Charles and Margaret) were sunk and it was this success at Stilfontein that inspired the opening up of the Hartebeesfontein and Buffelsfontein mines. The Margaret shaft at the Stilfontein mine was the first concrete headgear ever to be erected in South Africa and was designed locally and completely constructed form local materials. Tower mounted on this headgear was the first ever multi rope Koepoe hoist in South Africa.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census, the population of Stilfontein was 17,942. The population density was 1,717 persons per km² (663 persons per mi²).

Tourist attractions

*Hartebeesfontein Gold Mine *Annual Rose Festival in spring *Matlosana Mal

*Ngwenya Hotel & Conferenc

Earthquakes

Stilfontein was struck by a mining-related earthquake on 9 March 2005, which damaged buildings in the town, which was followed by the closure of the Hartebeesfontein and Buffelsfontein mines when the Stilfontein Gold Mining was handed over into liquidation. The Simmer and Jack Mines took over the mines but disaster struck again on 23 March 2006 when a fire trapped 8 miners underground at the Buffelsfontein mine.

Politics

Current

Freedom Front Plus The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include a ...

(FF+) Leader

Pieter Groenewald Petrus Johannes "Pieter" Groenewald (born 27 August 1955) is a South African politician. He has been serving as the Leader of the Freedom Front Plus since his election in November 2016. He started his political career by being elected Mayor of S ...

started his political career in this town by being elected mayor in 1988. Groenewald was soon elected to represent the constituency in the then

House of Assembly of South Africa The House of Assembly (known in Afrikaans as the ''Volksraad'', or "People's Council") was the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa from 1910 to 1981, the sole parliamentary chamber between 1981 and 1984, and latterly the white rep ...

for the Conservative Party in 1989. Following the 1994 general elections, the town became a traditional stronghold for the Democratic Alliance (DA) with the party performing better than 60% in each of the general and municipal elections. Stilfontein is part of the

Matlosana Local Municipality The City of Matlosana (formerly City Council of Klerksdorp) is a local municipality in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, North West Province, South Africa. Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main p ...

. In the 2019 general elections, the FF+ significantly made inroads in this community with the party narrowly achieving a plurality of the votes on the provincial ballot. The DA achieved a narrow plurality of the national votes. On 10 July 2019, a municipal by-election was held in the town as a result of the resignation of a DA councillor. The FF+ candidate Stephanus Petrus Kloppers won the ward with 56.51% of the vote, a gain of 32.84%. Kloppers is the first FF+ ward councillor in South Africa.FF Plus wins DA ward in North West as ANC retains seats in Mpumalanga
Retrieved on 11 July 2019.

References

{{Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality Populated places in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality Populated places established in 1949 Mining communities in South Africa