Bela-Bela ( Tswana/Pedi for "the pot that boils") - formerly known as Warmbaths,

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 ...

: Warmbad- is a town in the

Limpopo Province Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers ...

of South Africa. Deriving its name from the geothermic

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

around which the town was built. The town is situated in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province. It lies off the N1 road between

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

and

Polokwane Polokwane (, meaning "Sanctuary" in Northern SothoPolokwane - The Heart of the Limpopo Provin ...

(Pietersburg). Its hot springs produce 22,000 litres per hour at . The main hot springs holiday resort (previously run by state-owned company Aventura, formerly called Overvaal) in the town is still branded ''Warmbaths''.

History

When the Tswana tribes first moved into the region in the 1800s, they discovered hot springs in the area. The

Voortrekker The Great Trek (, ) was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...

Carl Van Heerden established the first Boer farm in what is now Bela-Bela and called it ''Het Bad''. In 1873, President Burgers'

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

government bought the land and established a resort called ''Hartingsburg'' after the prominent Dutch biologist

Pieter Harting Pieter Harting (27 February 1812 – 3 December 1885) was a Dutch biologist and naturalist, born in Rotterdam. He made contributions in a number of scientific disciplines, and is remembered for his work in the fields of microscopy, hydrology, ...

. The British occupied the town during the

Anglo-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 an ...

, and renamed the post office ''Warm Baths'' in 1903, and proclaimed the boundaries of Warmbaths to be the entire farm of ''Het Bad''. In 1920 Warmbaths was proclaimed a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

(in the legal, not racial sense) and the township was designed by architect John Abraham Moffat in that year. In 1950, it became a magisterial district. In 1932 Warmbaths became a village town and was established as a town council in 1960. Called ''Warmbaths'' in English, the Afrikaans name for the town was ''Warmbad''. On 14 June 2002 the South African government officially renamed the town ''Bela-Bela'' (meaning "boiling boiling").

Climate

Education

Bela Bela has proven to be a town of intellectual importance through its academic achievements. The town is home to schools like Albert Luthuli Primary School, Bela Bela High school, Hleketane Primary School, Hoërskool Warmbad, Jinnah Park Primary School, Khabele Primary School, Laerskool Warmbad, Maope Secondary School, Mmamakwa Primary School, Mmampatile Primary School, Raeleng High School,

Spa Park Primary A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to prehis ...

, Settlers Agricultural High School and Ulando Secondary School.

Notable people

AB de Villiers Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a South African former international cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest batters of his generation. de Villiers was named as the ODI Player of the Year three times during h ...

Jack Mithileni Former Lecturer and inspector of schools who started his teaching career and education journey by being a teacher at Mphe-Mphe Primary School in the Waterberg District. Abel J. Mokwena Formally known as IVERSONN014 is one many notable musical artists that grew a stable following on various platforms.

References

{{Authority control Populated places founded by Afrikaners Populated places established in 1873 Populated places in the Bela-Bela Local Municipality Hot springs of South Africa

History

Climate

Education

Notable people

See also

References