Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng
Encyclopedia
Vaal River
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction...
in the south of the Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
province of South Africa.
Named after Hendrik van der Bijl
Hendrik van der Bijl
Dr Hendrik Johannes van der Bijl FRS was a South African electrical engineer and industrialist. He was the founding Chairman of the Electricity Supply Commission in 1923. In 1927, he was the President of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers...
, an electrical engineer and industrialist, Vanderbijlpark is home to Vanderbijlpark Steel (previously part of ISCOR
Iscor
Mittal Steel South Africa is part of the steel company Arcelor-Mittal. The company was originally Iscor Limited, a South African parastatal steel company...
(Iron and Steel Corporation), now part of the global company ArcelorMittal). With neighbouring towns Vereeniging and Sasolburg
Sasolburg
Sasolburg is a large industrial town in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa. Sasolburg is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark and Zamdela...
it forms the Vaal Triangle
Vaal Triangle
The Vaal Triangle is a triangular area of land formed by Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg - together they comprise a substantial urban complex in South Africa...
, a major industrial region of South Africa. Located in the district municipality of Sedibeng and the local municipality of Emfuleni.
The black townships Boipatong, Bophelong
Bophelong, Gauteng
Bophelong is a township near Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1955 to house black residents who worked in Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging.The location has noe been extended by another location right next to it called Mavhango....
, Sebokeng and Sharpeville are close to the city.
VECOR, the largest comprehensive heavy engineering works in the Southern Hemisphere, is also located in Vanderbijlpark.
Vanderbijlpark is also home to Cape Gate (Pty) Ltd, a major market share holder in the wire industry.
History
It all started when Dr HJ van der Bijl, a young South African electrical engineer working in the United States at the time, was called back to South Africa in 1920 by the then Prime Minister Jan SmutsJan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
to advise the government on planning South Africa's industrial development. Van der Bijl oversaw the Iron and Steel Corporation's first plant at Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, but with the increased demand after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 100 km² was bought to build a large steel works and model town. The steel works began operating in 1947 and the town was proclaimed in 1949. The town attained municipal status in 1952 when Governor General Dr EG Jansen opened ISCOR's second steel works.
Suburbs
Vanderbijlpark has been designed in a circular design, which differs from the traditional grid design of towns. The town is divided into four distinct residential blocks, namely:- CE (Central East)
- CW (Central West)
- SE (South East)
- SW (South West)
Vanderbijlpark CBD on Wikimapia
- CE1
- CE2
- CE3
- CE4
- CW1
- CW2
- CW3
- CW4
- CW5
- CW6
- SE1
- SE2
- SE3
- SE4
- SE6
- SE7
- SE8
- SW1
- SW2
- SW5
The other suburbs of Vanderbijlpark are:
- Boipatong
- Bophelong
- Bonnane
- Flora Gardens
There are also a number of areas with small holdings in Vanderbijlpark:
- Theoville
- Lamont Park
Education
There are over 60 primary and secondary schools within the Vaal Triangle area. Of these, 20 primary and 18 secondary schools are located in Vanderbijlpark.Tertiary Education
The Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University
North-West University
The North-West University is a newly merged institution from 1 January 2004 onwards with four campuses at Potchefstroom, Mafikeng, Vanderbijlpark and Mankwe. The Potchefstroom Campus is the largest, and the head office of the University is situated at this location...
is located in Vanderbijlpark. This campus is situated on the banks of the Vaal River
Vaal River
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction...
and has student numbers exceeding 3000.
The main campus of Vaal University of Technology is located in Vanderbijlpark. It is about 1 KM away from the North West University.
The Computer Training institute (CTI) has just built a new satellite campus in central Vanderbijlpark.
Sedibeng College is famous for attracting many students from as far as Quaqua (a big township near Lesotho borders) to do N-Level engineering courses and matric upgrades.
A big part of Vanderbijlpark residential area is rented by students studying at the above mentioned institutions and others.
Entertainment
Vanderbijlpark is home to the Emerald Casino Resort, Emfuleni Golf Course and the recently constructed Vaal MallVaal Mall
The Vaal Mall is a large shopping centre in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the largest shopping centre in the region and serves patrons from Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sasolburg and Parys....
.
Demographics
According to the 2001 Census, Vanderbijlpark occupies an area of 233 km². The population is 80,201, which can be broken down as follows: 70.2% White, 28.7% Black, 0.8% Coloured and 0.4% Asian. The population density is 344 persons per km² (888 persons per mi²). http://mapserver.statssa.gov.za/GeographyWebsite/AdvancedReporting/stats_index.htmlFamous Residents
Ray JenningsRay Jennings
Raymond Vernon Jennings is a former South African cricketer. He was one of South Africa's leading wicket-keepers during the apartheid era....
, former coach of the South African cricket team
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, was born in Vanderbijlpark.