Area Profiles

The city of Springs lies on the outskirts and to the east of Johannesburg, considered by many as a 'suburb' of the city of gold - 50 kilometres is nothing when driving across Jo'burg - where it lies nestled in amongst the compatriot areas of Benoni, Boksburg and Brakpan, known collectively as the East Rand. Much of Springs' allure lies in its history - steeped in gold - and the fact that a number of famous South Africans - Nadine Gordimer, James Phillips and Penny Heyns - were either born or raised in the city. Springs gets its name, unsurprisingly, from a large number of natural springs (points from where groundwater flows out of the ground) in the area, although...

Vanderbijlpark is an industrial town with approximately 95 000 inhabitants, situated on the Vaal River in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa. The city is named after Hendrik van der Bijl, an electrical engineer and industrialist. Vanderbijlpark is home to Vanderbijlpark Steel, previously part of the South African Iron and Steel Corporation (ISCOR), which subsequently became a subsidiary of the global company ArcelorMittal. With neighboring cities Vereeniging and Sasolburg, it forms the Vaal Triangle, historically a major industrial region of South Africa. It is situated in the local municipality of Emfuleni and district municipality of Sedibeng. In 1920,...

Hibberdene is a small coastal town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in South Africa. It was named after C. Maxwell-Hibberd, the former postmaster-general of Natal. Hibberdene is located in the Hibiscus Coast region of the KZN South Coast and is a seaside town situated 97 km south of Durban, halfway between Scottburgh and Margate. Hibberdene has become a popular holiday destination with local and foreign tourists. It is known as an affordable destination and for its beaches. Hibberdene has five popular beaches, four of which are netted and thus are safe for swimming. Hibberdene's beaches are popular because of the warm Indian Ocean flowing across its shoreline, making...

Polokwane also known by its former name, Pietersburg, is a city and the capital of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is South Africa's largest urban centre north of Gauteng. Polokwane was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the 1840s, Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town 100 km (62 mi) to the northwest. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes.( Langa & Ledwaba clans) They founded a new town in 1886 and named it "Pietersburg" in honour of Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The British built a concentration camp at Pietersburg during the Boer...

Hendrina is a town in Nkangala District Municipality, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The town is 53 km (32.9 mi) northwest of Ermelo, 40 km (24.8 mi) southwest of Carolina, and 53 km (32.9 mi) southeast of Middelburg. Hendrina was established in 1914 on Garsfontein Farm and named after Hendrina Beukes, wife of Gert Beukes, who first owned the farm. It was administered by a health committee and village council from 1919 to 1926. Hendrina's main economic activities are coal mining and diversified farming (of beans, potatoes, and maize). It is the location of two of the largest power stations operated by South African public utility company Eskom: Arnot...

Secunda is a fairly new town built around coalfields in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was named so, for being the second extraction refinery location for oil from coal (second to the Sasolburg refinery). The town of Secunda was built when the construction of 'Sasol Two' commenced. Sasol Two and Sasol Three produce synthetic fuel, diesel, and related fuels and petrochemicals from coal gasification and a town was built to house the labor force and form a thriving community. The town now has 40,000 inhabitants, with an additional 245,000 people living in the nearby Embhalenhle community. The town has experienced significant growth in the past 5 years due to the expansions...

Rustenburg (City of Rest) is a city at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West province, South Africa (549,575 in 2011 and 626,522 in the 2016 census). In 2017, the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached ZAR 63.8 billion, accounting for 21.1% of the GDP of the North West Province, and 1.28% of the GDP of South Africa. Rustenburg was one of the official host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, being in close proximity to Phokeng, the capital of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, where the Royal Bafokeng Stadium is located. The England national football team also used this as their base camp for the tournament. Before...