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Alberton | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 26°16′02″S28°07′19″E / 26.26722°S 28.12194°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Gauteng |
Municipality | Ekurhuleni |
Area | |
• Total | 77.16 km2 (29.79 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,570 m (5,150 ft) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 121,536 |
• Density | 1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 26.5% |
• Coloured | 14.4% |
• Indian/Asian | 4.9% |
• White | 53.2% |
• Other | 0.9% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Afrikaans | 42.4% |
• English | 34.6% |
• Zulu | 6.9% |
• Sotho | 5.1% |
• Other | 11.0% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 1447 up to 1458, 1481 |
PO box | 1450 |
Area code | 011 |
Website | www.alberton.co.za |
Alberton is a town situated on the southern part of the East Rand of the Gauteng Province in South Africa and is situated very close to the major urban centre of Johannesburg.
Alberton is described as a typical suburban community, one which is primarily residential in character, with most of its workers commuting to work in nearby suburbs or cities such as Johannesburg and Germiston.
In the early 1840s, the Voortrekkers Johan Georg (Org) Meyer and Hester Catharina Elizabeth (née Mulder) arrived in the Transvaal after moving from their home in Prince Albert, in what was then the Cape Colony. [2]
Org sourced land and selected three farms, namely Klipriviersberg, Elandsfontein and Swartkoppies. In 1856, Johannes Petrus Meyer (better known as Jan Meyer) acquired 11 hectares (27 acres) of his father's Elandsfontein farm and built a house next to the Natalspruit, close to where the civic centre stands today. In 1890, he built a new farmhouse mansion on the opposite end of the farm that was miraculously left unharmed during the Anglo Boer War of 1899–1902. The homestead can still be seen today from the bypassing N12 freeway. Jan's brother, also Johan Georg (Org) Meyer, took over the farm after Jan's death. General Hendrik Abraham Alberts, a veteran of the Anglo Boer War, purchased a part of the farm from Org in 1904 and named it Alberton. [3]
The Afrikaans medium primary school Jan Meyer was named for the original owner of the farm, and the affluent suburb Meyersdal also refers to the family whose original farmhouse mansion still stands on the land behind the Meyersdal koppie. The primary school Generaal Alberts, and Hennie Alberts Avenue in the suburb of Brackenhurst, are named after the town founder.
The first official post office was opened in 1926, and in 1938 building work started on a town hall. In the same year, street names in the Alberton North suburb were renamed after Voortrekker leaders to coincide with the 100 year commemoration of the Great Trek. A well-known landmark of the city, ABC STORE, was established in 1943 on Pieter Uys Avenue, Alberton North, and is still trading today as a general store specializing in school uniforms.
Alberton was incorporated into the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality governing the East Rand in the year 2000 and celebrated its centenary year in 2005.
According to the 2011 census conducted by Statistics South Africa, Alberton had a population of 121,536; but this figure excludes the black township of Thokoza, which has a population of 105,827.
Alberton lies at an elevation of approximately 1,570 m (5,150 ft) above sea level on the banks of the Natal Spruit, approximately 11 km south-east of Johannesburg CBD, 59 km south of Pretoria and 49 km north-east of Vereeniging. Organisationally and administratively, it is included in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. [2] [4]
Alberton is bordered by the city of Germiston to the north-east, the townships of Thokoza and Katlehong to the east, and the city of Johannesburg to the west and north-west. [5]
The city's initial centre of development was in the area now known as Alberton North or 'Old' Alberton. The original black settlement in Alberton was in the area of the Alberton Dam. During the apartheid era, inhabitants were moved to the surrounding black townships and a 'white' suburb was established around the dam and named Verwoerdpark, after former prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd. Over the years, development sprawled out into adjacent areas, and today Alberton is made up of 19 suburbs stretching over an area of 77 km2. The city, as per South African in whole, is no longer segregated although surrounding black townships (which are now also not exclusively black) still remain.
Alrode, which is Alberton's industrial suburb, was established in 1943. One of the most notable industries to be established in the town during this time was CJ Fuchs (Pty) Ltd. Venturing into the production of domestic electrical appliances under licence from the American company Westing House Electric International, the business was relocated from central Johannesburg to a newly built, modern factory in Alrode in 1948. Until the mid-seventies, CJ Fuchs (Pty) Ltd would continue to grow into a multi-million Rand operation, employing thousands of people in several subsidiary companies within the group. After Carl Fuchs' death in April 1976, the company was sold to the then Barlow Rand. In 1973, he was also the first to be admitted as a Freeman of the Town of Alberton. [4]
The construction of the Alberton Boulevard was a major development started in the late 1980s with the aim of converting a section of Voortrekker Road that runs past the Alberton City Shopping Mall into a pedestrian-friendly zone.
Alberton has multiple access roads to some of the major freeways in the Gauteng Province such as the R59, N12, N17 and N3.
The R59 Sybrand van Niekerk Freeway is the main highway running through Alberton, separating its western suburbs of Brackenhurst, Brackendowns and Meyersdal from the rest of the town. The regional highway connects Alberton with Vereeniging, Sasolburg and Bloemfontein (via the N1) to the south-west, and Johannesburg to the north-west.
The N12 Southern Bypass Freeway runs north of Alberton connecting the town with Potchefstroom to the south-west and with Benoni and eMalahleni to the north-east. The N17 Freeway runs north-east of Alberton connecting the town with Springs to the north-east and the N3 Freeway partially borders Alberton to the west at its eastern suburb of Verwoerdpark connecting the town with Johannesburg to the north-west and with Heidelberg and Durban to the south-east.
Local major routes in Alberton include: the R554 (Swartkoppies Road) leading north-eastwards to Brakpan and westwards to Lenasia, the M7 (Kliprivier Drive) to Johannesburg, the M31 (Voortrekker Road) to Johannesburg, the M48 (Van Riebeeck Avenue) leading northwards to Germiston, the M61 (Vereeniging Road) to Vereeniging, the M94 (Kritzinger Road/Grey Avenue) to Germiston, and the M95 (Nelson Mandela Avenue) to Johannesburg South.
There are many well-established sports facilities and clubs for tennis, rugby, road running, [5] boxing, wrestling, cricket, jukskei, netball, hockey, soccer, bowls, korfball and ring tennis in Alberton.
It is also home to the Reading Country Club and Golf Course.
Alberton was also home to the now defunct New Market Race Course, which is now a shopping mall.
Alberton borders on the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, located on Peggy Vera Road, Kibler Park, Gauteng (26°18′13″S 28°0′39″E). This reserve is home to many wild animals, including zebra, red hartebeest, porcupines, black wildebeest, otters, blesbok, springbok, duiker and 170 bird species.
There are also Iron Age settlements dating from about 1500 and the ruins of a house built in 1850 by voortrekker Sarel Marais. [6]
Healthcare facilities include numerous government clinics as well the privately run Netcare Alberton hospital, formerly the Union Hospital and Clinton Clinic respectively.
On June 11, 2023, Alberton experienced a notable earthquake that originated approximately 2 km from Alberton. Preliminary measurements by the US Geological Survey indicated a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake struck at a depth of around 10 kilometers. Residents from Johannesburg noted that it was the worst earthquake in 6 years. [7]
Benoni is a town on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa, some 26 kilometres (16 mi) east of Johannesburg, within the City of Ekurhuleni municipality.
The N3 is a national route in South Africa that connects Johannesburg and Durban, respectively South Africa's largest and third-largest cities. Johannesburg is the financial and commercial heartland of South Africa, while Durban is South Africa's key port and one of the busiest ports in the Southern Hemisphere and is also a holiday destination. Durban is the port through which Johannesburg imports and exports most of its goods. As a result, the N3 is a very busy highway and has a high volume of traffic.
Johannesburg is heavily dependent upon freeways for transport around the city due to its location 1,500 metres above sea level, far from the coast or any major bodies of water. There are 10 freeways in the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area: the N1, N3, N12, N14, N17, R21, R24, R59, M1 and M2. In addition, three new freeways are planned: the G5, G9 and G14. Freeways are sometimes called highways or motorways colloquially.
The N12 Southern Bypass is a section of the Johannesburg Ring Road that forms a beltway around the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, as part of the N12. The freeway was the last section of the Ring Road to be built, with the final section opening in 1986. As part of the old South African Freeways, It was initially called the N13. The entire Southern Bypass freeway is an e-toll highway.
Brakpan is a mining town on the East Rand of Gauteng, South Africa, approximately 38 kilometres east of Johannesburg.
Bedfordview is an affluent suburb in western Ekurhuleni, sharing an administrative boundary with the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa. Bedfordview has been part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000. The Eastgate Shopping Centre, one of the biggest in Africa when first built, is also located here.
The R21 is a major north–south provincial route in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa. Built in the early 1970s, it remains one of two freeways linking Pretoria with Johannesburg, via the R24. As the eastern of the two freeways, it links the Pretoria city centre with OR Tambo International Airport, the N12 freeway, and Boksburg. Between the Solomon Mahlangu Drive on-ramp in Monument Park, Pretoria, and the N12 in Boksburg, the R21 is an 8 lane highway and motorway (freeway), with 4 lanes in each direction. It has off-ramps leading to Irene, Olifantsfontein, Benoni, and Kempton Park, including a partial offramp to Atlas Road. The route intersects the N1 Highway near Centurion, the R24 near the airport, the N12 and N17 in Boksburg, and the N3 near Vosloorus on the East Rand, where it ends. The section from the N12 to the N3 is not a freeway. As early as the 1970s there were proposals to extend the R21 freeway further south and the freeway may be linked with the current eastern terminus of the M2 in Germiston in future. It is also designated as the P157.
The R28 is a provincial route in Gauteng, South Africa that connects Krugersdorp with Vereeniging via Randfontein. The R28 used to connect with Pretoria, but that section of the road is now part of the N14.
The R42 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Vanderbijlpark with Bronkhorstspruit via Vereeniging, Heidelberg, Nigel and Delmas.
The R54 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Potchefstroom with Villiers via Vereeniging.
The R59 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Hertzogville with Alberton via Bothaville, Parys and Vereeniging. The R59 is a freeway from the R57 Junction in Sasolburg until the N12 Reading Interchange in Alberton, signposted as the Sybrand van Niekerk Freeway.
The R82 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Johannesburg with Kroonstad via Vereeniging and Sasolburg. It starts just south of the M1 Johannesburg Municipal Highway's interchange with the N12 Southern Bypass, going south, meeting the R59, R54, R42 & R28 routes at Vereeniging before crossing the Vaal River into the Free State & proceeding to Kroonstad. It is an alternative, but longer route to the N1 National Route between Johannesburg & Kroonstad.
The R103 is a Regional Route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N3, prior to upgrading. It only has 3 sections, from Hillcrest to Ladysmith, from Warden to Villiers and from Heidelberg to Johannesburg.
The N12 is a national route in South Africa which runs from George through Beaufort West, Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Johannesburg to eMalahleni.
The R554 is a Regional Route in Gauteng, South Africa. The road connects the southern suburbs of Soweto with Springs on the East Rand via Lenasia, Alberton and Brakpan.
M7 is a metropolitan route in the Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area. The road connects Thokoza and the southern suburbs of Alberton with suburbs to the west of the Johannesburg CBD.
The M37 is a metropolitan route in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. It connects the N3 at Greenstone Shopping Mall with Katlehong via Edenvale and Germiston.
The M38 is a short metropolitan route in Johannesburg, South Africa. The entire route is in the Johannesburg South area, connecting Southgate with Tulisa Park via Ridgeway. It is parallel to the Johannesburg Southern Bypass for its entire route.
The M46 is a short metropolitan route in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. It connects Tulisa Park in Johannesburg South with Springs via Germiston, Boksburg and Brakpan.
The M61 is a long metropolitan route in Gauteng, South Africa. It connects Vereeniging with Alberton via Meyerton. For its entire route, it is an alternative route to the R59 Highway.