This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2010) |
Brackenfell | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 33°52′00″S18°41′00″E / 33.86667°S 18.68333°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Western Cape |
Municipality | City of Cape Town |
Established | 1913 |
Area | |
• Total | 25.27 km2 (9.76 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 44,842 |
• Density | 1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 9.8% |
• Coloured | 9.0% |
• Indian/Asian | 0.8% |
• White | 79.0% |
• Other | 1.4% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Afrikaans | 71.1% |
• English | 20.8% |
• Xhosa | 3.4% |
• Other | 4.7% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 7560, 7561, 7562 |
PO box | 7561 |
Area code | 021 |
Brackenfell is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated on the N1 about 30 km (17 mi) north-east of Cape Town and 35 km (22 mi) south-west of Paarl.
Regarded as the “gateway” to the Cape Winelands, the town marks the start of the Bottelary Hills Wine Route which follows the scenic Bottelary Road to Stellenbosch, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) to the south-east. [2] [3]
The earliest activity on what today is known as Brackenfell was when the "de Clapmuts" was a refreshment post. Brackenfell specifically form part of Klapmutsberg, better known as de Bottelarij. In 1712 the area known as "Kruispad" was transferred to Selie, J. Kruispad was owned by Brink, A. and in 1901 he sold it to a Scottish Immigrant Walton, G.H. The flora on this farm reminded him of the same in Scotland. He called it Brackenfell (Bracken means fern; Fell means hill). The richness of granite in the area let to the farm being sold to a Brick company in 1903 and a granite quarry was established. Activity here stopped in 1948. In 1904 a railway station was established. [4] [5] [6]
Brackenfell used to be a rural area centred on a major road crossing during the earlier days of Cape Town, but today it is a well-known suburb located behind the 'boerewors gordyn' which translates to sausage curtain, meaning; people living in this area, braai (barbecue) boerewors very often. "Gordyn" curtain is just by figure of speech. It is all said tongue-in-the-cheek.
In 1976, a large investment was made by retail giant, PicknPay when it opened a Hypermarket opened in Brackenfell which still stands till today. At the time, the Hypermarket was regarded as an ultra-modern decentralised shopping centre which had a crucial role in the development of then small town of Brackenfell, lying just outside Cape Town. [7]
In 1996, Brackenfell lost its municipal status and was dissolved into the Oostenberg Municipality along with Kraaifontein, Kuilsrivier and Blue Downs/Eersterivier as part of the transition in local government. As of 2000, Brackenfell was integrated into the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, or the Greater Cape Town area and is effectively a suburb of the City of Cape Town.
Due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape, the Western Cape Health Department constructed a field hospital in the Brackengate industrial area. It opened on 20 July 2020 with 10 patients. The field hospital has capacity 300 beds for COVID-19 patients from hospitals struggling with capacity. [8] [9] [10]
The field hospital became the central COVID-19 dedicated hospital for the Western Cape in September as the Cape Town International Convention Centre's field hospital which was the central COVID-19 dedicated hospital was decommissioned in September due to declining COVID-19 cases in the City of Cape Town. [11] [12]
Brackenfell is situated on the eastern boundary of the City of Cape Town, bordering the Stellenbosch Local Municipality and is neighboured by Bellville to the west, Kraaifontein to the east, Durbanville to the north and Kuilsrivier to the south. It is flanked by the Bottelary Hills to the south-east, with Kanonkop (“Cannon Hill”) being the highest point in the town at 177 m (580 ft). [13]
Brackenfell is divided into 3 main suburban areas, namely Brackenfell Central (the area between the N1 and the passing railway), Brackenfell North (the entire area north of the N1) and Brackenfell South (the entire area south of the railway). [14]
Most large companies headquartered in Brackenfell are retail groups such as Shoprite-Checkers (and its associated subsidiaries), which is Africa’s largest supermarket retail chain, Food Lover's Market and Montagu Snacks. [15] [16]
Brackenfell is an emerging industrial node in the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area, particularly sought-after by businesses involved in warehousing and distribution due its proximity to major freeways and the city centre. Located in the east of the town are the established industrial areas of Brackenfell Industria and Okavango Park, while in the west is the newer industrial area of Brackengate, also known as Morgan Industrial.
The central business district of Brackenfell features three major shopping centres along Old Paarl Road: Brackenfell Hyper Centre, Brackenfell Shopping Centre, and Fairbridge Mall. The surrounding suburbs also host Brackenfell Corner, Glengarry Shopping Centre, and Boulevard Square.
Located north of the N1 on Okavango Road, the Cape Gate Regional Shopping Centre is the largest in Brackenfell and one of the largest in the Greater Cape Town region. Known as the Cape Gate precinct, this area features the Cape Gate Lifestyle Precinct, various car dealerships, and warehouse outlets like Makro and Builders Warehouse, along with Mediclinic Cape Gate, which provides private hospital services. [17] [18]
The main Metrorail route between Cape Town in the south-west (via Bellville) and Wellington in the north-east (via Kraaifontein and Paarl), known as the Northern Line has a station in the Brackenfell CBD, namely the Brackenfell railway station.
The N1 is the main freeway that runs through Brackenfell, passing from Cape Town to Paarl. The R300 (Kuils River Freeway) is a freeway on the western boundary of Brackenfell, starting at an interchange with the N1, the Stellenberg Interchange, heading south towards Mitchells Plain. The older section of the N1, now known as the R101 (Old Paarl Road), is the main thoroughfare through the Brackenfell CBD, passing from Bellville to Kraaifontein.
Brackenfell is also served by a number of metropolitan routes linking it to surrounding towns. The M23 (Bottelary Road) connects to Bellville and Stellenbosch. The M25 (Frans Conradie Drive) connects to Bellville and Kraaifontein. The M73 (De Bron Road) connects to Durbanville and Kraaifontein. The M100 (Brackenfell Boulevard) connects to Durbanville and Kuilsrivier. The M137 (Okavango Road) connects to Durbanville and Kraaifontein.
The Bracken Nature Reserve, situated in the Ruwari suburban area, was once a quarry site and was later declared a nature reserve after some negotiations between the Cape Town City Council and the Stellenbosch Divisional Council.
Brackenfell was a municipality from 1970 to 1996. In November 1971, the council registered a coat of arms at the Bureau of Heraldry. [19]
The arms, designed by Cornelis Pama, were Per chevron embowed Or and Vert, three shot balls counterchanged, i.e. a shield divided by a curved chevron-shaped line into gold and green, with two green balls at the top and a golden ball at the bottom. The crest was three ferns with the motto Tenax in fide.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the country's second-largest city, after Johannesburg, and the largest in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Stellenbosch is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated about 50 kilometres east of Cape Town, along the banks of the Eerste River at the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountain. The town became known as the City of Oaks or Eikestad in Afrikaans and Dutch due to the large number of oak trees that were planted by its founder, Simon van der Stel, to grace the streets and homesteads.
Bellville is a town and former independent city that is now incorporated into the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The town is an industrial and commercial node, a university town, and a major transportation hub within the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area.
.
The R302 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Bellville with Malmesbury. It covers a distance of 54 kilometres (34 mi) in a north-south direction.
Somerset West is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone . The vehicle registration code for Somerset West is CFM and the post code is 7130 for street addresses, and 7129 for post office boxes.
Kuils River is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa, 25 km east of Cape Town and 20 km west of Stellenbosch at the gateway of the Cape Winelands. It is also the name of the main tributary of the Eerste River, and forms part of the Eastern Suburbs zone of the City of Cape Town.
Kraaifontein is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa and is located on the north-eastern outskirts of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality.
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Durbanville, previously called Pampoenkraal, is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. It is a semi-rural residential suburb on the north-eastern outskirts of the metropolis surrounded by farms producing wine and wheat.
Metrorail Western Cape is a network of commuter and suburban rail services in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality and in the surrounding towns of Malmesbury, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Wellington in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The Northern Line is a commuter rail service in South Africa that in the Cape Town metropolitan area and its surroundings and is operated by Metrorail Western Cape. Northern Line services operate from central Cape Town to Bellville, and then from Bellville along three different routes. The first route runs along the main Cape Town–De Aar railway line to Paarl and Wellington. The second route passes through Stellenbosch to terminate at Muldersvlei station on the main line, while the third also passes through Somerset West to terminate in Strand.
The R101 is a Regional Route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N1, prior to upgrading. It only has 2 sections, from Bellville to Worcester and from Johannesburg to Polokwane.
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Stellenberg is a suburb in Bellville, Western Cape South Africa.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cape Town:
The Northern Suburbs is a major urban and rural region located in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the urban north-eastern part of the Greater Cape Town metropolitan area that is functionally merged with Cape Town.
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