Delportshoop | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 28°25′00″S24°18′00″E / 28.416667°S 24.3°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Northern Cape |
District | Frances Baard |
Municipality | Dikgatlong |
Established | 1871 |
Area | |
• Total | 67.8 km2 (26.2 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 10,346 |
• Density | 150/km2 (400/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 30.9% |
• Coloured | 33.4% |
• Indian/Asian | 1.0% |
• White | 2.9% |
• Other | 31.9% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Tswana | 49.4% |
• Afrikaans | 43.0% |
• English | 1.9% |
• Zulu | 1.2% |
• Other | 4.6% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 8377 |
PO box | 8377 |
Area code | 053 |
Delportshoop is a town in Frances Baard District Municipality in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It lies next to the Vaal River. The Harts River runs by closely.
It developed from a diamond-diggers’ camp. The public diggings were proclaimed in November 1871, a village management board was instituted in 1931, and municipal status attained in 1970. [2]
Delportshoop was originally called “Thomas Hope”, but later the name was changed to “Delport’s Hope” . The first Prosecutor was P.J. Marais. He farmed on Langberg in the region. Marais were told a story that the first diamond was find by a young man whose surname was Delport. The diamond diggers then changed it to Delport’s Hope. Later the ‘’Hope’’, became ‘’Hoop’’. [3]
• Delportshoop Primary School [4]
• Dikgatlong Secondary School [5]
• Francis Mohapanele Primary School [6]
• Delportshoop High School [7] Children from Ulco, the mining community nearby attend this school
The Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme is a very large water irrigation scheme. This is run out of Delportshoop.
Two Tswana names for Delportshoop are encountered, namely Tsineng, also spelt Tsining, Tsening, Tsenin and Tsoneng, and Dikgathlong, also spelt Dekhath-long, Dekatlong, Dekgathlong, Dikgatlhong, Makgatlhanong, Likatlong and Likhat-lhong. The latter name means ‘meeting-place’, referring to the confluence of the Vaal and Harts rivers there. Other commonly used Setswana names are Motse Moshate and Shate. [2]