Villiers | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 27°02′S28°36′E / 27.033°S 28.600°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Free State |
District | Fezile Dabi |
Municipality | Mafube |
Established | 1891 [1] |
Area | |
• Total | 9.3 km2 (3.6 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [2] | |
• Total | 17,315 |
• Density | 1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 94.0% |
• Coloured | 0.3% |
• Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
• White | 5.1% |
• Other | 0.2% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Sotho | 66.7% |
• Zulu | 19.6% |
• Afrikaans | 6.2% |
• Xhosa | 2.2% |
• Other | 5.4% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 9840 |
PO box | 9840 |
Area code | 058 |
Villiers is a small town situated on the banks of the Vaal River next to the N3 highway in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded in 1882 on the two farms Pearson Valley and Grootdraai owned by Lourens de Villiers.
The town is located in the north-eastern Free State, in the eastern half of South Africa. It actually lies at the border of the province of Mpumalanga, with the Vaal River forming the border. Nearby towns include (and their distance in km):
Villiers is also located roughly 150 km from Pretoria (South Africa's de facto capital city), and approximately 70 km from the city of Vereeniging.
The town of Villiers is named after Lourens de Villiers on whose farms the town was first built. The town was established at the Vaal River crossing on the very important transport route between Durban and Johannesburg. De Villiers started with the subdivision of his farms into erven in 1882 and the town was proclaimed by State President F.W. Reitz on 29 May 1891.
In these early days the Vaal River was the important boundary between the then Orange Free State and the then Transvaal Republic. Both Governments erected toll houses on the banks of the Vaal River at the Villiers wagon crossing points, at the site of the current steel bridge. These toll houses remained in force until the creation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910.
In the early days during typical Highveld thunderstorms and in the rainy season there were sometimes up to 300 wagons waiting to cross the Vaal river at the Villiers crossing.
The postal service also used this route from Harrismith, Dundas, to Villiers, Malanskraal, Heidelberg and then to the goldfields of the Witwatersrand. The Van der Berg park was used by the postal service to get “fresh” horses for their wagons. This park was also later used as a marketplace.
Villiers is steeped in history with buildings and structures dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. There are some prime restored examples of Eastern Free-state sandstone architecture and a beautiful church at the centre of town with high pitched slate roof. The town is part of Mafube Local Municipality.
The Province of the Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.
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.
The N1 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Polokwane to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe. It forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road.
The Netherlands–South African Railway Company or NZASM was a railway company established in 1887. The company was based in Amsterdam and Pretoria, and operated in the South African Republic (ZAR) during the late 19th century. At the request of ZAR president Paul Kruger, the NZASM constructed a railway line between Pretoria and Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa.
Clarens is a small town situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Free State province of South Africa and nicknamed the "Jewel of the Eastern Free State". It was established in 1912 and named after the town of Clarens in Switzerland where exiled Paul Kruger spent his last days. It is situated 336 km from Johannesburg, 284 km from Bloemfontein, 389 km from Durban.
Bothaville is a maize farming town situated near the Vaal River in the Lejweleputswa DM of the Free State province, South Africa. It is situated 60 km east of the Vaal, on the bank of its Vals River tributary. Bothaville and the adjacent Kgotsong township have a total of approximately 46,000 residents.
Parys, resort town, northern Free State province, South Africa. It is situated on the southern bank of the Vaal River. The name of the city is the Afrikaans translation of Paris. The origin of the name 'Parys' is attributed to German surveyor Schilbach, who named it after the city of Paris because of the similarity between its location next to the Vaal River and that of Paris on the River Seine. The area of Parys also includes the two townships of Tumahole and Schonkenville.
Standerton is a large commercial and agricultural town lying on the banks of the Vaal River in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. The town was established in 1876 and named after Boer leader Commandant A. H. Stander. During the First Boer War a British garrison in the town was besieged by the Boers for three months. General Jan Smuts won this seat during elections and went on to assist in setting up the League of Nations. Standerton is the seat of the Lekwa Local Municipality.
Christiana is an agricultural town of about 3,000 inhabitants on the banks of the Vaal River in North West province, South Africa. The town is located on the N12 national route between Bloemhof and Warrenton, on the way to Kimberley. It is the administrative centre and seat of Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality.
The R23 is a provincial route in South Africa that links Benoni with Volksrust via Brakpan, Heidelberg and Standerton.
The R26 is a provincial route in Free State, South Africa that connects Rouxville with Villiers via Zastron, Wepener, Ladybrand, Ficksburg, Bethlehem & Reitz.
The R42 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Vanderbijlpark with Bronkhorstspruit via Vereeniging, Heidelberg, Nigel and Delmas.
The R51 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Bapsfontein with the N3 north of Villiers, via Springs, Nigel and Balfour.
The R54 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Potchefstroom with Villiers via Vereeniging.
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.
Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.
The N12 is a national route in South Africa which runs from George through Beaufort West, Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Johannesburg to eMalahleni.
Marthinus Theunis Steyn 'Theuns' Stofberg was a South African rugby union player who was captain of the national team for four tests between 1980 and 1984. He is remembered for his speed and his size, both remarkable for a flank at that time.
The R546 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Kinross with Vrede via Evander and Standerton.