Delmas is a small maize farming town situated east of Johannesburg in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town is located some 19 km north-east of Springs and 73 km south-east of Pretoria.
Delmas | |
|---|---|
  Delmas  Delmas  Delmas | |
| Coordinates: 26°09′S 28°41′E / 26.150°S 28.683°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Mpumalanga |
| District | Nkangala |
| Municipality | Victor Khanye |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.74 km2 (3.37 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,399 |
| • Density | 850/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 40.2% |
| • Coloured | 1.6% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.0% |
| • White | 56.0% |
| • Other | 1.2% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 56.9% |
| • Zulu | 16.2% |
| • S. Ndebele | 8.5% |
| • English | 7.2% |
| • Other | 11.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 2210 |
| PO box | 2210 |
| Area code | 013 |
| Website | http://delmas.co.za/ |
History
editThe town was laid out in 1907 on the farm Witklip (Afrikaans for White Stone) and has been administered by a town council since 1965. The name was given by the Frenchman Frank Campbell Dumat, former owner of Witklip, after his grandfather's farm in France.[2]: 134 He originally laid out the town with 192 residential stands, 48 4 ha small holdings and 138 ha of commonage but by 1909 the governments added a further 5,500 ha to the town.[3]: 303 This would be divided into 85 small holdings of around 64 ha.[3]: 303
Geography
editCommunities
editBothibelong is a township 3 km north of Delmas. The name is derived from Sotho and means 'protection'.[2]: 90 A newer location is named Botleng, which means 'place of beauty' in Sotho.
Economy
editAgriculture
editThe farms in the region produce maize, wheat, potatoes and chickens. AFGRI runs a chicken abattoir in the town.[3]: 303
Sports
editGolf
editThe Delmas Golf Club is a nine-hole golf course that opened in 1960.
Motorsports
editRed Star Raceway is located approximately 15 km (9.2 mi) outside of Delmas, to the North East of the town centre. Opened in 2010, the 4 km (2.4 mi) long circuit was initially designed to house motorcycles but later opened the facilities to cars. Originally developed by the owner, Jaques van Wyngaardt, in conjunction with Andy Farmer and Kevin Owen,[4] the circuit can be run either clockwise or anticlockwise and features a shorter, "Club" circuit, bypassing several of the long circuit's corners. The facility offers a skid pan, recreational facilities as well as overnight accommodation, conference halls and ablution facilities.
In 2022, construction started on a new filling station and convenience store to service both visitors to the track and travellers on the N12 freeway.
Infrastructure
editTransportation
editDelmas is an important railway junction on the Springs to eMalahleni rail-line, a line that connects to the Port of Richards Bay.
Roads
editThe town is connected by two main roads, the R555 and the R50. The R50 north connects the town to the N12 freeway junction which links Johannesburg to Witbank while the road continues north to Pretoria. The R50 south connects the town to Standerton.
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Main Place Delmas". Census 2011.
- ^ a b Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Human Science Research Council. p. 134.
- ^ a b c Erasmus, B.P.J. (2014). On Route in South Africa: Explore South Africa region by region. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 401. ISBN 9781920289805.
- ^ "Red Star Raceway". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
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