Bothaville

Bothaville

Bothaville Church
Bothaville
Bothaville
Bothaville

 Bothaville shown within Free State

Coordinates: 27°23′S 26°37′E / 27.383°S 26.617°E / -27.383; 26.617Coordinates: 27°23′S 26°37′E / 27.383°S 26.617°E / -27.383; 26.617
Country South Africa
Province Free State
District Lejweleputswa
Municipality Nala
Established 1889[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 43.0 km2 (16.6 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 46,030
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 93.8%
 • Coloured 0.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.2%
 • White 5.1%
 • Other 0.3%
First languages (2011)[2]
 • Sotho 72.9%
 • Xhosa 9.1%
 • Afrikaans 6.5%
 • Tswana 3.9%
 • Other 7.7%
Postal code (street) 9660
PO box 9660
Area code 056

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.[2]

History

A 'church town', Botharnia, was established in 1891 on a portion of Gladdedrift farm, by Voortrekker JP van Wyk who left Pretoria after religious persecution. The town was renamed Bothaville in 1893, after Theunis Louis Botha, the original owner of the farm.[3]

The Battle of Doornkraal took place some distance south of town on 6 November 1900. Doornkraal Monument is a granite memorial built in honour of Boers who died here in the surprise attack by British soldiers. Some of the Boer soldiers were buried in a communal grave.

The town received municipal status in 1914. It was recently amalgamated into the Nala Local Municipality, along with Wesselsbron and a part of the Vetvaal rural council.[4]

Agriculture

Bothaville lies in the centre of the maize triangle, thus surrounded by vast maizelands, some irrigated from the Vals and Vaal Rivers. Other agricultural activities are sheep, sunflower, wheat and peanuts.

The NAMPO agricultural trade show, known as "Nampo Harvest Day" or "Nampo Oesdag", has been held annually at Bothaville since 1974. Described as one of the largest in the world, it attracted some 70,000 visitors in recent years.[5] It is held in the middle week of May at Nampo Park just north of town. The show, organised by Grain South Africa (GSA), features a large variety of agricultural machinery and livestock.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sum of the Main Places Bothaville and Kgotsong from Census 2011.
  3. ↑ Raper, P.E. (2004), South African Place Names, Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town, p. 36, ISBN 1-86842-190-2
  4. ↑ Nala, Nala Municipality, retrieved 2009-01-15
  5. ↑ Grain South Africa, NAMPO Harvest Day Fact Sheet, retrieved 2012-05-20
  6. ↑ Grain South Africa, NAMPO Harvest Day, retrieved 2012-05-20

External links

 Klerksdorp
          Viljoenskroon		 Vredefort
Wolmaransstad Kroonstad
   Bothaville  
Hoopstad Odendaalsrus
Welkom
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