Bethal | |
|---|---|
  Bethal  Bethal | |
| Coordinates:26°27′S29°27′E / 26.450°S 29.450°E /-26.450; 29.450 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Mpumalanga |
| District | Gert Sibande |
| Municipality | Govan Mbeki |
| Established | 1898[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 51.94 km2 (20.05 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,660 m (5,450 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 60,779 |
| • Density | 1,170/km2 (3,031/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 84.7% |
| • Coloured | 0.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.8% |
| • White | 13.2% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 66.7% |
| • Afrikaans | 13.1% |
| • S. Ndebele | 6.8% |
| • English | 3.5% |
| • Other | 10.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 2310 |
| PO box | 2310 |
| Area code | 017 647 |
Bethal (/bɛθʌl/) is a farming town inMpumalanga,South Africa. The farms in the region producemaize,sunflower seeds,sorghum,rye andpotatoes. The town lies 155 km (96 mi) east ofJohannesburg on theN17 national route.
The town originated on an old farm calledBlesbokspruit.[3]: 302 The town, established in on 12 October 1880,[4] was named after the combined names of the wives of the owners of the farm, Elizabeth du Plooy andAlida Naude.[3]: 302 It became a municipality in 1921.[3]: 302
Bethal is famous for its potato industry,[3]: 302 and the annual National Potato Festival was held there in early May, but discontinued in 2007. Other agriculture includesmaize,sunflower seeds,sorghum,rye,oats andbarley. Animal husbandry includes cattle, dairy and sheep farming.[3]: 302 Bethal was once the headquarters ofAFGRI, an agricultural conglomerate, now based inCenturion but its flour mill remains in the town.[3]: 302
Bethal also previously had aNestlé manufacturing facility, which has closed down in the mid-2000's.[5]
Bethal lies in South Africa'scoal mining region and there are mines close by.Exxaro acquired the Total Coal South Africa in 2014 and has five mines in the area.[3]: 302 Apart from exports, the coal is used in theEskom power stations that dot the region.
TheOlifants River has its origin near Bethal.[6] The river eventually flows into theLimpopo River inMozambique.
| Climate data for Bethal, elevation 1,663 m (5,456 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.5 (99.5) | 34.4 (93.9) | 33.3 (91.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.6 (76.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.6 (90.7) | 34.8 (94.6) | 37.5 (99.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.9 (78.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 20.3 (68.5) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.7 (69.3) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.4 (77.7) | 23.0 (73.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.6 (67.3) | 18.3 (64.9) | 15.4 (59.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 8.7 (47.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 16.0 (60.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.1 (64.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 15.4 (59.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 11.8 (53.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 3.1 (37.6) | −0.1 (31.8) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.7 (36.9) | 7.6 (45.7) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.0 (55.4) | 7.8 (46.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 0.5 (32.9) | −1.4 (29.5) | −5.9 (21.4) | −9.2 (15.4) | −10.6 (12.9) | −12.5 (9.5) | −5.6 (21.9) | −1.2 (29.8) | 1.0 (33.8) | 1.7 (35.1) | −12.5 (9.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 113.3 (4.46) | 109.6 (4.31) | 102.7 (4.04) | 43.1 (1.70) | 17.2 (0.68) | 3.7 (0.15) | 3.1 (0.12) | 7.3 (0.29) | 26.2 (1.03) | 85.1 (3.35) | 118.4 (4.66) | 143.3 (5.64) | 773 (30.43) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 15 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 90 |
| Source 1: South African Weather Service (precipitation days)[7]Starlings Roost Weather[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[9] | |||||||||||||
Bethal lies in theGovan Mbeki Local Municipality (formerly Highveld East Local Municipality) situated in theGert Sibande District, of Mpumalanga.
Bethal is the crossroads of three main roads. TheR38 leads out north-east toCarolina and south-west toStanderton. TheR35 leads north toMiddleburg 80 km (50 mi) away while the R35 connects south toAmersfoort 80 km away. TheN17 connects westwards to Johannesburg and eastwards toErmelo andEswatini.
Municipalities and communities ofGert Sibande District Municipality,Mpumalanga | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Ermelo | ||
| Govan Mbeki | .svg) | |
| Albert Luthuli | ||
| Mkhondo | ||
| Msukaligwa | ||
| Lekwa | ||
| Pixley ka Seme | ||
| Dipaleseng | ||
Authority control databases: National |
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