 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Winburg" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Winburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Winburg  Winburg | |
| Coordinates:28°31′00″S27°00′36″E / 28.51667°S 27.01000°E /-28.51667; 27.01000 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Lejweleputswa |
| Municipality | Masilonyana |
| Established | 1835[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 63.5 km2 (24.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,430 m (4,690 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 1,373 |
| • Density | 21.6/km2 (56.0/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 41.0% |
| • Coloured | 3.0% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.0% |
| • White | 52.8% |
| • Other | 2.2% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 68.9% |
| • Sotho | 15.8% |
| • English | 8.0% |
| • Xhosa | 2.3% |
| • Other | 5.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 9420 |
| PO box | 9420 |
| Area code | +27 (0)51 |
Winburg is a small mixed farming town in theFree State province of South Africa.
It is the oldest proclaimed town (1837) in theOrange Free State, South Africa and along withGriekwastad, is one of the oldest settlements in South Africa located north of theOrange River.
It is situated where theN1 national highway (which goes north toJohannesburg and south toBloemfontein andCape Town) meets theN5 national route (which goes east toQwa Qwa &Harrismith). The nearest city, Bloemfontein, is 120 km to the south.
A small group of 11Voortrekker settlers, led byAndries Hendrik Potgieter, first arrived in the area of Winburg in1835.
They were able to buy access to the land between theVaal and Vet rivers – virtually the entire northern part of what is now the Free State – from the localBataung Chief,Makwana,[1] in 1836, by promising protection from rival tribes and offering 42 head of cattle.[3]
Within a year, more than 1,000 settler families had gathered in the region, making the need for an administrative and religious centre urgent. But the Voortrekker leaders disagreed over where to establish such a town. In 1841 a vote was held, with Andries Pretorius's group winning and electing to establish the town in its current position, on what was then the farm Waaifontein ("windy spring"), owned by Jacobus de Beer. Legend has it that the new town was namedWinburg ("victory town") to commemorate this, and holds that the site nominated by the losers is today still called Mompeling ("muttering"). Alternative explanations suggest the name commemorates the 1837 Voortrekker victory over the Ndebele.[4]
Prior to 1843 Winburg formed part of the Boer Republic of Natalia (Port Natal, Pietermaritzburg). Following the British annexation of Natal in 1843, Winburg became the first capital of the Voortrekker republic of the Orange Free State. Winburg was granted municipal status in 1872, by which time the capital had been moved to Bloemfontein.[4] Winburg continued, however, to act as a settlement and religious centre for the local settlers.
The town was originally selected as the site for the mainVoortrekker Monument, butPretoria won favour and a five-tiered secondary Voortrekker monument was built on the outskirts of Winburg instead in the 1950s. It carries the names of the Voortrekker leaders:Piet Uys,Andries Hendrik Potgieter,Andries Pretorius,Piet Retief andGerrit Maritz. The lengths of the five tiers are proportional to the distances travelled by the respective settler groups. The monument is built near the site of the birth-house ofMartinus Theunis Steyn, who was president of theBoer Republic of theOrange Free State.[5]
During theSecond Boer War, the British established aconcentration camp in Winburg forAfrikaner civilians, primarily women and children, who were captured in theBoer republics by British forces as part of ascorched earth campaign. 132 adults and 355 children died in the camp during the war due to a combination ofmalnutrition andinfectious disease, exacerbated by the fact that they were kept in tents which did not offer protection from winter conditions.[6] Blacks were also housed at a nearby camp which was called "Balla Bosiu", meaning where they cry at night.
Koos de la Rey, a famous commander of theBoer commandos, was born near Winburg on a farm calledDoornfontein. De la Rey served as a general of the Boer commandos in theWestern Transvaal against British forces in the region from 1899 to 1901.[7] A Black military unit which fought on the side of the British was also raised in Winburg during the war.
The first shots of theMaritz Rebellion in 1914, against the government's involvement inSouth West Africa, were fired in the district of Winburg.[citation needed]
The first President of the Republic of South Africa, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, wasCharles Robberts Swart, who was born and went to school in Winburg.
Thewhite community of Winburg is famous for the differences in political heritage. The town was divided into two camps, due to their support to either theSouth African Party of GeneralJan Smuts, or theNational Party of DrDaniel François Malan. This led to the division of theDutch Reformed Church into two separate congregations,Klip Kerk (Stone Church, because it was built from sandstone) and which was the original church for theDutch Reformed Church andRietfontein Kerk. Bitter feuds were fought between supporters of the two parties. The Klipkerk supporters demolished the Rietfontein Church project several times.[citation needed]
In later years this division was almost erased. The National Party's support and later abdication to theAfrican National Congress, led to a new division in the community. Old feuds were re-ignited and with the town divided along religious lines again, a new church, the Afrikaans Protestant Church, was formed.[citation needed]
The communities in Winburg, as in most South African towns, still lead segregated lives, a remnant ofapartheid days. Social interaction between different population groups is being encouraged by an official integration policy of the African National Congress government. However this has led to the deteriorations of many facilities in Winburg, of which the previous prestigious school and orphanage, are two examples.[citation needed]
Places adjacent to Winburg | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofLejweleputswa District Municipality,Free State | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Welkom | ||
| Masilonyana | .svg) | |
| Tokologo | ||
| Tswelopele | ||
| Matjhabeng | ||
| Nala | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
