Brakpan

26°14′07″S 28°22′12″E / 26.23528°S 28.37000°E / -26.23528; 28.37000CountrySouth AfricaProvinceGautengMunicipalityEkurhuleniArea • Total182.81 km² (70.58 sq mi)Elevation1,631 m (5,351 ft)Population • Total73,080 • Density400/km² (1,000/sq mi)Racial makeup (2011) • Black African39.7% • Coloured2.5% • Indian/Asian4.1% • White53.3% • Other0.4%First languages (2011) • Afrikaans47.2% • English16.5% • Zulu14.3% • Sotho4.8% • Other17.2%Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)Postal code (street)PO boxArea code011Websitehttp://www.brakpan-online.co.za/

Brakpan is a mining town on the East Rand of Gauteng, South Africa, approximately 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) east of Johannesburg.

History

The name Brakpan comes from a small pan on a farm called Weltevreden, which was filled with very brackish water and was probably referred to as the "brakpan," and it was near this pan that the first settlement started.^[2]: 286 In 1888, a coal seam was discovered and a coal mine under the name of Brakpan Collieries was started. When a railway line was constructed from Germiston to Springs, Brakpan became one of the stations along the route.

With gold fever running high on the Witwatersrand in the early years of the twentieth century, it was not long before gold was discovered. In 1905, Brakpan Mines Company sunk its first two gold mining shafts. One of its claims to fame was that it had the highest mine dump in the world at that time, 120 metres (390 ft) above ground level. This was higher than any of the pyramids of Egypt except the Pyramid of Cheops.^[3]

From 1905 the village began to grow rapidly, remaining a suburb of Benoni until 1912 when it was granted the status of a municipality and proclaimed as a town. Brakpan's central position makes it a good distribution centre for industry, especially engineering works and foundries. In the late 1990s the municipality approved the construction of a huge casino and entertainment complex, Carnival City,^[4] which opened the town to tourists and provided much-needed jobs for the people.

The first activity which drew people to the area was the British coal mining in 1888 and the large coal powered power station also built by the British. A tram line to Johannesburg was built at this time to service the power station.

The Main Reef Road (today part of the R29) linked Brakpan to all the other mining towns in the Witwatersrand. Brakpan was a suburb of Benoni from 1914–1919, when it was granted municipal status.^[2]: 286 The Brakpan miners were involved in the miners' strike of 1922. The town has gradually lost its importance as a gold mining area as the surrounding mines suffered from low yield over high cost. Many British residents emigrated during the apartheid era leaving a vacuum in the town which was filled by mostly Afrikaner farmers who had lost interest in farming.

Situated between Springs and Benoni, it forms part of the Ekurhuleni Metro.

Brakpan is often used in memes in South African online communities, often depicted in a way similar to Southern US locations in US centric memes.^[5]

Transport

Brakpan is mainly located along the N17 highway leading eastwards from Boksburg and Johannesburg to Springs and Secunda (102 km). In passing through Brakpan, the N17 gives access to the town via the exits at Heidelberg Road, Denne Road and Ergo Road.

Running parallel to the N17, the R554 (Elsburg Road; Springs Road) leads south-westwards to Alberton – 34 km and eastwards to Springs. The R23 (Heidelberg Road) skirts Brakpan to the west, leading northwards to Benoni and southwards to Heidelberg – 35 km.

The M45 (Prince George Avenue) leads north-westwards to Benoni and southwards to KwaThema. The M46 leads westwards from Brakpan to Boksburg and eastwards to Springs. In passing through Brakpan, the M46 holds several names such as Airport Road, Athlone Avenue, Voortrekker Road, Prince George Avenue and Olympia Road. Voortrekker Road is the main street through the Brakpan CBD.

References