Grootvlei

Grootvlei
Grootvlei  Grootvlei shown within Mpumalanga
Coordinates: 26°47′28″S 28°30′54″E / 26.791°S 28.515°ECoordinates: 26°47′28″S 28°30′54″E / 26.791°S 28.515°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Mpumalanga
District	Gert Sibande
Municipality	Dipaleseng
Area[1]
• Total	10.31 km^2 (3.98 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	5,415
• Density	530/km^2 (1,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
• Black African	76.9%
• Coloured	1.0%
• Indian/Asian	0.7%
• White	21.2%
• Other	0.2%
First languages (2011)[1]
• Sotho	41.5%
• Zulu	24.0%
• Afrikaans	20.9%
• Xhosa	4.2%
• Other	9.5%
Postal code (street)	2420
PO box	n/a

Grootvlei is a town in Dipaleseng Local Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. An old mining town, Grootvlei is located on the N3 road, 5 km from Grootvlei Power Station.^[2]

The community had a booming economy in the 1970s and 1980s, when demand for coal from the power station created many jobs in the mining sector, but when the power plant was mothballed in the late 1980s due to overproduction of electricity, the local economy collapsed and Grootvlei became a virtual ghost town. The power plant was recommissioned in 2008, leading to a new period of growth.^[3]

References

1. "Main Place Grootvlei". Census 2011.
2. "Towns included in the Grasslands Meander". Grasslands Meander. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
3. "Lights on at Grootvlei after two dark decades". IOL News. Retrieved 29 August 2014.