Villiersdorp

Villiersdorp

View of Villersdorp from the surrounding mountains
Villiersdorp

 Villiersdorp shown within Western Cape

Coordinates: 33°59′S 19°17′E / 33.983°S 19.283°E / -33.983; 19.283Coordinates: 33°59′S 19°17′E / 33.983°S 19.283°E / -33.983; 19.283
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Overberg
Municipality Theewaterskloof
Established 1841[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 2.89 km2 (1.12 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 10,004
 • Density 3,500/km2 (9,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 40.3%
 • Coloured 44.7%
 • Indian/Asian 0.2%
 • White 12.5%
 • Other 2.3%
First languages (2011)[2]
 • Afrikaans 56.5%
 • Xhosa 24.6%
 • Sotho 12.8%
 • English 3.4%
 • Other 2.7%
Postal code (street) 6848
PO box 6848
Area code 028

Villiersdorp is a town of approximately 10,000 people located in the Western Cape province of South Africa in the Overberg region.

Unlike most of the geographical region which specialises in wheat and canola farming, the Villiersdorp Valley is now agriculturally and micro-climatatically more similar to the Elgin Valley and Grabouw since the building of the Theewaterskloof Dam, and thus also specialises in deciduous fruit farming and viticulture. The Theewaterskloof Dam, the largest dam in the Western Cape and 7th largest in South Africa and important water supply to Cape Town fills the majority of the valley floor. The Villiersdorp Co-Op is also the only place in South Africa that processes and dries persimmons. The 3 big packsheds in Villiersdorp, Betko, Arbeidsvreugd and Ideafruit, as well as the Villiersdorp Co-Op process the fruit grown in the area for export and transport to other parts of South Africa. The town is named after Field Cornet Pieter de Villiers, a local farmer who founded the settlement in 1843.

Notable people

David Graaff and his bother Jacobus Graaff presenting a £100,000 donation to the De Villiers Graaff High School in 1907. David Graaff is making a speech, Jacobus Graaff is sitting to the right and Jan Smuts is seated in the extreme right.

References

  1. ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Villiersdorp". Census 2011.
  3. ↑ Measuring Worth, Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount - average earnings, retrieved on the 26 June 2010
  4. ↑ EX, Universal Currency Converter, retrieved on the 26 June 2010

External links

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