Vereeniging, Gauteng

Vereeniging is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa, with a population of more than 350,000. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly situated in the Transvaal province. The name "Vereeniging" is derived from the Afrikaans/Dutch word meaning "association" or "union".

Geographical Information

* Vereeniging is situated in the Southern part of Gauteng Province, and neighbors Vanderbijlpark (West), Three Rivers (East), Meyerton (North) and Sasolburg (South).
* The predominant language in Vereeniging is Afrikaans, which is followed up closely by English and Sesotho.

History

The city was founded in 1892 and is situated on the banks of the northern loop of the Vaal River. Much of its early growth was due to the nearby coal mines.

The city is well known for being the location where the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the Second Boer War (1899-1902) was negotiated. During this conflict, a concentration camp was set up by the British military in the area.

Nearby Vereeniging is the predominantly black community of Sharpeville, Gauteng, the site of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.

The present : Trade and Industry

* The city is currently one of the most important industrial manufacturing centres in South Africa, with its chief products being iron, steel, pipes, bricks, tiles and processed lime. Several coal mines are also still situated in the area, with reserves being estimated at 4 billion tons. Other mines nearby extract fire-clay, silica and building stone.
* Vereeniging also has several Eskom thermal power plants that supply electricity to the nearby goldmines.
* Vereeniging has been mentioned jokingly as the town in South Africa which has the most vehicle dealerships per square metre.

The present : Suburbs and Municipality

Vereeniging consists of 13 suburbs, namely Duncanville, Risiville, Peacehaven, Arcon Park, Unitas Park, Vischgat, Sonland Park, Steel Park, Homer, Roodt's Gardens, Three Rivers, Sharpeville and Leeuhof.

Since 1999, Vereeniging has been part of the Emfuleni Local Municipality, along with Vanderbijlpark and the smaller Three Rivers.

Education

* Primary (Grades 0 - 7) schools in Vereeniging include Milton Primary, Suikerbos Primary, Handhawer Primary, Sonland Park Primary, Unitas Park Primary, Selborne Primary, Arcon Park Primary, Unitas Park Primary, Three Rivers Primary and Vryheidsmonument Primary, Risiville Primary School.
* Secondary (Grades 8 - 12) schools in Vereeniging include Vereeniging High, Three Rivers High, Vereeniging Technical High, and Overvaal High, Riverside High and General Smuts High.
* Tertiary institutions include a campus of the University of South Africa, Damelin College and Sedibeng College. It is also close to the University of the North West's Vaal Campus, and the Vaal University of Technology in Vanderbijlpark.

Interesting facts

* F.W. de Klerk was first elected to the South African parliament in 1969 as the member for Vereeniging.
* Bles Bridges, a well known Afrikaans country singer, also stayed in Vereeniging, until his death in 2000.
* Although named after Vereeniging, the Treaty of Vereeniging was actually signed at Melrose House, Pretoria.
* General Smuts High School, one of the English language schools found in Vereeniging, was named after the famous General Smuts of the League of Nations fame.
* It is said that Mohandas K Gandhi was briefly incarcerated in the old town jail, the ruins of which were visible in the grounds of Handhawer Primary School.

Crime in Vereeniging

* The latest crime report for Vereeniging, published in July 2008 by the South African Police Service (SAPS), [http://www.saps.gov.za] indicates a steady decrease in property crimes over the past seven years.
* Vereeniging has been a major centre for the theft of motor vehicles, theft out of motor vehicle, burglary at business and burglary at residence.
* The decrease in these types of crime can be attributed to effective community safety projects implemented in various neighbourhoods in Vereeniging.

References

External links

* [http://www.emfuleni.gov.za Emfuleni Municipality]
* [http://www.vaaltriangleinfo.co.za Vaal Triangle Info]
* [http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2008/_provinces/gauteng/pdf/vereeniging.pdf Crime Report Vereeniging 2008]
* [http://www.saferplaces.org/gauteng.html Saferplaces Directory]