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37-477: Late Iron Age cattle posts belonging to the Letsibogo ceramic facies have been found in the area. Some rock engravings at Nelsonkop have been recorded. The name Ellisras originates from a combination of the surnames of Patric Ellis and Piet Erasmus who settled in the 1930s on the farm Waterkloof 502LQ. Since the opening of the main route between Vaalwater and Stockpoort during 1929 a railway bus stop developed on

74-508: A game auction, horse jumping, dog shows, agricultural activities, a three-day 4x4 competition, a game farms expo, hunting opportunities, bird and tree identification competitions, traditional food, live music, a beer tent and huge camp fires. This river and its tributaries rise in the western part of the Waterberg (between 1200 and 1600 metres above mean sea level). It originates in a flattish, open area with numerous koppies and flows through

111-730: A large community of baboon spiders existed in the area. As these long lived species, golden-brown and burst-horned baboon spiders are protected under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 175 individuals along the Nelson Mandela Road and another 376 along the Kuipersbult Road, were captured. An 800 ha portion in the south of the Manketti Game Reserve , some 5–10 km from

148-660: A linear form along the R517 road, and also along the main road that leads to Stockpoort. The Lephalale-Stockpoort road is the main connection road between the Marapong community and Lephalale/Onverwacht. Lephalale is situated between 23°30' and 24°00' south latitude and 27°30' and 28°00' east longitude and the town is positioned west of the Mokolo river , a tributary to the Limpopo river, 820 meters above sea level. In Lephalale,

185-718: A major economic activity, whilst cattle farming is declining to make way for game farming. Public transport in Lephalale is provided by a number of taxi operators and two bus companies, Lowveld Bus Services and Phadziri Brothers . Lowveld Bus Services provides local and long distance services between Lephalale and surrounding villages. In addition it has a contract to provide services for the transportation of labourers to Grootegeluk and Matimba. Phadziri bus service also provides some services to Eskom. The major economic activities of around town includes: The Bushveld Festival takes place in early July. The festival includes cattle shows,

222-585: A post office, and doctors. In 2006, Vaalwater was officially renamed Mabatlane , but reverted to Vaalwater in 2007 after it became evident that the proper renaming procedures had not been followed. Thabazimbi Thabazimbi is an iron mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa . The town is at the feet of the Ysterberg and is surrounded by the Witfonteinrand and Boshofberg with

259-641: A relatively small part of the Waterberg coalfield is shallow enough to be accessed by open pit mining. The Eenzaamheid fault and the Daarby fault divide the Waterberg coalfield into open pit mineable and underground mineable resources. Grootegeluk is located in the narrow band between these faults. South of the Eenzaamheid fault and in between the Daarby fault and the Zoetfontien fault, in the north, coal

296-766: A steep gorge emerging above the town of Vaalwater. Here the river flows through a relatively flat area until it enters the Mokolo Dam. From there, it flows through another gorge before entering the Limpopo Plain, near the junction with the Rietspruit. From this point, the Mokolo River flows through flat sandy areas until it reaches the Limpopo River. Fish species found in the Mokolo include: The area

333-526: A variety of craft, art, and gift shops, as well as cafes and restaurants. Vaalwater is also home to some of the most magnificent game farms and eco-tourism in the country. Many of the game farms host the Big Five, and nature-lovers will find the mountains, bush and wildlife worth the visit. Vaalwater has a number of commercial services not common for kilometres around, especially on roads leading to Botswana. These include banking, groceries, petrol and diesel,

370-536: Is dominated by mining, electricity production, tourism, agriculture and game farming. Lephalale is rich with coal which is mined by Exxaro at the Grootegeluk coal mine . The Waterberg coalfield has an estimated resource of 75-billion tons of coal, which is 40% of South Africa's remaining coal resource. The coalfield's 75-billion tons are in 11 zones, which consist of bright coal with interbedded shale and dull coal, sandstone and carbonaceous shale. However, only

407-401: Is dominated by mixed bushveld and sour bushveld (sourveld). In the Limpopo Plain, arid sweet bushveld occurs while pockets of north-eastern mountain sourveld occur in higher lying areas to the south of the catchment. Situated 10 km from the town of Lephalale, this resort gets its name from the massive nyala tree that is characteristic of the area, and is also the southernmost habitat of

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444-512: Is found from 250 m below surface and deeper. The Grootegeluk coal mine is the largest open cast coal mine together with beneficiation plants of its kind in the world. It produces more than 17 million tonnes of coal product per year and the mine provides iron and ore industries with high grade metallurgical coal for iron and steel production. The low grade coal is supplied to Eskom's Matimba Power Station . Besides Exxaro , Anglo Coal , Sekoko Coal and Resgen mining houses also have operations in

481-578: Is not located on a national road, of which the nearest one is at Nylstroom/Modimolle . It does however lie halfway on a road stretching from Nylstroom/Modimolle to Ellisras/Lephalale (the R33 Route ). Nearby towns also include Hermanusdorings , Melkrivier , Palala and Naboomspruit . It lies at the southern edge of the rugged Waterberg Massif , which is a biosphere that contains considerable biodiversity , including numerous large mammals (e.g. Giraffe , White Rhino , Blue Wildebeest ). Waterberg

518-400: Is on the northern slopes of the Waterberg mountains and has the advantage of both sweet veld as well as sour veld. Mokolo Dam into which the Mokolo River flows, is fairly large and water enthusiasts, campers, anglers and birders all regard the reserve as a sanctuary, set as it is against the beautiful mountains. Mokolo Nature Reserve is true bush, offering open savannah and more dense bushveld to

555-479: Is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO . The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform . Vaalwater is a popular jumping-off point for travels to the Waterberg Massif and Botswana and is itself becoming a minor destination for tourism. There are

592-571: Is used for the generation of steam. It happened by a decision by Eskom to build the air-cooled Matimba Power Station in close vicinity of the Iscor coal mine. Construction of the power station commenced in April 1981 and the first phase became operational shortly thereafter. Matimba was officially opened on 17 November 1989. Full municipal status was granted to Ellisras on 1 July 1986 by means of Administrator's notice 35 of 1986. The D'nyala Nature Reserve

629-659: The African National Congress (ANC) met at D'nyala for two more bush conferences. It was after these meetings that the government and the ANC began formally working on the new constitution that would lead to South Africa's first democratic elections in April 1994. The name of Ellisras town was changed to Lephalale during 2002. The town is divided into three major extensions: The Lephalale Municipality (LM) area comprises two (2) urban nodes, namely Lephalale/Onverwacht and Marapong (Provincial Growth Point), as well as

666-577: The Glen Alpine Dam , which forms 11 km of the eastern boundary of Wonderkop Nature Reserve . It was proclaimed as a provincial nature reserve in June 1994. Environmental education is conducted in the areas adjacent to the reserve and the sustainable utilisation of natural resources is promoted from which the surrounding communities could benefit. A road upgrade project revealed in March 2012, that

703-429: The 1930s and full scale iron and steel production began. The town was proclaimed in 1953. Kumba Iron Ore, previously Kumba Resources , is now the principal operator of the iron ore mine. The Marakele National Park about 20 km north-east of the town and in the heart of Waterberg Mountains is characterised by contrasting mountain landscapes, hills and valleys, as well a variety of wildlife. Marakele National Park

740-565: The Hans Strijdom Dam) was constructed in 1979-1980 on the Mokolo River, near Lephalale. The Malmanie River and the Bulspruit River, two tributaries of the Mokolo, also enter the dam from its left side. The dam mainly serves municipal and industrial purposes. Since Iscor became part of Ellisras, Eskom also decided to extend its interest to Ellisras seeing that the steam coal produced is suitable for use in power stations and

777-560: The Lephahale area. Lephalale hosts two of South Africa's power stations: Agricultural and farming activities in Lephalale include: Cattle, goats and ostriches. Vegetables, cotton, tobacco, citrus, paprika, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, lucern, groundnuts, dry beans, wheat, maize, cut flowers and water melons. Lephalale is annually the first to produce water melons sold to the general market. Game (including rare species like roan, sable and buffalo) has in recent years become

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814-493: The animals that roam here. An area of the District Municipality was designated as a Waterberg Biosphere Reserve (Waterberg District Municipality, 2010). The biosphere reserve concept is aimed at achieving a balance between the pressures of the tourism industry, the need to generate direct benefits to local communities and conservation of the cultural and natural heritage assets. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve

851-665: The area by the plains, a few examples include tawny eagle , kori bustard , red-billed oxpecker , black stork , black-winged pratincole , white-backed vulture , Cape vulture , marabou stork , yellow-billed stork , martial eagle , secretarybird , bateleur , lappet-faced vulture , golden-breasted bunting , yellow-fronted canary , bushveld pipit , Cape longclaw , long-tailed paradise-whydah , violet-eared waxbill , African quailfinch , lesser masked-weaver , red-billed buffalo-weaver , capped wheatear , fiscal flycatcher , Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark , rufous-naped lark , arrow-marked babbler and orange-breasted bush-shrike . In

888-469: The area. There is one National road running through the area and three main Provincial roads serve the area, namely: These roads serve as links between Thabazimbi , Vaalwater , Ellisras and Mokopane . The P84/1 and 198/1 run mostly along the drainage subsystems in the area. These main roads are tarred and are in relatively good condition. The towns developed around the central business district in

925-472: The beginning of his presidency in 1989, former President F. W. de Klerk took his entire cabinet, plus a group of officials and advisors, to D'nyala for a two-day "bosberaad". This conference involved discussions about policy development and strategies for change within the old South Africa. On 2 February 1990, a mere two months after this first bush conference, De Klerk announced the coming release of hundreds of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela , and

962-468: The capture site, was identified as a suitable new habitat. Artificial burrows were created and the spiders were relocated. This project is considered unique as the large scale relocation of invertebrates is a rare occurrence. Vaalwater Vaalwater is a small town situated on the Mokolo River in the Limpopo province of South Africa . The town, unlike other towns in the Limpopo province,

999-616: The centre of D'nyala, is a VIP mansion, and a conference centre that is of historical significance. Adjacent to the Mokolo Nature Reserve of 4,600 hectares is the Mokolo dam, the biggest dam in the Limpopo Province and bordering for 6 km on the Mokolo river, flows out of this dam. Approximately 50 km to the south of Lephalale, this dam is well suited for water sports enthusiasts, campers and day visitors. The dammed up Mokolo river winds around mountains. It

1036-422: The famous baobab tree. D'nyala boasts a diversity of game which includes some 65 mammal species such as nyala, white rhinoceros, giraffe, waterbuck, tsessebe, oryx, eland, zebra, impala, caracal, African wildcat, brown hyena, black-backed jackal and leopard. The animals of D'nyala roam freely over the area including the vicinity of the chalets. 263 bird species have been identified including waterfowl attracted to

1073-495: The farm. The central function of the newly established nodes became more evident and other facilities such as schools, churches and shops were established on the farm. Subdivision of the farm started and due to the specific locality of the river, all newly created portions have a river frontage which had a definite influence on the urban form/shape of Ellisras today. In 1941, the Geological Survey Division of

1110-563: The growth of the farm Waterkloof 502LQ was the decision of Iscor in 1973 to continue with the development of the Grootegeluk Coal Mine . Work commenced in December 1974 on building the mine and one year later in December 1975, the actual quarrying of the mine commenced. Grootegeluk mine was officially opened on 15 April 1981. On 3 March 1982 this mine was in full operation for the first time. Mokolo Dam (previously known as

1147-503: The legalization of black liberation organizations that had been outlawed for 30 years. He also proclaimed his then government's willingness to end apartheid and to negotiate a new constitution to the benefit of all South Africans. Over the next four years De Klerk returned to the D'nyala seven more times with various officials in order to work out solutions for crises that arose during the negotiation processes. In December 1992 and January 1993, for example, government officials and members of

Lephalale - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-455: The majestic Kransberg in the background. The name Thabazimbi means mountain of iron because of the large iron ore reef that was discovered in 1919 by J. H. Williams. The mine boasts one of the largest mining shafts in Africa. More than two million tonnes of ore are mined every year and hauled by train to Mittal 's iron and steel works. The railway line from Rustenburg reached the area in

1221-445: The summers are long, hot, and partly cloudy and the winters are short, cool, dry, and clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 7 °C to 32 °C and is rarely below 4 °C or above 36 °C. Based on the beach/pool score, the best times of year to visit Lephalale for hot-weather activities are from early February to mid April and from early September to early November. The economy of Lephalale

1258-490: The surrounding Witpoortjie/Thabo Mbeki rural area (Provincial Growth Point), that accommodates both commercial and communal mixed-farming practices. An industrial area is also slowly developing near Onverwacht, while a heavy industrial zone has been earmarked near the Steenbokpan turnoff. The locality of the municipal area in relation to the rest of the country ensures that a number of important regional routes transverse

1295-560: The then Department of Mining, launched an exploration programme. Iscor , the country's largest steel producer, and also the biggest consumer of coking coal, actively participated in this programme. Drilling was completed in 1952. In 1957, Iscor obtained the surface rights to six farms, including Grootegeluk. The first townships that were proclaimed in Ellisras were: Ellisras (Proper) - 7 December 1960 Ellisras Extension 1–5 May 1965 Ellisras Extension 2–3 November 1971 A major influence on

1332-547: Was declared a National Priority Area in terms of Section 18(1) of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (Act No. 39 of 2004). The area requires specific air quality management actions to address the negative impacts of the air quality as a proactive approach to support future sustainable development in the area (Waterberg District Municipality, 2010). This reserve covers ±16,100 hectares and also adjoins

1369-479: Was the site for peace talks between Nobel Peace Prize winner F. W. de Klerk and Cyril Ramaphosa before the democratic transformation in South Africa. D'nyala is referred to as the original "bosberaad" (or bush conference) centre, based on the fact that it was used for hosting high level cabinet meetings of the former apartheid -government of South Africa prior to the first democratic elections of 1994 . At

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