Klerksdorp

History

The city was founded in 1837 or 1838 when the Voortrekkers settled on the banks of the Schoonspruit who claimed a farm of about , called it Elandsheuwel ("Hill of the Eland"). He gave plots of land and communal grazing rights on this farm to other Voortrekkers in return for their labour in building a dam and an irrigation canal. This collection of smallholdings was later given the name of Klerksdorp in honour of the first landdrost (magistrate) of the area, Jacob de Clercq. Although Klerksdorp was officially proclaimed a town only in 1888, long before that it was considered a town not only by its residents, but also by visitors and even by authorities. In 1850 the Rev. A. Murray mentioned the "town on the Schoonspruit" during his trip through the Transvaal. In the same year, an official document, an inspection report, spoke of the "town of Klerksdorp" when the residents requested additional pieces of land. Seven years later, in 1857, state attorney J. H. Visagie wrote to government secretary C. Moll that it was desirable that regulations be drawn up for Klerksdorp. President M. W. Pretorius then issued regulations for Klerksdorp and Skoonspruit in 1859. In a letter to the President, magistrate Cornelis Johannes Bodenstein of Potchefstroom in 1863 also designated Klerksdorp as a town. The Executive Council had a sketch map of the town drawn up in 1871 and according to article 196 of the minutes dated 18 January 1872 the town regulations were approved. In November 1885 as well as on the Witwatersrand, which lies about to the east. As a consequence, thousands of fortune-seekers descended on the small village, turning it into a town with 70 taverns and even a stock exchange of its own. This stock exchange opened its doors in 1888 and soon did a roaring trade,…

Geography

Klerksdorp has a semi-arid climate (BSk, according to the Köppen climate classification), with warm to hot summers and cool, dry winters. The average annual precipitation is , with most of the rainfall occurring during summer. Klerksdorp is divided into 35 suburbs List of suburbs {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Suburb ! Suburb ! Suburb |- | Adamayview | Alabama | Campbelldorp |- | Collerville | Dawkinsville | Doringkruin |- | Elandia | Elandsheuwel | Ellaton (New Industrial Area) |- | Flamwood | Flimieda | Freemanville |- | Irenepark | Jouberton | Lahoff |- | Meiringspark | Matlosane | Manzil Park |- | Neserhof | Oudorp | Pienaarsdorp |- | Randlespark | Roosheuwel | Songloed |- | Uraniaville (Old industrial area) | Wilkeville | Wilkoppies |- |} Klerksdorp's black residential area was laid out in 1907 south of the town where the residential areas of Neserhof and Ellaton are today. Already in 1924, there was talk of moving the blacks, but it was decided to let it stand until the financial problems associated with such a move were resolved. In 1935 and 1936, the city council once again decided to move them, but this was not carried out either. With a view to the southward expansion of the town, the then city council was finally obliged to undertake the relocation. In 1949, construction began on the first 32 houses in the new black residential area, Jouberton. Originally it would be the name Joubertina, named after councilor Jan Joubert. Because there was already a town with this name in the Cape Province (now Eastern Cape), it was changed to Jouberton to avoid confusion. The Colored people first lived in an area adjacent to the old industrial area, but in 1956 the surveying of Alabama, the new residential area, began. Two years later, in 1958, the layout of the…

Most-observed species

• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  765
• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  759
• Southern Masked-Weaver

  Ploceus velatus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  750
• Black-fronted Bulbul

  Pycnonotus nigricans (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  725
• Speckled Pigeon

  Columba guinea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  691
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  678
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  655
• Karoo Thrush

  Turdus smithi Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  640

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2026-02-08
  10 km E of Orkney, South Africa
• M 4.3 — 2025-09-10
  15 km SSE of Stilfontein, South Africa
• M 4.8 — 2025-07-10
  7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa
• M 4.8 — 2025-04-17
  4 km NNE of Orkney, South Africa
• M 4.4 — 2024-05-15
  12 km SE of Stilfontein, South Africa
• M 4.4 — 2024-04-30
  5 km NW of Allanridge, South Africa