Centurion (previously known as Verwoerdburg) is a town in Gauteng Province, South Africa, located between Pretoria and Midrand (Johannesburg), and part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Gauteng (xaʊˈtɛŋ Sotho xɑ́útʼèŋ̀ is a province of South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Midrand is in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was established as a Local Municipality in 1981 but was incorporated into Region 2 of the City Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane, ˈtswɑːneɪ (listen) is a metropolitan municipality contained in the It is located at the intersection of the N1 and N14 highways. The R21 also passes through Centurion. The R21 is a major north-south regional route in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa.
The Waterkloof Air Force Base, as well as the Swartkops Air Force Base (which includes the South African Air Force Museum) are located in the town. Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force.
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History
Pre-Historic
Fossils discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves show that homonids lived in the vicinity of Centurion between 2 to 3 million years ago. Sterkfontein ( Afrikaans for Strong Spring) is a set of Limestone Caves of special interest to paleo - Anthropologists The Sterkfontein Caves, a World Heritage Site, is less than 50 km from Centurion, near the town of Krugersdorp. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Krugersdorp ( Afrikaans for Kruger's town is a mining city in the West Rand of Gauteng, South Africa.
However, the earliest evidence of modern human habitation in the Centurion area does not go this far back. It dates back to 1200 AD when black African communities settled in this area. They cultivated lands, grazed their cattle, made earthenware containers and smelted iron.
19th Century
From 1825 to 1826 the Matabele peoples defeated the Bakwena tribe and settled along the banks of the Magalies River under the leadership of Mzilikazi. This article relates to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe For other uses of the term please see Ndebele. Mzilikazi (meaning The Great Road) (ca 1790 - 9 September 1868) also sometimes called Mosilikatze was a Southern African king
In 1841 the Erasmus family arrived and settled in the area that would later become Centurion. Daniel Jacobus Erasmus settled on the farm Zwartkop, Daniel Elardus Erasmus on the farm Doornkloof and Rasmus Elardus Erasmus developed the farm Brakfontein. Several of the suburbs like Erasmia, Elardus Park, Zwartkop and Doornkloof were named after these 19th century owners of the land and their properties.
In 1849 Rev Andrew Murray visited the farm Doornkloof and christened 129 babies, heard the confession of their faith of 29 new members of the Reformed Church and the next day, 29 December 1849, celebrated communion. Andrew Murray ( 9 May, 1828 - 18 January, 1917) was a South African writer educationist and Christian Pastor The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant Denominations formally characterized by a similar Calvinist system of doctrine historically The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those
In 1889 Alois Hugo Nelmapius bought the northern and north-eastern portions of the farm Doorkloof and named it after his daughter Irene (who died 1961).
First Anglo-Boer War
As part of the First Boer War, the battle for Rooihuiskraal (Afrikaans for "Red House Kraal") took place in 1881 here. See also Second Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The First Boer War ( Dutch: Eerste Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Kraal (also spelled craal or kraul) is an Afrikaans and South African English word for an enclosure for Cattle or other livestock A Boer commando under the leadership of D. J. Erasmus Jr defeated Colonel Gildea, or "The Blasted Colonel" as they called him, the British Officer Commanding of the Pretoria Garrison. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. After the cornered British garrison tried to escape to Natal to join General George Pomeroy Colley, the Boers entrenched themselves behind a stone wall surrounding the animal stockade, and wounded the colonel in the backside, who was standing upright in his stirrups. The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley KCSI CB CMG ( November 1, 1835 - February 27, 1881) Boer (ˈbuːr in Dutch ˈbʊɚ/ /boʊɚ or /ˈbɔr/ in English is the Dutch word for Farmer which came to denote the descendants of the proto Afrikaans This was no doubt a serious blow to British morale!
Second Anglo-Boer War
During the Second Boer War the Irene Concentration Camp was established in 1901 on the farm Doornkloof, as part of the British scorched earth policy, where Boer women and children were housed under extremely poor conditions. See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Irene (pronounced "eye-REE-nee" is a small town south of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method (possibly more often referred to as a tactic but this is not entirely correct as there is a difference between Boer (ˈbuːr in Dutch ˈbʊɚ/ /boʊɚ or /ˈbɔr/ in English is the Dutch word for Farmer which came to denote the descendants of the proto Afrikaans At its peak the camp had 5,500 inhabitants, mostly women and children. Between February 1901 and the end of the war in 1902, 1249 lost their lives here, about 1000 of them children. The Irene Camp Cemetery is well preserved and contains 576 of the original slate tombstones that was carved by hand in the camp.
20th Century
The town of Irene was established in 1902 when 337 plots were laid out on the farm Doornkloof. Irene (pronounced "eye-REE-nee" is a small town south of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Jan Smuts later owned this farm, and died there in 1950. Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, PC, ED, KC, FRS (24 May 1870 &ndash 11 September 1950 was a prominent The Smuts House is a museum today, and regularly hosts open air fleamarkets on its grounds. Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, PC, ED, KC, FRS (24 May 1870 &ndash 11 September 1950 was a prominent
Centurion developed from the initial Lyttelton Township that was marked out on the farm Droogegrond in 1904. Lyttelton Manor Extension 1 was established in 1942. These two townships initially resorted under the Peri Urban Board in Pretoria.
Centurion was granted City Council status in 1962 as Lyttelton. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was formed by combining the areas of Doornkloof, Irene and Lyttelton.
In 2000, the Centurion local government became part of the newly-created City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, which also includes Pretoria, and the town ceased to have its own Town Council. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane, ˈtswɑːneɪ (listen) is a metropolitan municipality contained in the Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa.
Name Change
Lyttelton was renamed Verwoerdburg in 1967, after Hendrik Verwoerd, the so-called "architect of apartheid". Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd ( Amsterdam, 8 September 1901 &ndash Cape Town, 6 September 1966 was Prime Minister of South Africa from The surrounding areas, as they grew, came under the same name and Lyttelton became known as one of the suburbs of Verwoerdburg. Others included Clubview, Eldoraigne, Wierda Park, Zwartkops and their extensions.
The politically neutral name Centurion has no significance, and was presumably chosen by residents in 1995 to match the name of the Centurion Park (now called SuperSport Park) cricket ground, located in the area after the end of apartheid. SuperSport Park, is a Cricket ground in Centurion, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Following the end of Apartheid, the Indian township of Laudium and surrounding suburbs including Erasmia and Claudius, which were formerly a part of Pretoria, were made part of Centurion. The majority of South Africa's Asian population is Indian in origin many of them descended from indentured workers brought to work on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area then known In South Africa, the term Township usually refers to the (often underdeveloped urban living areas that under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites Laudium is an Indian township in Centurion ( City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality) South Africa. A black township, called Olievenhoutbosch was created in Centurion at around the same time.
Rapid Growth
Centurion has come a long way from being a sleepy southern suburb of Pretoria, with smallholdings and large open spaces. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Having experienced stupendous growth since 1994, like the rest of urban South Africa, many businesses have relocated there, and property development is boosting the ever expanding city limits. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa This development has meant there is now little break between the outskirts of Pretoria to the north, and Midrand and Johannesburg to the south. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Midrand is in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was established as a Local Municipality in 1981 but was incorporated into Region 2 of the City Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. The Gauteng Provincial Government envisages that, according to current growth trends, much of the Gauteng province will be city by 2015. Gauteng (xaʊˈtɛŋ Sotho xɑ́útʼèŋ̀ is a province of South Africa.
Infrastructure
Today Centurion features modern shopping malls (Centurion Mall), several entertainment spots, a theatre, golf courses and a driving range. Several Hotels including "Irene Country Lodge" as well as a plethora of smaller Guest Houses. The U. N. I. T. A. S. hospital is the largest private hospital on the African continent (including helipad) and is part of the Netcare group. Netcare is a South African health care company with contracts in Britain via its UK subsidiary Netcare UK. Technology companies like DENEL, Siemens, SAAB Grintek Technologies, Telkom and others are located here. Telkom SA Ltd ( JSE:J653 is a wireline and wireless Telecommunications provider in South Africa.
Sport
Cricket is the most popular sport in Centurion. Centurion was the host for the Women's Cricket World Cup in 2005. India were beaten by Australia in the finals.
The Centurion Mall
Established during 1983/1984, the Centurion Mall was constructed around the Centurion Lake (on the Hennops River) and was the only shopping centre with the standard big-name retailers of that time in Centurion until the 21st century. In 2003, the mall underwent its first major revamp which was estimated at around 250 million ZAR. 29,760m² of retail space was added to the mall bringing the mall's total size to 105,000m², making it the second largest shopping centre in the Pretoria region, Gauteng, South Africa.
The mall was also famous for its man-made color water fountain amenity, which was located in the centre of the lake, on the North side of the mall (known as the 'bay' area). This very same water feature has been used as a 'logo' for the former City of Centurion, seen at many of the entrances of the previous municipality.
Climate
Centurion is located on the Highveld like Johannesburg and Pretoria and has a similar climate, with dry, sunny winters (max daytime temperature around 20°C dropping to a crisp average minimum of 5°C) , and warm to hot summers (October - April) tempered by late-afternoon showers often accompanied by spectacular thunder and lightning. The Highveld is a high Plateau region of South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country the Gauteng City Region Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Hailstorms are not uncommon, but a serious hailstorm has not happened for many years. Summer temperatures range from the mid 20's to the mid 30's (°Celsius). Centurion's weather tends to follow the slightly warmer Pretoria, when compared to that of Johannesburg. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa.
The Hennops River flows through the heart of Centurion, and causes occasional flooding when heavy rainfall has occurred.
Suburbs of Centurion include Lyttelton, Clubview, Irene, Raslouw, Sunderland Ridge, Rooihuiskraal, Wierda Park and Zwartkop. Irene (pronounced "eye-REE-nee" is a small town south of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
External links
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