Broederstroom is a village situated beside the R512 road on the Daspoortrand (former Pretoria district) in the Witwatersrand, the southern foothills of the Magaliesberg in North West Province, South Africa. It grew from a Voortrekker settlement which was established in the wake of Mzilikazi's depopulation of the region during the mfecane. Various small to medium-sized businesses, overnight facilities, farm houses and informal settlements are located beside or just off the R512 on the western bank of the Crocodile River. The loose aggregation of residences and businesses are bisected by Jalalpor road running west to east, and Bart Pretorius road running south to north. The sprawling Pecanwood Golf Estate is some 4 km to the north, on the shore of the Hartbeespoort Dam.

History

Early Iron Age farmers were present here from the 6th century onwards, and the

BaFokeng The Royal Bafokeng is the ethnic homeland of the Bafokeng people, a Setswana-speaking traditional community. The monarchy covers in the North West Province of South Africa. The capital is Phokeng, near Rustenburg. "Bafokeng" is used to refer ...

dominated the landscape from the start of 16th century. They suffered greatly during the mfecane of the 19th century, and the Voortrekkers entered the area immediately afterwards. The village is named after three brothers of General Andries Pretorius, namely Piet (H.P.N.), Bart (H.A.) and Wynand Pretorius, who established themselves here in the mid 19th century; the name is derived from Dutch ''

broeder Broeder (also known as Jan in de Zak and pork) is a traditional Dutch dish whose central ingredient is Buckwheat, buckwheat flour. Name ''Broeder'' is the Dutch word for brother; this is how the dish is commonly known in West-Friesland. "Jan in de ...

'', meaning 'brother' and '' stroom'', meaning 'stream'. Bart Pretorius built a house here around 1845. Andries Pretorius joined his younger brothers here in 1848, and his son M.W. Pretorius was likewise a resident. Well-known Afrikaans writer '' Sangiro'' was born in Broederstroom in 1894, and starting 1924, Afrikaner historian and language activist Gustav Preller visited the area, and eventually established him at nearby Pelindaba. Preller in turn was regularly paid visits by

Eugène Marais Eugène Nielen Marais (; 9 January 1871 – 29 March 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer. He has been hailed as an intellectual genius and an Afrikaner hero. His early years, before and during the Boer War Marais w ...

, besides various artists and intellectuals.

Pelindaba

Pelindaba is located some 5km east of Broederstroom, and houses two nuclear reactors for research purposes. Pelindaba is the southern section of former Welgegund farm, acquired from the state by Swart Martiens Pretorius before the end of the 19th century. The western section of Pelindaba, accessed via gate 3, is a conserved area which includes Preller's House, a National Monument since 1973. The Phalandingwe hiking trail starts at the house, follows the Crocodile River, and passes the historic grave yard.

Lion Park

The Lion Park was founded by the Chipperfields Circus in November, 1966. Located in the Gauteng-Tshwane complex, the climate is perfect for highveld fauna and the native animals found in this park. The Park is split into two areas. Herbivores and carnivores are separated and herbivores such as zebra,

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

and other

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

are available for close-up viewing. The carnivores include three prides of

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

and one clan of

hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

. They are surrounded by barriers and fences to protect each pride from one another. Lions are extremely territorial and will attack if intruders enter their terrain. The lions housed here are indigenous to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Limpopo, and Botswana. The Lion park is open all year from 08:30 to 17:00.

References

Populated places in the Madibeng Local Municipality {{NorthWestZA-geo-stub