, image_skyline = Molteno_straattoneel_5.jpg , pushpin_map = South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa#Africa , coordinates = , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

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South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

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Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

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Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

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Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

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Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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Enoch Mgijima Enoch Mgijima (1868 – 5 March 1928) was a Christian Xhosa prophet and evangelist. He formed his own church, known as the Israelites, a breakaway from the Church of God and Saints of Christ, and led them through a clash with the white Union of S ...

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Black African Black is a Racialization, racialized classification of people, usually a Politics, political and Human skin color, skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have ...

, demographics1_info1 = 92.1% , demographics1_title2 =

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, demographics1_info2 = 4.7% , demographics1_title3 =

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, demographics1_info3 = 0.1% , demographics1_title4 =

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, demographics1_info4 = 2.7% , demographics1_title5 = Other , demographics1_info5 = 0.5% , demographics_type2 =

First language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

s (2011) , demographics2_footnotes = , demographics2_title1 =

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

, demographics2_info1 = 89.3% , demographics2_title2 =

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

, demographics2_info2 = 6.5% , demographics2_title3 =

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, demographics2_info3 = 2.3% , demographics2_title4 = , demographics2_info4 = , demographics2_title5 = Other , demographics2_info5 = 2.0% , timezone1 =

SAST South African Standard Time (SAST) is the time zone used by all of South Africa as well as Eswatini and Lesotho. The zone is two hours ahead of UTC ( UTC+02:00) and is the same as Central Africa Time. Daylight saving time is not observed in e ...

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(street) , postal_code = 5500 , postal2_code_type =

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, postal2_code = 5500 , area_code_type =

Area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

, area_code = 045 Molteno ( xh, eMolteno ) is a town in the

province of

. High in the Stormberg Mountains, Molteno has recorded South Africa's coldest temperatures at the famous Buffelsfontein weather station and it is close to the country's only ski resort.

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

has the coldest average temperature throughout the year, whereas Molteno records the lowest temperatures in the winter months.

History

Founding

Coal fields were discovered in this part of the Stormberg Mountains in 1859, and this created an economic incentive for development. The local people also stated a need for a settlement, to serve as a central hub for the surrounding rural area. The town was founded in 1874 by George Vice, and laid out the next year. The town was the setting of South Africa's first coal mine. Its name has connections both locally to the people of the Eastern Cape (Molteno is a name among the Xhosa speaking people of the district), but it also has Italian roots. At its founding, the town was officially named after an immigrant

John Molteno Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Early life Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...

, who had been born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family. Molteno became the first locally-elected leader of the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

and fought against British imperial expansion in southern Africa.Molteno
''routes.co.za'', retrieved 23 November 2009 Several of the town's streets are similarly named after the members of the Cape's first locally-elected cabinet. Water was first drawn from the nearby Stormberg river, and later also from the Jubilee Dam.

Johannes Meintjes Johannes Petrus Meintjes (19 May 1923 – 7 July 1980) was a South African artist and writer. Meintjes grew up on his family's farm in the mountains near Molteno. He lived and worked in Cape Town for several years, taught art, travelled for exh ...

(1974). ''Die Geskiedenis van Molteno; 1874-1974'', Munisipaliteit Molteno, South Africa, Chapter 4, Stigting van die Dorp (Founding of the town),

Coal mining

Soon after its founding, the town became the major supplier of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

to the region, with a large portion going to supply the diamond fields in Kimberley. It was granted municipal status in 1883, and by 1892 around 6000 tons of coal were being extracted at Molteno. Much of this coal went to supplying the Cape's rapidly growing railway system. In 1887, the newly founded Molteno Chamber of Commerce was influential in urging the Cape Government to extend its railway system northwards into the Boer republics, so as to open up new markets. By 1897, production of coal in the region had risen to over 70,000 tons. However, by the 1920s the expansion of the railways made access to coal fields in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

and the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

possible, resulting in the decline of coal mining around Molteno.

Boer War

During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, Molteno was used as a mustering point for troops prior to the famous Battle of Stormberg, as it was the closest railway station. The area also saw extensive Boer guerilla activity.

The Molteno struggle

In the 20th century, growing oppression by the Apartheid government was met by resistance that manifested in the town as protests and battles between Molteno residents and police. When the Group Areas Act was enforced across South Africa in the 1960s, the mixed neighbourhoods in Molteno were destroyed and the entire town was divided. Some mixed neighbourhoods such as Esigingqini had their residents evicted, others such as Nomonde were delimited by enforced segregation. As a result, the overall town suffered a severe economic and social decline. Resistance came to a head on 12 August 1985, when local residents and students confronted the Apartheid police in the area around the town's Ethiopian Church. In the resulting battle, three local Molteno activists were shot and killed (R. Mbango, S. Loliwe, N. Smile). The town commemorates the activists and the 12 August date annually, as "Molteno Day". The following years saw other community activists of the town lose their lives in the struggle. After the fall of Apartheid, the town erected a monument in what was named "Heroes Park" in the town centre. The monument honours the local Molteno "comrades in blood" who "... shall forever be remembered by the people of Molteno and South Africa as a whole". Since liberation in 1993, the town has begun the task of reuniting its communities and reversing the damage it has sustained from decades of segregation and oppression. Within the greater District Municipality, it now lies on the North-South Corridor (Corridor 4), which links Molteno to Queenstown - the proposed location for a

Special Economic Zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

(SEZ).https://www.localgovernment.co.za/featured/chris_hani_dm.pdf

Places of interest

Although hot and arid in summer, in winter Molteno is the coldest town in South Africa, being located near the highest point in the Cape in the heart of the Stormberg Mountains. Because of its extreme temperatures, it offers snow in the colder months and the town is not far from the country's only ski resort,

Tiffindell Tiffindell Ski Resort is a year-round alpine resort, the only ski resort in South Africa and one of the two ski resorts in Southern Africa. It was established in 1993 in the Southern Drakensberg, Tiffindell is rated number 19 on CNN's "Top 100 Ski ...

. There are 4X4 trails in the mountains and the nearby Molteno Dam offers water-skiing and trout-fishing. The town has several

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s, a monument to local Molteno activists in the liberation struggle and a historic library built from local stone. The surrounding mountains are largely composed of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

of exceptional quality, and there were originally plans to build the whole town from this beautiful rock, as a "Sandstone City". Nonetheless, several of the oldest buildings in the town are still made from local stone, fashioned by Italian artisans. The Old Mill is one example, built in 1874 and restored in 1991, as is the local Church and ''"Drostdy"'' (Magistrate's office). Molteno is also home to the Stormberg biltong factory. The R47-million factory is the town's largest employer employing 250 residents. The Molteno Museum is located in the stone library building and aims to portray the history of the town and its surrounds. It contains a range of artifacts, from Stone-Age tools to

Khoisan Khoisan , or (), according to the contemporary Khoekhoegowab orthography, is a catch-all term for those indigenous peoples of Southern Africa who do not speak one of the Bantu languages, combining the (formerly "Khoikhoi") and the or ( in t ...

and

Voortrekker The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyon ...

relics including a large collection of vintage guns. It also houses local war relics from the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, and a display of pioneering historical photography from the region, the "Lomax Collection". Also of historical interest are the blockhouses that are located in the area, dating from the

, and the Stormberg Battlefields.
There is a lot of Bushman rock art in the surrounding mountain ranges. The area around the town offers ample opportunity to view rock paintings, fossils and Stone Age tools uncovered in caves and diggings close to Molteno. There are also three extinct volcanoes in the vicinity. The town has one of the oldest railway stations in South Africa - now officially reopened after being closed for repairs. The station lies on the

main line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

from

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, inland to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. This line was actually planned and begun by the same

after whom the town is named, but the railway only reached the town in 1884 and the section further north to Aliwal North was opened on 2 September 1885. Molteno and its surrounding region in the heart of the Eastern Cape played a significant role in the struggle against Apartheid. Because of this, the town boasts several monuments to local activists who fought or gave their lives in the struggle, such as the Molteno Heroes Park monument in the town centre, and the Nomonde graves, among others. Molteno also forms part of the Calata Heritage Route for the liberation struggle.

Geography

Molteno is surrounded by mountains and high Karoo plains, known for its vast panoramic views. It is also located almost exactly on the watershed between the catchment areas of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

(e.g. the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

to the north) and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. The semi-arid,

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

-rich vegetation of the Great Karoo ecoregion predominates in the area.

Climate

Molteno has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(''Cwb'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), with warm summers and chilly, dry winters, with occasional

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

falls. It borders on a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(''BSk''). The average annual precipitation is , with rainfall occurring mainly during summer. Molteno is one of the coldest towns in South Africa; the farm of Buffelsfontein, located near Molteno, has the lowest recorded temperature in South Africa, of , on 23 August 2013. The former national record, of , was also registered in the same locality, on 28 June 1996.Details of the temperature, rainfall and wind extremes recorded in SA
South African weather service. Retrieved on 2010-06-22] Likewise, with an average yearly temperature of 11.3 °C and an average annual minimum temperature of 2.8 °C, Buffelsfontein is the coldest reporting station in South Africa.South African Weather Service
The (now defunct) administrative area to which Molteno belonged for a time, Inkwanca Local Municipality, Inkwanca, literally means "cold" in

Geology

Molteno is located on the Stormberg Series of the

Karoo System The Karoo Supergroup is the most widespread stratigraphic unit in Africa south of the Kalahari Desert. The supergroup consists of a sequence of units, mostly of nonmarine origin, deposited between the Late Carboniferous and Early Jurassic, a peri ...

where some of the only workable coal seams in the Cape are to be found (the

Molteno Formation The Molteno Formation is a geological formation found in several localities in Lesotho and South Africa. It lies mainly south of Maseru, near Burgersdorp, Aliwal North, Dordrecht, Molteno, and Elliot. It extends as far north as Matatiele in the ...

, the youngest in the Karoo System, is named after the town). These coal fields are being explored for possible

coal bed methane extraction Coalbed methane extraction (CBM extraction) is a method for extracting methane from a coal deposit. Coal bed methane (CBM) is one of the factors restricting safe production of coal in underground coal mines. It is also a form of high-quality energ ...

. The

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

preserve a record of gradual desertification over millions of years, starting from the Upper

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

when the area was a warm swampland, and continuing into the late

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

when the region had become a desert. Extensive

Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

footprints and

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

can be found in these rocks.

Famous residents

Sibusiso Mtyiwazo Aka Kumkani Sibu Sibusiso is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Sibusiso Bengu (born 1934), South African politician *Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini (born 1942), the Prime Minister of Swaziland *Sibusiso Dlamini (born 1980), Swazi football striker *Sib ...

, Stand Up Comedian. * Ambrose Lomax, chemist and photographer. *

Ferdie le Grange Ferdinand Andries le Grange (Ferdie; 26 August 1948 – October 2013) was a South African plastic surgeon and marathon runner who broke African records. Early life He was born in Molteno, Eastern Cape, South Africa. His father was a farmer. Aft ...

, South African athlete and surgeon. * Francois Gouws, prominent South African artist. *

, prominent South African artist. *

Kopi Ben Baartman Kopi may refer to: * An alternative name for the Karaka (tree), karaka tree * Australian Aboriginal artefacts#Kopis, Kopi, a clay mourning cap worn by some Aboriginal Australian peoples * Kopi (drink), a coffee beverage with Hainanese cultural roo ...

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

regional chair and SACTU activist. * LJ van Zyl, Springbok Athlete. * Ouma Greyvwnsteyn, founder of Ouma Rusks.

Trivia

The butterfly genus ''

Moltena ''Moltena'' is a genus of skippers in the family Hesperiidae. It is named after the town of Molteno, Eastern Cape. Species *'' Moltena fiara'' (Butler, 1870) ReferencesNatural History Museum Lepidoptera genus database External links Eri ...

'' and the

are both named after the town.''Moltena'' at funet
/ref>

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality Populated places established in 1874 1874 establishments in the Cape Colony