Wolmaransstad (

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 ...

for "Wolmarans City") is a

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

-farming

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

situated on the N12 between

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 ...

and

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

North West Province North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana. History North West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994, an ...

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 ...

. The town lies in an important

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

-mining area and it is the main town of the

Maquassi Hills Local Municipality Maquassi Hills Local Municipality is a Local municipality (South Africa), local municipality in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, North West Province (South Africa), North West Province, South Africa. Main places The South African National ...

. Town 245 km south-west of Johannesburg and 56 km north-east of

Bloemhof Bloemhof is an agricultural town of about 2,000 inhabitants situated on the banks of the Vaal River in North West Province of South Africa. History It was founded in August 1864 when diamonds were discovered in the area. The town was established ...

. It was laid out on the farms Rooderand and Vlakfontein in 1888, and proclaimed a town in 1891. Named after Jacobus M. A. Wolmarans, then member of the Executive Council. Wolmaransstad originated in 1891 on the banks of the Makwasi River ''( San word for a type of wild

spearmint Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint, ''Mentha spicata'' (, native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is nat ...

)'' and takes its name from J. M. A. Wolmarans, a

volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government. Assembly South Africa *Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902) *Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia Re ...

councilman. Wolmaransstad serves a large community and is an important diamond buying center. The

Dutch Reformed The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family an ...

church building was designed by

Gerard Moerdijk Gerard Leendert Pieter Moerdijk (Zwaershoek farm near Nylstroom, Transvaal, 4 March 1890 – Nylstroom, 29 March 1958), also known as Gerard Moerdyk, was a South African architect best known for designing the Voortrekker Monument in Pretori ...

Anglo Boer war

Tourist attractions

*Broadbent Mission Station *Digger's Diamond route *Makwassierante Conservation Area *Wolwespruit Dam Nature Reserve

Notable people

Bernardus Gerhardus Fourie Bernardus Gerhardus Fourie (or Brand Fourie) was a South African diplomat. He served as the South African ambassador to the United States from 1982 to 1985. Early life Fourie was born in 1916 in Wolmaransstad. Career Brand Fourie joined the d ...

(also known as Brand Fourie, 19162008), born in Wolmaransstad, South African politician * Wim Erasmus, South African singer * Nel-Marie Nolan, née Erasmus, Wim's daughter, and wife of Riaan Nolan

References

Populated places in the Maquassi Hills Local Municipality Mining communities in South Africa Populated places established in 1891 1891 establishments in South Africa {{NorthWestZA-geo-stub

Anglo Boer war

Tourist attractions

Notable people

See also

References