science

Krugersdorp

Krugersdorp is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Krugersdorp rather than just read about it. In short: Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for 'Kruger's Town') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius and Abner Cohen. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west of the reef.

Key takeaways

Krugersdorp belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Krugersdorp to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Krugersdorp from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for 'Kruger's Town') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius and Abner Cohen. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west of the reef. The government bought part of the Paardekraal farm and named the new town after the Transvaal president, Paul Kruger. Krugersdorp no longer has a separate municipal government after it was integrated into Mogale City Local Municipality along with surrounding towns. It is now the seat of government for Mogale City.

History

Krugersdorp is the site of a December 1880 gathering at which more than 6,000 men vowed to fight for the Transvaal's independence. Founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius after the discovery of gold on his farm, Paardekraal, thereafter the mining industry played an important role in the development of the city. Two important events in the history of South Africa: the Transvaal War of Independence (1881) and the discovery of the Witwatersrand Goldfields (1886) took place in Krugersdorp. These events had far-reaching political and economic consequences for the country's development. In April 1887, the South African Republic's (ZAR) Executive Council purchased part of the farm Paarderkraal to build a town called Krugersdorp. By the time the town was founded, the existence of the gold reef along the Witwatersrand had become common knowledge, and thousands seeking their fortunes pitched their tents and pegged claims. In 1888, Krugersdorp was proclaimed a separate gold field. By 1895, the proclaimed goldfields was separated from Krugersdorp, and the town and Distriksdorp, near the monument, were merged in April that year. By 1903, Krugersdorp became a municipality. During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), the British built a concentration camp in the valley that is now occupied by the Centenary Dam. This camp was overlooked by the "D" Shaft of the Luipardsvlei Estate Gold Mining Company, which was shut down in 1929 when mining shifted to deeper ore bodies that offered the prospect of larger tonnages. As of 2014 this shaft is being brought back into production. Part of the heritage of the area will feature in a museum to be built post-closure. An essential part of the museum's content will be the Boer War legacy. In 1952, the West Rand Consolidated Mine was the first in the world to extract uranium as a byproduct of the gold refining process.

Demographics Krugersdorp is home to the South African Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses, The Watchtower Bible, and Tract Society. In 2010, the town's Coronation Park area received international exposure for the depiction of Afrikaner poverty by Finbarr O'Reilly. In 2014, the area was exposed again as a subject of the BBC documentary Reggie Yates' Extreme South Africa: White Slums.

Economy

Gold, manganese, iron, asbestos and lime are all mined in the area. Krugersdorp has a modern business centre and shopping malls alongside many smaller shops, schools, and necessary amenities. There are also game reserves and a nearby bird sanctuary. Krugersdorp is served by the Jack Taylor Airfield north-west of the town centre (adjacent to the game reserve) and Lanseria International Airport 28 kilometres to the north-east. O. R. Tambo International Airport is 50 kilometres to the east. The nearby 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres) Krugersdorp Game Reserve in the dense bush of the veld holds a large quantity of game and is one of the city's major tourist attractions. Also in close proximity are various provincial heritage sites including the Cradle of Humankind and its Sterkfontein Caves and the Wonder Cave.

Law and government

Government

Name change Although the city's municipality changed its name from Krugersdorp to Mogale City, the assumption that the city's name has been officially changed to Mogale City has been refuted by the Mogale City Municipality.

Coat of arms Krugersdorp was proclaimed a municipality in 1903. By 1931, the municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic coat of arms. The shield was divided by a horizontal line, the upper half subdivided by a vertical line, the three sections depicting (1) the Paardekraal monument, (2) a mining landscape, and (3) a plough. The motto was Labor omnia vincit improbus. A proper coat of arms was designed in the 1960s. It was registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration in November 1965 and at the Bureau of Heraldry in January 1969. The arms were : Per chevron ploye Azure and Or, dexter two mine hammers in saltire and sinister a cogwheel all Or, and in base the Paardekraal Monument Gules. In layman's terms, the shield was divided by a curved chevron-shaped line into blue and gold, displaying two crossed mine hammers and a cogwheel at the top, and the Paardekraal monument at the bottom. The crest was three horses' heads issuing from a golden mural crown; the supporters were an eland and a gemsbok; and the motto was Labor omnia vincit improbus.

Attractions Krugersdorp has tourist attractions such as Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Maropeng Visitor Centre, Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens and Sterkfonten Caves. The town is the host of the annual Gauteng Beach Party held at Coronation Park. Over the years, the event featured performances from artists including:

DJ Sbu DJ Cleo Winnie Khumalo TBo Touch TKZee Brown Dash Afro-pop music group Mafikizolo and singer Ntando Bangani are among some acts that originated from Krugersdorp.

Sports Krugersdorp has an 18-hole golf course and many facilities for extreme sports.

Infrastructure

Health

Local clinics Central Clinic Kagiso Clinic B Azaadville Clinic Munsieville Clinic A Dr Kaka Clinic

Provincial hospitals Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital (Paardekraal) Sterkfontein Hospital Leratong Hospital

Private hospitals Krugersdorp Private Hospital Bell Street Day Hospital Netcare Pinehaven Hospital Medi-Cross Clinic

Education The schools in Krugersdorp include:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Krugersdorp

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Krugersdorp claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Krugersdorp before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Krugersdorp ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Krugersdorp

In research: Krugersdorp appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Krugersdorp in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Krugersdorp is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1887 establishments in the South African Republic, Mining communities in South Africa, Municipal seats in Gauteng, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Krugersdorp outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Krugersdorp in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Krugersdorp means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Krugersdorp out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krugersdorp in simple terms?

Why does Krugersdorp matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Krugersdorp?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Krugersdorp.