Roodepoort
Roodepoort is a town in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality, Roodepoort became part of the Johannesburg municipality in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and Sandton. Johannesburg's most famous botanical garden, Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens (now renamed Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden), is located in Roodepoort.
Roodepoort
161.50 km2 (62.36 sq mi)
326,416
2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi)
51.4%
8.2%
4.0%
35.4%
0.9%
29.8%
24.0%
9.0%
8.8%
28.4%
011
History[edit]
In 1884, brothers Fred and Harry Struben, having discovered gold on the farm Wilgespruit at the western end of the Witwatersrand, were granted concessions to mine the area. When George Harrison's find at Langlaagte came to light and gold fever took hold, the Struben brothers were joined by a swarm of gold diggers. Other areas such as Maraisburg were prospected and mined by A.P. Marais and at Florida, the owners were van der Hoven, Bantjies and Lys.[2]: 286 Though the Struben brothers' Confidence Reef bore little gold and their mine was unprofitable, the ramshackle town that grew around it became the Roodepoort Municipality in 1904.[2]: 286 Incorporating the towns of Hamburg, Florida and Maraisburg, Roodepoort became a city in 1977, and has since developed as one of Johannesburg's most predominantly Afrikaans (language of Dutch origin) speaking districts.[2]: 286
Ethnicity[edit]
Traditionally, Roodepoort was an Afrikaans-speaking area, but after apartheid, the area has attracted different ethnic groups and the dominant language is now English. The rapid expansion of middle-class housing in the area has caused an influx of all ethnic groups, most of whom are middle class.
Sport[edit]
The city has a large golf course called Ruimsig Country Club in the suburb Ruimsig. Another smaller golf course is the Jackel Creek Golf Estate. In between the two, there is a links golf course Eagle Canyon. Further south in Roodepoort is the CMR Golf Club. Roodepoort Athletics Stadium is also found within the city. It has three mega private gym facilities owned by Virgin Active and Planet Fitness.
Parks and greenspace[edit]
The Roodepoort area has numerous parks and green areas. Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, formerly known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden, is a 300 hectares (3.0 km2) botanical reserve with grass parks, natural cliff face and waterfall. Another large greenspace is the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, a 128ha park with trails, amphitheatre, dam and small wild mammals. Further to the south is Florida Lake with its bird life and related aquatic activities.
Law and government[edit]
Government[edit]
Although Roodepoort has traditionally been regarded as being part of the West Rand, it was not made part of the West Rand District Municipality, instead being integrated into the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, following the post-apartheid re-organisation of local government in the late 1990s.
Education[edit]
Schools[edit]
Roodepoort is home to several private and state schools, including Ruimsig Montessori International School, Crawford International, Trinity House, Charter College, Allen Glen High School, West Ridge High School, Horizon View Primary, Ridgevale Primary School, Hoërskool Roodepoort, Hoërskool Die Adelaar, The Kings School West Rand and Ruimsig Academy.
University[edit]
In 2001, Monash University Australia opened a campus in Roodepoort called Monash South Africa (MSA). The university pulled out of South Africa in 2018 but sold the university to the Independent Institute of Education. Monash South Africa is now the IIE MSA offering the same qualifications as the old Monash University.