Viljoensdrif

Place in Free State, South Africa
26°44′00″S 27°55′00″E / 26.73333°S 27.916667°E / -26.73333; 27.916667CountrySouth AfricaProvinceFree StateDistrictFezile DabiMunicipalityMetsimaholoArea • Total63.30 km2 (24.44 sq mi)Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total751 • Density12/km2 (31/sq mi)Racial makeup (2011) • Black African73.8% • Coloured1.5% • Indian/Asian0.7% • White6.9% • Other17.2%First languages (2011) • Sotho28.5% • Zulu20.1% • Xhosa17.4% • Afrikaans10.2% • Other23.8%Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)Area code016

Viljoensdrif is a coal-mining village 8 km south of Vereeniging and part of the Fezile Dabi District Municipality in the Free State province of South Africa.

It takes its name from ford (Afrikaans drif) which was closed to ox-wagons by President Paul Kruger in 1895 to prevent goods reaching the Witwatersrand, thus forcing people to use the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM)'s Pretoria-Delagoa Bay railroad. Named after the owner of the place, J H Viljoen, who established a ferry in 1857.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Viljoensdrif". Census 2011.
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 459.


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