| Burgersdorp Burghersdorp |
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| — Town — | |
| Burgersdorp viewed from The Sentinel blockhouse | |
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Burgersdorp
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District municipality | Ukhahlamba |
| Local municipality | Gariep |
| Time zone | South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2) |
Burgersdorp is a small town in the Ukhahlamba District Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
The Afrikaner Bond political party was founded in Burgersdorp in 1881.[1]
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The first rail connection to Burgersdorp was opened on 19 March 1885.[2] Today Shosholoza Meyl provides passenger rail service to Burgersdorp on its Johannesburg-Bloemfontein-East London route.[3]
Burgersdorp is located on the junction of the R58 and R391.
Match 18 of the 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa was played in Burgersdorp.
Ten of South Africa's National Monuments can be found in Burgersdorp. They include the Christ Church,[4] the Coetzee House,[5] the De Bruin House,[6] the Jubilee Fountain,[7] the Old Goal,[8] the Old Reformed Church Parsonage,[9] the Old Reformed Church Theological Seminary[10] as well as the three listed below in more detail.
This church was declared a National Monument in 1996.[11]
A Second Boer War blockhouse overlooking the town, commonly known as the Sentinel was declared a National Monument in 1939.[12]
A monument to Dutch, build in 1893 is located in the town. The monument depicts a woman pointing her finger at a book in her hands. This monument was declared a National Monument in 1937.[13]
Although the main inscription on that monument refers to the Hollandse taal (Dutch language), it can be understood to mean Afrikaans, because the Hollandse taal in South Africa was only split since 1925. But the monument is officially recognized as a monument to Dutch.
The monument was damaged during the Anglo-Boer War, and Lord Milner had it removed. It was replaced with a replica in 1907. The original was later discovered in King William in 1939, and moved back to stand next to the replica in Burgersdorp.[14]
Some sources claim that Lord Milner had removed the original monument not because it was damaged, but because he was opposed to Dutch (and Afrikaans), and that the replica was built not by government but by a group of Afrikaners.[15]
| Municipalities and communities of Joe Gqabi District Municipality, Eastern Cape District seat: Barkly East |
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|---|---|
| Local municipalities |
Elundini • Senqu • Maletswai • Gariep • Oviston Nature Reserve |
| Cities and towns |
Barkly East • Burgersdorp • Steynsburg |