Hartbeespoort

Hartbeespoort
Nickname(s): Harties
Location of Hartbeespoort
Coordinates:
Country South Africa
Province North West Province
District municipality Bojanala Platinum
Local municipality Madibeng
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)

Hartbeespoort, informally also known as "Harties", is a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the town means "gateway of the hartbees" (a species of antelope) in Afrikaans. It was previously known as Schoemansville, named after General Hendrik Schoeman, a Boer General in the Anglo-Boer War, who owned the farm that the Hartbeespoort Dam was built on.[1]

The town consists mainly of holiday homes around the dam as it is popular with visitors from nearby Gauteng Province. It is home to the Om Die Dam (English:  Around the dam) ultra marathon of 50 km, which takes place annually in the first half of the year.

Some of the main tourist attractions in or around the town are:

Other leisure-oriented venues around the dam include - Pecanwood Golf Estate, Hartbeespoort Boat Club (near Kosmos), Sandy Lane Golf Club (at Caribbean Beach Club), Kosmos Marina Club, Magalies Park (estate and golf club). A number of other leisure developments and resorts are in progress.

After two incidents in a brief period the cableway was closed.[2]

Hartbeespoort is part of the Madibeng Local Municipality, that also includes the nearby town of Brits.

See also

References

  1. ^ Carruthers, Vincent (1990). The Magaliesberg. Johannesburg: Southern Book Publishers. p. 333. 
  2. ^ "Accident at Hartbeespoort Dam". South African Department of Labour. 2008-07-31. http://www.labour.gov.za/media-desk/media-statements/2004/accident-at-hartbeespoort-dam. Retrieved 2008-12-02. 
    (This reference is incorrect. It appears to have been retroactively captured on the Dept of Labour website with the result that the DoL document is dated 2008. It also contains a gross factual inaccuracy in that the cable did not snap. Instead two people fell from the cableway either because a gondola was fully dislodged or because a gondola was partially dislodged and they fell from it. The actual dates of the two accidents that took place are
    • 2004-01-02 (Gondola dislodged, 2 injured)
    • 2005-12-03 (Cable derailed with 2 gondolas stalled, 4 rescued no injuries)

External links