Grootvlei

Grootvlei
Grootvlei

 Grootvlei shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 26°47′28″S 28°30′54″E / 26.791°S 28.515°ECoordinates: 26°47′28″S 28°30′54″E / 26.791°S 28.515°E
Country South Africa
Province Mpumalanga
District Gert Sibande
Municipality Dipaleseng
Area[1]
 • Total 10.31 km2 (3.98 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 5,415
 • Density 530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 76.9%
 • Coloured 1.0%
 • Indian/Asian 0.7%
 • White 21.2%
 • Other 0.2%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Sotho 41.5%
 • Zulu 24.0%
 • Afrikaans 20.9%
 • Xhosa 4.2%
 • Other 9.5%
Postal code (street) 9323
PO box 9300

Grootvlei is a town in Dipaleseng Local Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. An old mining town, Grootvlei is located on the N3 road, 5 km from Grootvlei Power Station.[2]

The community had a booming economy in the 1970s and 1980s, when demand for coal from the power station created many jobs in the mining sector, but when the power plant was mothballed in the late 1980s due to overproduction of electricity, the local economy collapsed and Grootvlei became a virtual ghost town. The power plant was recommissioned in 2008, leading to a new period of growth.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Main Place Grootvlei". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ "Towns included in the Grasslands Meander". Grasslands Meander. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lights on at Grootvlei after two dark decades". IOL News. Retrieved 29 August 2014.