Amsterdam, Mpumalanga

Amsterdam
Amsterdam

 Amsterdam shown within Mpumalanga

Coordinates: 26°37′01″S 30°40′01″E / 26.617°S 30.667°E / -26.617; 30.667Coordinates: 26°37′01″S 30°40′01″E / 26.617°S 30.667°E / -26.617; 30.667
Country South Africa
Province Mpumalanga
District Gert Sibande
Municipality Mkhondo
Established 1866
Area[1]
 • Total 8.13 km2 (3.14 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 6,769
 • Density 830/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 90.4%
 • Coloured 0.8%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 7.4%
 • Other 0.9%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Zulu 78.6%
 • Afrikaans 8.0%
 • Swazi 6.2%
 • English 2.1%
 • Other 5.1%
Postal code (street) 2375
PO box n/a
Area code 017

Amsterdam is a small sheep farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Other than large sheep farms, there are large plantations of gum, pine and wattle trees in the area. The town also lies close to the border with Swaziland.

Town some 77 km east of Ermelo. Part of a Scottish settlement established by Alexander McCorkindale in 1868, it was proclaimed a town in June 1881. At first called Roburnia, in honour of Scottish Poet Robert_Burns, the name was changed on 5 July 1882 to Amsterdam, after the Dutch city where the State Secretary, Eduard Bok, was born, and out of gratitude for Dutch sympathy during the First Anglo-Boer War (1880-1881).[2]

This was the home of Oom Chaart who was a local farmer and well known Boer in the town. He was tall, had a black beard and he wore short brown trousers 'wif a beld' as well as a pair of brown 'boer' farming shoes that were used to stomp the 'bleddy rats'. Oom Chart was feared by the local community as well as visitors from other small towns. He was made famous in the community by his phrase: " I will knock you off your birth certificate".


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Amsterdam". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 60.

Carleton Jones High School year book 1992

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