Perdekop

Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa
27°10′S 29°38′E / 27.167°S 29.633°E / -27.167; 29.633CountrySouth AfricaProvinceMpumalangaDistrictGert SibandeMunicipalityPixley Ka SemeArea • Total7.73 km2 (2.98 sq mi)Elevation
1,889 m (6,198 ft)Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total5,081 • Density660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)Racial makeup (2011) • Black African97.4% • Coloured0.3% • Indian/Asian1.7% • White0.4% • Other0.2%First languages (2011) • Zulu82.3% • Sotho9.9% • English1.7% • S. Ndebele1.5% • Other4.6%Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)Postal code (street)
2465
PO box
2465
Area code017

Perdekop, (Afrikaans for horses hill), is a small town situated on top of a 1,889 m peak in the Mpumalanga province, in South Africa. It is a village 38 km north of Volksrust and 47 km south of Standerton.

History

Formerly Paardekop, ‘horses hill’, from the practice of keeping horses there when horse-sickness prevailed in lower lying areas.[2]

The town was established during an equine sickness epidemic when farmers found that when they brought their horses to the top of this hill they were protected from the sickness.[3]: 303  During the Second Boer War the British operated a lookout balloon here to monitor Boer activities.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Perdekop". Census 2011.
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 363.
  3. ^ Erasmus, B.P.J. (2014). On Route in South Africa: Explore South Africa region by region. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 401. ISBN 9781920289805.