Modimolle
Encyclopedia
Modimolle is a town located near the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif
in Limpopo
province, South Africa
. It is a medium sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming (citrus
, grape
s and cattle
) as well as wildlife and tourism. Nylstroom/Modimolle is also located approximately 135 kilometres north of Pretoria
, South Africa's de facto capital city
.
The Waterberg Biosphere
spreading north, a UNESCO
designated Biosphere Reserve
, contains approximately 15,000 square kilometers. Waterberg is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve
by UNESCO
. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte
landform
. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld
.
religious zealots known as the Jerusalem Trekkers set off for the Holy Land
. After discovering a river flowing northwards, they consulted the maps at the back of their Bibles and decided that it was the Nylrivier (Nile river
). They settled the town and called it Nylstroom in 1866. After discovering what they believed to be a ruined pyramid, they were convinced that they had found the Nile. It was in fact, a natural hillock, known to the locals as Modimolle. A Dutch Reformed Church
was built in 1889 and is the oldest church in sub-saharan Africa north of Pretoria. It was also used as a hospital during the Second Boer War
.
The first railway line reached Nylstroom in 1898, connecting the town to Pretoria. During the Second Boer War, the British
operated a concentration camp in Nylstroom, where Boer
women and children where interned as part of the British Scorched Earth
policy. This subsequently led to the loss of 544 lives at the Nylstroom concentration camp. Strijdom Huis (Strijdom House) was the primary residence of the 6th Prime Minister of South Africa, JG Strijdom, and is situated in Nylstroom.
phrase, Modimo o lle, meaning "the forefather's spirit has eaten", or "God has eaten". Although it has become popular and widely used among the black population, the Afrikaans and English speaking population sometimes still use Nylstroom.
Other numerous name changes include the renaming of both a municipal building and the town hall after Oliver Tambo
, the library being renamed the Ruth First
Memorial Library, as well as the renaming of several streets. Despite these alterations to titles, the name Nylstroom is still used, especially among the white community.
Waterberg
Waterberg can refer to two articles about an area in Namibia:* Waterberg Biosphere* Waterberg National Park...
in Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is a medium sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming (citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
) as well as wildlife and tourism. Nylstroom/Modimolle is also located approximately 135 kilometres north of Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa's de facto capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
.
The Waterberg Biosphere
Waterberg Biosphere
The Waterberg Biosphere is a massif of approximately 15,000 square kilometers in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. Waterberg is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of...
spreading north, a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
designated Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
, contains approximately 15,000 square kilometers. Waterberg is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld
Bushveld
The Bushveld is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa that encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of the North West Province of South Africa, the Central and North-East Districts of Botswana and the Matabeleland South and part of th Matabeleland North provinces of...
.
History
In the 1860s, a Voortrekker group of DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
religious zealots known as the Jerusalem Trekkers set off for the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. After discovering a river flowing northwards, they consulted the maps at the back of their Bibles and decided that it was the Nylrivier (Nile river
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
). They settled the town and called it Nylstroom in 1866. After discovering what they believed to be a ruined pyramid, they were convinced that they had found the Nile. It was in fact, a natural hillock, known to the locals as Modimolle. A Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
was built in 1889 and is the oldest church in sub-saharan Africa north of Pretoria. It was also used as a hospital during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
The first railway line reached Nylstroom in 1898, connecting the town to Pretoria. During the Second Boer War, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
operated a concentration camp in Nylstroom, where Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
women and children where interned as part of the British Scorched Earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy. This subsequently led to the loss of 544 lives at the Nylstroom concentration camp. Strijdom Huis (Strijdom House) was the primary residence of the 6th Prime Minister of South Africa, JG Strijdom, and is situated in Nylstroom.
Name change
The South African government officially changed the name of the town to Modimolle in 2002. The name comes from the TswanaTswana language
Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
phrase, Modimo o lle, meaning "the forefather's spirit has eaten", or "God has eaten". Although it has become popular and widely used among the black population, the Afrikaans and English speaking population sometimes still use Nylstroom.
Other numerous name changes include the renaming of both a municipal building and the town hall after Oliver Tambo
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Reginald Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress .-Biography:Oliver Tambo was born in Bizana in eastern Pondoland in what is now Eastern Cape...
, the library being renamed the Ruth First
Ruth First
Ruth First was a white South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar born in Johannesburg, South Africa...
Memorial Library, as well as the renaming of several streets. Despite these alterations to titles, the name Nylstroom is still used, especially among the white community.
Notable people
- Christiaan Beyers - Boer general, and Commandant-General of the Union Defence Force
- Eugène MaraisEugene MaraisEugène Nielen Marais was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer.- His early years, before and during the Boer War :Marais was born in Pretoria, the thirteenth and last child of his parents, Jan Christiaan Nielen Marais and Catharina Helena Cornelia van Niekerk...
- Poet, journalist, lawyer, naturalist and author - Gerard MoerdijkGerard MoerdijkGerard Leendert Pieter Moerdijk , also known as Gerard Moerdyk, was a South African architect best-known for designing the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria....
- Architect - Johannes Gerhardus StrijdomJohannes Gerhardus StrijdomJohannes Gerhardus Strijdom, commonly called JG Strydom or Hans Strydom , nicknamed the Lion of the North, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 30 November 1954 to 24 August 1958...
- 5th Prime Minister of South Africa