Ohrigstad
Encyclopedia
Ohrigstad is a small town to the north of Lydenburg
in the Mpumalanga
province, South Africa
. A fort was established by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter
with the help of a Dutch
merchant Gregorius Ohrig. The settlers arrived in 1845
and were soon afterwards decimated by malaria
and forced to abandon the area. Settlers only returned once the disease was under control. On the 14 May 1873, the area was proclaimed as a public gold field after the discovery of gold in the Selati River.
Lydenburg
Lydenburg is a town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town is slated to be renamed Mashishing, according to an announcement made on June 30, 2006 by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture, Pallo Jordan. Lydenburg is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Olifants River at...
in the Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
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...
. A fort was established by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter
Andries Hendrik Potgieter
Andries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter was a Voortrekker leader. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 and also as the first head of state of Zoutpansberg from 1845 to 1852.Potgieter was born in the Tarkastad district of the Cape Colony, the second...
with the help of a Dutch
Netherlands
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...
merchant Gregorius Ohrig. The settlers arrived in 1845
1845 in South Africa
-Events:* The road from Cape Town to Stellenbosch through the Maitland area is completed* The Voortrekker settlement of Ohrigstad is founded* Natal becomes an autonomous district of Cape Colony* Battle of Zwartkoppies...
and were soon afterwards decimated by malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and forced to abandon the area. Settlers only returned once the disease was under control. On the 14 May 1873, the area was proclaimed as a public gold field after the discovery of gold in the Selati River.