Secunda
Encyclopedia
Secunda is a town built amidst the coal
fields of the Mpumalanga
province of South Africa
. It was named for being the second extraction refinery producing oil from coal, after Sasolburg
, some 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the west.
Secunda is situated on the latitude 26° and longitude 29° and is 1,620 meters above sea level. It is 180 kilometers form Pretoria and 169 kilometers from Johannesburg.
Another important factor determining its location, was the availability of water. Water for Sasol is supplied from Grootdraai Dam
near Standerton
.
to thank for its existence, as it was founded to make South Africa less dependent on the importation of crude oil. It is doubtful whether an industry such as Sasol Synfuels ever formed part of the plans when Sasol One was formed in the 1950s. Sasol Two (1980) and Sasol Three (1982), known as Secunda CTL, the largest coal liquefaction
plant in the world, produces synthetic fuel
, diesel, and related fuels and petrochemicals from coal gasification. Sasol Synfuels (previously known as Sasol Two and Sasol Three) are large industrial refineries, within view, and sometimes earshot, of the town of Secunda.
After the site for the Sasol complex had been identified, it had to be decided whether or not to combine the existing towns of Evander
and Trichardt. The huge burden that extensions of this nature would have had on the financial and administrative resources of the established communities as well as the tempo at which such development should proceed was decisive and resulted in the decision to develop a separate town, namely Secunda.
On the 3rd of November 1975, the Health Committee of Secunda was established by means of an Administrative Proclamation, to carry out the functions for local government. At this time Secunda still had no residents. The original Committee consisted of five members. At that stage, the only official was Mr. JF Coertzen, whose job designation was Secretary. He commenced his duties on the 1st of May 1976 with is office in Pretoria, as the then Chairman of the Committee was stationed in Pretoria and no office accommodation was available in Secunda.
1976 saw the first resident of Secunda moving in. Mr Lool Odendaal moved into Tuyshuys, the original house of the farm Goede Hoop, on which Secunda was built.
On the 1st of December 1976, the Secretary moved to Secunda and occupied offices, consisting of two rooms in a house situated at No 4 Danie Theron Street. At this time about 150 families resided in Secunda, with more moving in daily.
The Health Committee was later expanded to seven committee members, of whom six were appointed by the Administrator from a list of names submitted by Sasol, whilst the remaining member was appointed by the Administrator himself. Secunda acquired Town Council status on the 5th on November 1985.
Other important occasions were the opening of the Secunda Sports Stadium on the 1st of February 1986, as well as the opening and handing over of the Johannes Stegmann Theatre by Sasol Limited on the 6th of August 1986.
On the 11th of November 1987, an ultra modern library was opened. This library is known as the Jan Coertzen Public Library and has a reference, an adult, children’s and a music section as well as an auditorium with conference facilities.
In 1994 a community center was completed in Secunda. It was named after Rev. Casper Breedt.
The town has an approximate 90,000 inhabitants, with an estimated 350,000 people living in nearby township, named eMbalenhle - meaning "pretty flower". The town has experienced significant growth in the past few years due to the expansions underway at the Sasol
complexes.
The highest structure in Secunda is the 301 metre high chimney at the Sasol Three plant. The chimney is an Eskom
type chimney comprising four 301 metre high refractory brick lined concrete fluor of 4.6 metre diameter each. The windshield is 292 metres high with an internal diameter of 26 metres. The chimney was constructed by Concor and LTA as part of a contract to construct the Sasol Three steamplant with Hochtief
. The foundations of the chimney comprised vertical and raked piles
. This chimney happens to be one of the tallest free-standing structures in the Southern Hemisphere
.
One of the many refineries at the respective plants was the target of two attempted bombings by the African National Congress
. The first, unsuccessful bombing occurred in 1980, and the second, partly successful bombing a few years later. Patrick Chamusso
was wrongly accused of the first attempt, and as a result of his arrest and torture he became an ANC
activist and was instrumental in carrying out the second as part of the ANC's campaign of attacks on South African industrial facilities. This episode is recounted in the film Catch a Fire
, released in 2006.
Secunda has several businesses, some private and other corporate which are highly successful. Among some are Game, Spar, Pick 'n Pay, Mr Price and Mr Price Home, along with many restaurants and fast food establishment. Several shopping centres boasts stores with great variety being offered in the town.
A fitness centre owned by Sasol operates in the centre of the business district, but is open to the public.
It also has three high schools, two of them having started out with Afrikaans language education, namely High School Oosterland, and High School Secunda. The third, Highveld Park High School was founded with English as the central language of education. Now though, the two formerly mentioned also offer both languages in all offered subjects for education.
Secunda is also condsidered the "host town" of a casino called "Graceland", a building based on the times of Elvis' American culture. The casino boasts an impressive golf course, hotel, conference rooms, restaurants, gambling, slot machines, go-karts, and entertainment for children in the form of a small arcade room.
The relatively new Waterfront next to the sports stadium also has some entertainment for young adults, with a bowling alley, an indoor cricket centre, and plenty of idyllic restaurants with patios leading up to the water.
.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fields of 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 of 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 was named for being the second extraction refinery producing oil from coal, after Sasolburg
Sasolburg
Sasolburg is a large industrial town in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa. Sasolburg is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark and Zamdela...
, some 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the west.
Climate and setting
During the summer, Secunda has a very pleasant climate with an average temperature of 25.2°C. During the winter, the nights are cold, and the frost regularly occurs. The days are dry, sunny and warm with an average day temperature of 16.2°C.Secunda is situated on the latitude 26° and longitude 29° and is 1,620 meters above sea level. It is 180 kilometers form Pretoria and 169 kilometers from Johannesburg.
Natural resources
As coal is the main ingredient for the industrial process, Sasol Two had to be developed around a coal field. The five coal mines, namely Brandspruit, Middelbult, Bosjesspruit, Twistdraai and Syferfontein, form the largest underground coal mining complex in South Africa and annually supply approximately 37,3 million tons of coal to Sasol Synthetic Fuels.Another important factor determining its location, was the availability of water. Water for Sasol is supplied from Grootdraai Dam
Grootdraai Dam
Grootdraai Dam is a dam on the Vaal River, near Standerton, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was established in 1981.Grootdraai Dam is a composite structure comprising a central concrete gravity section 360m long and two earthfill flanks giving a total crest length of 2 180m and a maximum wall height...
near Standerton
Standerton
Standerton is a large commercial and agricultural town lying on the banks of the Vaal River in Mpumalanga, South Africa which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. The town was established in 1876 and named after Boer leader Commadant AH Stander. During the Second Boer War a...
.
Early history
Secunda has the oil crisis of 1973/41973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
to thank for its existence, as it was founded to make South Africa less dependent on the importation of crude oil. It is doubtful whether an industry such as Sasol Synfuels ever formed part of the plans when Sasol One was formed in the 1950s. Sasol Two (1980) and Sasol Three (1982), known as Secunda CTL, the largest coal liquefaction
Coal liquefaction
-Methods:The liquefaction processes are classified as direct conversion to liquids processes and indirect conversion to liquids processeses. Direct processes are carbonization and hydrogenation.-Pyrolysis and carbonization processes:...
plant in the world, produces synthetic fuel
Synthetic fuel
Synthetic fuel or synfuel is a liquid fuel obtained from coal, natural gas, oil shale, or biomass. It may also refer to fuels derived from other solids such as plastics or rubber waste. It may also refer to gaseous fuels produced in a similar way...
, diesel, and related fuels and petrochemicals from coal gasification. Sasol Synfuels (previously known as Sasol Two and Sasol Three) are large industrial refineries, within view, and sometimes earshot, of the town of Secunda.
After the site for the Sasol complex had been identified, it had to be decided whether or not to combine the existing towns of Evander
Evander, Mpumalanga
Evander is a town in the Mpumalanga, South Africa 8km north west of Secunda. The town was founded in 1955 when the Union Corporation started its mining activities and was originally part of the Bethal district...
and Trichardt. The huge burden that extensions of this nature would have had on the financial and administrative resources of the established communities as well as the tempo at which such development should proceed was decisive and resulted in the decision to develop a separate town, namely Secunda.
Proclamation
During 1974 Sasol (Transvaal) Townships Limited, a subsidiary company of Sasol Limited, was instructed to establish and develop Secunda. On the 28th of June 1976, the first town area was proclaimed. The town already had a population of approximately seven thousand residents.On the 3rd of November 1975, the Health Committee of Secunda was established by means of an Administrative Proclamation, to carry out the functions for local government. At this time Secunda still had no residents. The original Committee consisted of five members. At that stage, the only official was Mr. JF Coertzen, whose job designation was Secretary. He commenced his duties on the 1st of May 1976 with is office in Pretoria, as the then Chairman of the Committee was stationed in Pretoria and no office accommodation was available in Secunda.
1976 saw the first resident of Secunda moving in. Mr Lool Odendaal moved into Tuyshuys, the original house of the farm Goede Hoop, on which Secunda was built.
On the 1st of December 1976, the Secretary moved to Secunda and occupied offices, consisting of two rooms in a house situated at No 4 Danie Theron Street. At this time about 150 families resided in Secunda, with more moving in daily.
First amenities
In February 1977 Secunda’s first library was opened, located in the kitchen, lounge and dining rooms of a house in Danie Theron Street. At this time a clinic service was also introduced, with personnel of the Transvaal Council for Non-Urban areas visiting Secunda twice a week. The clinic was located in the same house as the library. A permanent service with permanent personnel was established in 1978.The Health Committee was later expanded to seven committee members, of whom six were appointed by the Administrator from a list of names submitted by Sasol, whilst the remaining member was appointed by the Administrator himself. Secunda acquired Town Council status on the 5th on November 1985.
Other important occasions were the opening of the Secunda Sports Stadium on the 1st of February 1986, as well as the opening and handing over of the Johannes Stegmann Theatre by Sasol Limited on the 6th of August 1986.
On the 11th of November 1987, an ultra modern library was opened. This library is known as the Jan Coertzen Public Library and has a reference, an adult, children’s and a music section as well as an auditorium with conference facilities.
In 1994 a community center was completed in Secunda. It was named after Rev. Casper Breedt.
Extent and town planning
The layout of the town is unique in the sense that residential quarter cells were laid out which are bordered by main routes and green strips, with the result that only internal traffic is found within such cells. Access to schools, the Central Business District and the suburban shopping centers is made easier for pedestrians and cyclist as the green strips are free from vehicles and the distance to be travelled is shorter.The town has an approximate 90,000 inhabitants, with an estimated 350,000 people living in nearby township, named eMbalenhle - meaning "pretty flower". The town has experienced significant growth in the past few years due to the expansions underway at the Sasol
Sasol
Sasol Ltd. is a South African company involved in mining, energy, chemicals and synfuels. In particular, they produce petrol and diesel profitably from coal and natural gas using Fischer-Tropsch process...
complexes.
Structures and buildings
Today distinctive features of the landscape around Secunda are the massive cooling towers, high chimneys and the steel constructions unique to the South-African oil-from coal industry.The highest structure in Secunda is the 301 metre high chimney at the Sasol Three plant. The chimney is an Eskom
Eskom
Eskom is a South African electricity public utility, established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission by the government of South Africa in terms of the Electricity Act . It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie . The two acronyms were combined in 1986 and...
type chimney comprising four 301 metre high refractory brick lined concrete fluor of 4.6 metre diameter each. The windshield is 292 metres high with an internal diameter of 26 metres. The chimney was constructed by Concor and LTA as part of a contract to construct the Sasol Three steamplant with Hochtief
Hochtief
Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft is Germany's largest construction company. It is based in Essen but operates globally, ranking as the top general builder in the United States through its Turner Corporation subsidiary, and in Australia through the Leighton Group. In 2010 it employed more than 70,000...
. The foundations of the chimney comprised vertical and raked piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
. This chimney happens to be one of the tallest free-standing structures in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
.
One of the many refineries at the respective plants was the target of two attempted bombings by the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
. The first, unsuccessful bombing occurred in 1980, and the second, partly successful bombing a few years later. Patrick Chamusso
Patrick Chamusso
Patrick Chamusso is a member of the African National Congress party of South Africa who participated in the militant actions of the organization during the apartheid era....
was wrongly accused of the first attempt, and as a result of his arrest and torture he became an ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
activist and was instrumental in carrying out the second as part of the ANC's campaign of attacks on South African industrial facilities. This episode is recounted in the film Catch a Fire
Catch a Fire (film)
Catch a Fire is a 2006 dramatic thriller about activists against apartheid in South Africa. The film was directed by Phillip Noyce, from a screenplay written by Shawn Slovo...
, released in 2006.
Secunda has several businesses, some private and other corporate which are highly successful. Among some are Game, Spar, Pick 'n Pay, Mr Price and Mr Price Home, along with many restaurants and fast food establishment. Several shopping centres boasts stores with great variety being offered in the town.
A fitness centre owned by Sasol operates in the centre of the business district, but is open to the public.
It also has three high schools, two of them having started out with Afrikaans language education, namely High School Oosterland, and High School Secunda. The third, Highveld Park High School was founded with English as the central language of education. Now though, the two formerly mentioned also offer both languages in all offered subjects for education.
Secunda is also condsidered the "host town" of a casino called "Graceland", a building based on the times of Elvis' American culture. The casino boasts an impressive golf course, hotel, conference rooms, restaurants, gambling, slot machines, go-karts, and entertainment for children in the form of a small arcade room.
The relatively new Waterfront next to the sports stadium also has some entertainment for young adults, with a bowling alley, an indoor cricket centre, and plenty of idyllic restaurants with patios leading up to the water.
Cultural aspects
Referencing from personal experiences, and those of others, the youth of Secunda generally have a sense of pride and "oneness" with the town and each other before the time of significant growth of the town. A group on Facebook called "I lived in Secunda, and Survived It!" has numerous members. All discuss incidents of growing up and living in Secunda, which most considered to be depressingly small and lacking in sufficient amusement for teenagers. Secunda forms part of the Govan Mbeki Local MunicipalityGovan Mbeki Local Municipality
Govan Mbeki Local Municipality, is a South African Local Municipality situated in the Gert Sibande District Municipality, of Mpumalanga. Secunda is the Seat of the municipality, as well as the Seat of the District Municipality.- Towns :*Bethal,...
.