Leeudoringstad

Leeudoringstad (Afrikaans for Lion thorn city) is a small farming town situated on the main Cape Town - Johannesburg railway line in North West Province of South Africa.

Leeudoringstad
Leeudoringstad Show map of North West (South African province) Leeudoringstad Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 27°14′S 26°14′E
Country	South Africa
Province	North West
District	Dr Kenneth Kaunda
Municipality	Maquassi Hills
Area [1]
• Total	5.63 km^2 (2.17 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	5,054
• Density	900/km^2 (2,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	77.4%
• Coloured	1.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.8%
• White	20.1%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Tswana	57.0%
• Afrikaans	21.8%
• Sotho	10.4%
• Xhosa	4.1%
• Other	6.6%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	2640
PO box	2640
Area code	018 581

Leeudoringstad was established in 1920 and named after the Lion-thorn tree. The town hit the headlines on 17 July 1932 when a train carrying 320 to 330 tons (previously incorrectly stated as 1,200 tons) of dynamite from the De Beers factory at Somerset West to the Witwatersrand exploded and flattened the town. Five people were killed.

The paper, "The Star" of July 18th, 1932 carried extensive articles.

Today, Leeudoringstad hosts the headquarters of Suidwes Landbou, one of the largest agricultural companies in South Africa.[2]

References

1. "Main Place Leeudoringstad". Census 2011.
2. "Suidwes". Retrieved 26 February 2015.