Belfast, Mpumalanga

Belfast is a small town in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. It is situated in the eMakhazeni Local Municipality in the Nkangala District Municipality.[2]

Belfast
Battle of Berg-en-dal Memorial south of Belfast.
Belfast
Belfast
Coordinates: 25°41′S 30°1′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceMpumalanga
DistrictNkangala
MunicipalityEmakhazeni
Area
 • Total35.82 km2 (13.83 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total4,466
 • Density120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African39.9%
 • Coloured4.4%
 • Indian/Asian2.6%
 • White52.6%
 • Other0.5%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans57.1%
 • Zulu12.3%
 • Swazi7.6%
 • English6.9%
 • Other16.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1100
PO box
1100
Area code013

The town is renowned for its excellent trout fishing conditions. Sheep and dairy farming take place here as well as maize, potatoes and timber are produced. Coal and a black granite are mined around Belfast. Around 6 million tulip bulbs are produced here annually for export; the flowers are discarded. Belfast is 2,025 m above sea level and one of the coldest and highest towns in South Africa.

Etymology

The town was named after Richard Charles O'Neill from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who owned the farm on which the town was built.

History

Anglo-Boer War
The Second Boer War, 1899-1902. Train, full of probably Boer refugees, at a British Army camp at Belfast.

During the Anglo-Boer War several battles and skirmishes took place in and around the town. The Battle of Leliefontein took place 30 km south of here at the Komati river, an engagement for which several Victoria Crosses were awarded to Canadian soldiers. The British built a concentration camp here during the Boer War to house Boer women and children. Several Victoria Crosses were awarded for action at Monument Hill which is on the edge of the town.[3] During the war Meyer de Kock and his family resided in town. He was a member of the local peace committee and visited the Boer commandos to persuade them to surrender. He was convicted by them of high treason and executed by firing squad on 12 February 1901.[4]

The Battle of Bergendal took place along the railway line east of the town Belfast in what was then the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. It lasted from 21 to 27 August 1900. The 7,000 Boers were under the command of General Louis Botha, whose headquarters were at a railway station called Dalmanutha.[5] The 19,000 British Empire forces were under the overall command of Lord Roberts. General Sir Redvers Buller led the final assault against the Boer position on the farm Berg-en-dal (Hill-and-dale).


Geography

Climate

Belfast has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with mild summers and chilly, dry winters. The average annual precipitation is 674 mm (27 in), with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.

Climate data for Belfast, Mpumalanga (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 28
(82)		 30
(86)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)
Average high °C (°F) 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 20
(68)		 18
(64)		 15
(59)		 16
(61)		 18
(64)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 20
(68)
Average low °C (°F) 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 11
(52)		 8
(46)		 4
(39)		 1
(34)		 1
(34)		 3
(37)		 6
(43)		 8
(46)		 10
(50)		 11
(52)		 7
(45)
Record low °C (°F) 1
(34)		 1
(34)		 0
(32)		 −3
(27)		 −4
(25)		 −7
(19)		 −6
(21)		 −8
(18)		 −4
(25)		 −3
(27)		 1
(34)		 2
(36)		 −8
(18)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 170
(6.7)		 101
(4.0)		 83
(3.3)		 53
(2.1)		 16
(0.6)		 7
(0.3)		 5
(0.2)		 9
(0.4)		 33
(1.3)		 93
(3.7)		 156
(6.1)		 152
(6.0)		 878
(34.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 13 10 9 6 3 1 1 2 3 9 13 13 83
Source: South African Weather Service[6]

Infrastructure

This city has a railway station for the loading and unloading of passengers and cargo on the Pretoria–Maputo railway.[7][8]

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See also

References
  1. "Sub Place Belfast". Census 2011.
  2. http://www.localgovernment.co.za/locals/view/156/Emakhazeni-Local-Municipality
  3. The Great Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle, Chapter 33
  4. Albert Blake, Boereverraaier, Tafelberg, 2010, p. 140 to 152.
  5. Viljoen, Ben J., My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War, Kindle edition, location 1285
  6. "Climate data for Belfast". South African Weather Service. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  7. Mozambique Logistics Infrastructure: Mozambique Railway Assessment. Atlassian Confluence. 10 de dezembro de 2018.
  8. "The seven-year long construction of Delagoa Bay railway line starts". South African History Online. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
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