Sasolburg

Province

Sasolburg is an industrial town in the far north of the Free State Province in South Africa. 2011 had the place - including the townships Zamdela - 113 038 inhabitants.

Geography

Sasolburg is situated about 1,500 meters above sea level, so the city has a dry climate. There are annually about 638 mm of precipitation, the average temperature is 26.9 ° C in summer and 1.6 ° C in winter. Sasolburg is situated on the Vaal River, which separates the Free State from the former province of Transvaal. The Vaal Dam is situated near Sasolburg.

Together with the cities Zamdela, Deneysville and Orange Ville and the surrounding rural areas Sasolburg forms the Local Municipality of Metsimaholo.

History

Sasolburg was established on 26 September 1950 to provide housing and other facilities for the employees of the company Sasol. A further purpose was to establish a pilot refinery for the production of oil from coal by the US-based Kellogg Corporation, as the oil is running out, the coal reserves in South Africa but are still very rich. The political developments of the late 1960s and early 1970s ( particularly the trade embargo against the country ) could be very important to this project. Plans were made for a production plant in Eastern Transvaal, which should produce about 25 percent of national demand. The town of Secunda was rebuilt to house the teams of known as SASOL 2 project.

The industrial plants in Sasolburg in 1980 of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress, attacked. However, the symbolic value of the action was more important than the dished economic damage.

Flora

The place is known for its exceptional wealth tree, especially on oaks.