Transvaal (province)


The Province of Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" is from the Latin prefix trans, which means across from, or on the other side. Hence, Transvaal refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.

History

In 1910, four British colonies united to form the Union of South Africa. The Transvaal Colony, which had been formed out of the bulk of the old South African Republic after the Second Boer War, became the Transvaal Province in the new union. Half a century later, in 1961, the union ceased to be part of the Commonwealth of Nations and became the Republic of South Africa. The PWV conurbation in the Transvaal, centred on Pretoria and Johannesburg, became South Africa's economic powerhouse, a position it still holds today as Gauteng Province.
In 1994, after the fall of apartheid, the former provinces were abolished, and the Transvaal ceased to exist. The south-central portion became Gauteng, the northern portion became Limpopo and the southeastern portion became Mpumalanga. Most of the North West came from the southwestern portion of the old Transvaal, and a tiny segment of the Transvaal joined KwaZulu-Natal.
Even before 1994, the Transvaal Province was subdivided into regions for a number of purposes. These divisions included Northern Transvaal, Eastern Transvaal, Western Transvaal and Southern Transvaal.

Geography

The Transvaal province lay between the Vaal River in the south, and the Limpopo River in the north, roughly between and S, and 25 and 32 E. To its south it bordered with the Orange Free State and Natal provinces, to its west were the Cape Province and the Bechuanaland Protectorate, to its north Rhodesia, and to its east Portuguese East Africa and Swaziland. Except on the south-west, these borders were mostly well defined by natural features.
Several Bantustans were entirely inside the Transvaal: Venda, KwaNdebele, Gazankulu, KaNgwane and Lebowa. Parts of Bophuthatswana were also in the Transvaal, with other parts in Cape Province and Orange Free State.
Within the Transvaal lies the Waterberg Massif, a prominent ancient geological feature of the South African landscape.

Regions

Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.
DistrictPopulation
Johannesburg1,574,631
Alberton367,929
Germiston171,541
Boksburg195,905
Benoni288,629
Kempton Park354,787
Randburg341,430
Roodepoort219,149
Westonaria160,531
Oberholzer177,768
Randfontein116,405
Krugersdorp196,213
Brakpan130,463
Springs157,702
Nigel92,881
Delmas48,614
Pretoria667,700
Wonderboom266,153
Soshanguve146,334
Cullinan32,006
Vanderbijlpark434,004
Vereeniging250,511
Heidelberg77,055
Balfour38,311
Standerton85,893
Hoëveldrif 155,881
Bethal77,780
Volksrust29,924
Amersfoort33,461
Wakkerstroom33,246
Piet Retief64,052
Ermelo111,082
Carolina30,438
Bronkhorstspruit38,605
Witbank173,281
Middelburg140,015
Belfast28,973
Waterval-Boven9,300
Groblersdal57,742
Moutse 102,179
Nelspruit61,921
Barberton72,165
Witrivier30,235
Pelgrimsrus 29,063
Lydenburg36,976
Letaba 59,900
Phalaborwa30,126
Soutpansberg 35,839
Messina22,959
Pietersburg64,207
Potgietersrus69,571
Waterberg 48,991
Ellisras24,530
Thabazimbi48,844
Warmbad41,692
Brits111,798
Rustenburg125,307
Swartruggens12,607
Marico38,983
Koster29,228
Ventersdorp36,315
Coligny22,154
Lichtenburg79,013
Delareyville36,036
Potchefstroom185,552
Klerksdorp321,478
Wolmaransstad61,497
Schweizer-Reneke46,893
Bloemhof15,291
Christiana13,596

Administrators

Sports

The province was divided into a number of sporting teams. These teams were renamed after the Transvaal became defunct, however their traditional territories have remained unchanged in many cases, even though they overlap the boundaries of the Transvaal's successor provinces.
Examples of this include the Blue Bulls, which governs rugby in Pretoria and Limpopo Province, and the Golden Lions formed in 1889.
The Orlando Pirates Football Club was founded in 1937 and was originally based in Orlando, Soweto and Kaizer Chiefs were founded in January 1970. In the same year, Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. originated from Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area north west of the Pretoria CBD in the early 1960s.
Cricket teams from the former Transvaal include Transvaal which represented the southern parts of the province, and Northern Transvaal that represents the northern parts of Gauteng, including Pretoria, as well as areas further north.