Bethanie, North West

Bethanie
Bethanie Show map of North West (South African province) Bethanie Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 25.554°S 27.606°E / -25.554; 27.606
Country	South Africa
Province	North West
District	Bojanala
Municipality	Rustenburg
Government
• Paramount Chief	Mamogale
Area [1]
• Total	27.87 km^2 (10.76 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	8,429
• Density	300/km^2 (780/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	99.1%
• Coloured	0.1%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	0.1%
• Other	0.3%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Tswana	79.2%
• Zulu	5.2%
• English	4.8%
• Tsonga	2.1%
• Other	8.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	0260
PO box	0270
Area code	012

Bethanie is a town in Bojanala District Municipality in the North West province of South Africa.

The Bell tower in Bethanie is one of the oldest structures in the village. It was constructed in the late 1800s as part of the Mission.

Bethanie is a station of the Hermannsburg Mission, established in 1864, and located 37 km northeast of Rustenburg. The name is of biblical origin (Matthew 26:6, Mark 14:3 Mark 11:1), and is Hebrew for 'house of sorrow or misery'.[2]

Bethanie is the capital town of Bakwena Ba Mogopa, a SeTswana-speaking traditional community.

Demographics

The station hosts multiple races.

History

It is one of 15 villages that form part of Bakwena Ba Mogopa nation. The village was previously a farm called Losperfontein, owned by Tjaart Kruger, President Paul Kruger's younger brother. The community purchased the farm around 1866, with the assistance of missionary Wilhelm Behrenssen, and it was renamed Bethanie.

Facilities

Bethanie has a police station that renders services to nearby[3] settlements such as Modikoe and Berseba.

A view of Bethanie, with the iconic Lutheran Church a centerpiece.

References

1. "Main Place Bethanie". Census 2011.
2. Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Internet Archive. p. 76. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
3. "Police Station ( Bethanie )".