Onverwacht, Gauteng

Onverwacht
Onverwacht Show map of Gauteng Onverwacht Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 25.604°S 28.600°E / -25.604; 28.600
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	City of Tshwane
Area [1]
• Total	1.24 km^2 (0.48 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	1,518
• Density	1,200/km^2 (3,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	78.3%
• Coloured	19.8%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• Other	1.5%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	29.8%
• Northern Sotho	29.3%
• Sotho	14.2%
• S. Ndebele	11.0%
• Other	15.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	0557
PO box	0557

Onverwacht (Dutch for "unexpected") is a town in City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The settlement is located about 40 km north-east of Pretoria, near the mining town of Cullinan.[2]

History

Onverwacht was established in 1886 by President Paul Kruger. During the Second Boer War, local blacks were promised their own land if they helped the Boers in the war, and the promise was kept despite the Boer defeat. The village was also the site of the Battle of Onverwacht, which took place on 4 January 1902.[3]

Present day

Today, Onverwacht is home to approximately 100 black Afrikaner families. The local inhabitants have petitioned the government to have their town declared a heritage site.[3]

References

1. "Main Place Onverwacht". Census 2011.
2. "Proudly 'boer' - A lifestyle in tatters". SundayWorld. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
3. "Onverwacht". Gauteng Tourism Authority. Retrieved 22 December 2013.