Prieska

Prieska
Prieska
Prieska Show map of Northern Cape Prieska Show map of South Africa Prieska Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 29°40′6″S 22°44′38″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Pixley ka Seme
Municipality	Siyathemba
Area [1]
• Total	195.52 km^2 (75.49 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	14,246
• Density	73/km^2 (190/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	23.6%
• Coloured	67.4%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• White	8.0%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	92.6%
• Xhosa	4.4%
• English	1.0%
• Other	2.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	8940
PO box	8940
Area code	053

Prieska is a town on the south bank of the Orange River, in the province of the Northern Cape, in western South Africa. It is located on the southern bank of the Orange River, 130 km north-west of Britstown and 75 km south-east of Marydale.

History

It developed from a place to which farmers migrated when the pans were full, after rains. It was originally named Prieschap, the name is derived from Korana and means ‘place of the lost she-goat’.[2][3]: 41  It was administered by a village management board from 1882 and attained municipal status in 1892. In 2011 the town had a population of 14,246.

Many residents, historically, worked at the nearby Koegas mine which extracted and processed blue asbestos.[4]

The town is 240 km south of Kimberley and lies on the R357 road.

Notable natives and residents

• Gert Thys - marathon runner
• Dricky Beukes - writer

References

1. "Main Place Prieska". Census 2011.
2. "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 375.
3. "Copper by the Ton". South African Panorama. 19 (1). Information Service of South Africa. 1974 – via Internet Archive.
4. Steele, Jonathan (15 September 2001). "Blue death". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021.

External links

• Prieska's website