Location

West-central North West province.

The town, focal point of the province's western ranchlands, is a pleasantly tranquil little place - which rather belies its origins. Vryburg ('Free Town') began life in that especially turbulent era of settler expansion when the fringes of white occupation were being pushed north-westwards. In the early 1880s hundreds of Boer mercenaries, who had taken part in the local wars (between the Korana and Tlhapin peoples) were rewarded with a block of land, and promptly declared their independence from the Transvaal. Their mini-republic, which they named Stellaland (after the comet visible in the skies of the time) lasted just two years, when a British force was dispatched from the Cape to 'remove the fillibusters and restore order in the country'. In the meantime, though, the Stellalanders managed to establish their capital, design a flag, issue their own postage stamps (these are now valuable collector's items) and build a much-needed goal. The latter proved very useful in the following years, when cattle and horse rustlers roamed the largely lawless land.

With stability, though, came expansion and prosperity: Vryburg grew into solid agricultural centre serving a countryside noted for its cattle spreads (the area is known as 'the Texas of South Africa' and meat processing is a significant industry) maize fields and vast horizons.

Highlights

Established in honour of Sir Arnold Theiler (1867-1936), who did more than anyone else in Southern Africa to pioneer veterinary science in general and the campaign against cattle disease in particular. He arrived too late to stop the devastating rinderpest epidemic of 1896 but managed to produce a vaccine that controlled it and went on to develop other vaccines and remedies, notably against East Coast fever and horse-sickness. He later founded the renowned Onderstepoort veterinary centre near Pretoria. His son Max was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1951 for his lifelong work on yellow fever. Max also contributed much to the fight against polio and encephalitis.

A peaceful sanctuary about 5 kilometres from town, haven to a variety of animals and birds and location for a pleasant holiday resort.

There are no large centres close to Vryburg. The small town of Schweizer-Reneke is about 70 kilometres to the south-east; Klerksdorp lies on the N1 to the east; Kimberley far to the south.

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VRYBURG

Locations
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PROVINCES

Western Cape
Gauteng
Eastern Cape
Free State
Kwazulu Natal
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
Northern
North West