Schoemansdal
"Zoutpansbergdorp" "Oude Dorp" | |
|---|---|
  Schoemansdal  Schoemansdal | |
| Coordinates: 23°03′09″S 29°46′12″E / 23.05250°S 29.77000°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| District | Vhembe |
| Municipality | Makhado |
| Established | 1848 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| PO box | 1331 |
| |
Schoemansdal (Dutch for Schoeman's dale; at first Oude Dorp and Zoutpansbergdorp) was a settlement situated 16 km west of Louis Trichardt (Makhado), which had its origins during the Great Trek. It existed from 1848 to 1867, and functioned as the capital of an autonomous region until the S.A.R. Volksraad was established, when the outpost came under the supervision and regulations of the central government.[1] The settlement was evacuated after only thirty years when attacked by Venda militants. The government rendered indecisive support and the town as torched by Katze-Katze on the night of 15 July 1867.[2]
After the S.A.R. reestablished control over the area in 1898, the former settlement was ignored and a new one started, at the present Louis Trichardt. Consequently Schoemansdal was the only Voortrekker settlement not to evolve into a modern town. The archaeological site with traces of the former settlement is currently state property and access is controlled. It is situated on the north bank of the Dorps River at 552 m.a.s.l., near present-day Hamantsha and Tshiozwi townships and the Schoemansdal railway siding.
- ^ Sacred Traditions and Biodiversity Conservation in the Forest Montane Region of Venda, South Africa. Clark University. 2008. p. 74. ISBN 9780549518686.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Hilton-Barber, Bridget (2001). Weekends with legends (1st ed.). Claremont [South Africa]: Spearhead. p. 14. ISBN 9780864864710.