Belfast, Mpumalanga


Belfast is a small town in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. It is situated in the eMakhazeni Local Municipality in the Nkangala District Municipality.
The town is renowned for its excellent trout fishing conditions. Sheep and dairy farming take place here as well as maize, potatoes and timber are produced. Coal and a black granite are mined around Belfast. Around 6 million tulip bulbs are produced here annually for export; the flowers are discarded. Belfast is 2,025 m above sea level and one of the coldest and highest towns in South Africa.

Etymology

The town was named after Richard Charles O'Neill from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who owned the farm on which the town was built.

History

Anglo-Boer War

During the Anglo-Boer War several battles and skirmishes took place in and around the town. The Battle of Leliefontein took place 30 km south of here at the Komati river, an engagement for which several Victoria Crosses were awarded to Canadian soldiers. The British built a concentration camp here during the Boer War to house Boer women and children. Several Victoria Crosses were awarded for action at Monument Hill which is on the edge of the town. During the war Meyer de Kock and his family resided in town. He was a member of the local peace committee and visited the Boer commandos to persuade them to surrender. He was convicted by them of high treason and executed by firing squad on 12 February 1901.
The Battle of Bergendal took place along the railway line east of the town Belfast in what was then the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. It lasted from 21 to 27 August 1900. The 7,000 Boers were under the command of General Louis Botha, whose headquarters were at a railway station called Dalmanutha. The 19,000 British Empire forces were under the overall command of Lord Roberts. General Sir Redvers Buller led the final assault against the Boer position on the farm Berg-en-dal.

Geography

Climate

Belfast has a subtropical highland climate, with mild summers and chilly, dry winters. The average annual precipitation is, with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.

Infrastructure

This city has a railway station for the loading and unloading of passengers and cargo on the Pretoria–Maputo railway.