# Volksrust > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Volksrust > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Volksrust.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksrust > Source revision: 1168957423 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa Volksrust SAR Class 19D 2696 4-8-2 plinthed in Volksrust, 2 June 2005 Volksrust Show map of Mpumalanga Volksrust Show map of South Africa Coordinates: 27°22′S 29°53′E / 27.367°S 29.883°E / -27.367; 29.883 Country South Africa Province Mpumalanga District Gert Sibande Municipality Pixley ka Seme Established 1888 Area • Total 25.43 km2 (9.82 sq mi) Elevation 1,660 m (5,450 ft) Population (2011) • Total 24,281 • Density 954.8/km2 (2,473/sq mi) Racial makeup (2011) [1] • Black African 79.56% • White 16.46% • Indian/Asian 1.99% • Coloured 1.65% • Other 0.34% First languages (2011) [1] • Zulu 72.38% • Afrikaans 15.77% • English 4.41% • Sesotho 1.74% • SiSwati 1.28% • Setswana 1.13% • isiNdebele 0.96% • Other 0.95% • Sign language 0.45% • Sepedi 0.40% Time zone UTC+2 (SAST) Postal code (street) 2470 PO box 2470 Area code 017 **Volksrust** is a town in the [Mpumalanga](/source/Mpumalanga) province of [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) near the [KwaZulu-Natal](/source/KwaZulu-Natal) provincial border, some 240 km southeast of [Johannesburg](/source/Johannesburg), 53 km north of [Newcastle](/source/Newcastle%2C_KwaZulu-Natal) and 80 km southeast of [Standerton](/source/Standerton). ## History The town was laid out in 1888 on the farms Boschpad Drift, Rooibult or Llanwarne, Verkyk and Zandfontein, and proclaimed in 1889.[2] It lies at an elevation of 5,429 feet (1,655 m), and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the pass through the [Drakensberg](/source/Drakensberg) known as [Laing's Nek](/source/Laing's_Nek).[3] Municipal status was attained in 1904.[2] Dorothea de Jager, daughter of Dirk Uys, one of the battle victims, named the town Volksrust *(Nation's Rest)*. The name probably refers to the citizens resting here after the [Battle of Majuba](/source/Battle_of_Majuba) on 27 February 1881,[4] a decisive battle leading to the [Transvaal](/source/South_African_Republic)'s victory against the [British](/source/United_Kingdom) in the [First Boer War](/source/First_Boer_War). During the [Second Boer War](/source/Second_Boer_War) the British authorities built a [Boer](/source/Boers) [concentration camp](/source/Concentration_camp) in Volksrust. Visiting officials and army officers described the conditions of the camp as poor, though it suffered a death rate below the Transvaal average.[5] A memorial exists in Volkrust town square to the Boer women and children who died in the camp.[6] [Majuba Hill](/source/Battle_of_Majuba_Hill) as seen from [Laing's Nek](/source/Battle_of_Laing's_Nek) where two decisive battles were fought between the British and Boer forces in the First Boer War ## Agriculture Volksrust has important [beef](/source/Beef), [dairy](/source/Dairy), [maize](/source/Maize), [sorghum](/source/Sorghum), [wool](/source/Wool) and [sunflower seed](/source/Sunflower_seed) industries. ## Notable people - [Miss World 2014](/source/Miss_World_2014), [Rolene Strauss](/source/Rolene_Strauss), was born here. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-1) [2011 census](https://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/863008) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Dict_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Dict_2-1) Raper, Peter E; Moller, Lucie A; du Plessis, Theodorus L (2014). *Dictionary of Southern African Place Names*. Jonathan Ball Publishers. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781868425501](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781868425501). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-EB1911_3-0)** One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). "[Volksrust](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Volksrust)". *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 195. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-dsapn_4-0)** ["Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)"](https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames). Human Science Research Council. p. 462. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Volksrust"](https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Volksrust/). *British Concentration Camps of the South African War 1900-1902*. Retrieved 24 September 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Concentration Camp Memorial"](https://www.battlefieldsroute.co.za/place/concentration-camp-memorial/). *Battlefields Route*. Retrieved 24 September 2022. ## External links - Media related to [Volksrust](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Volksrust) at Wikimedia Commons - [Google Map](https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-27.364111,29.881096&spn=0.059279,0.080316&t=k&hl=en) - [Volksrust Home Page](http://www.volksrust.com) v t e Municipalities and communities of Gert Sibande District Municipality, Mpumalanga District seat: Ermelo Govan Mbeki Bethal Charl Cilliers Embalenhle Evander Kinross Leandra (Thuli Fakude) Leslie Secunda Trichardt Gert Sibande District within South Africa Albert Luthuli Badplaas (eManzana) Bettysgoed Carolina Diepdale Diepgezet Dundonald Hartebeeskop (Etjelembube) Lochiel Manaar Moddergat Mooiplaas Nhlazatshe Steynsdorp (eMlondozi) Tjakastad Mkhondo Amsterdam (eMvelo) Dirkiesdorp Driefontein (Saul Mkhizeville) Iswepe (Insephe) KwaNgema Piet Retief (eMkhondo) Msukaligwa Breyten Chrissiesmeer Davel Ermelo Lothair Sheepmoor Warburton Lekwa Morgenzon Standerton Pixley ka Seme Amersfoort Daggakraal Perdekop Volksrust Wakkerstroom Dipaleseng Balfour Greylingstad (Nthorwane) Grootvlei (Thaba-Kgwali) Authority control databases International VIAF National United States Israel Other Yale LUX This Mpumalanga location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Mpumalanga-geo-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AMpumalanga-geo-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Mpumalanga-geo-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Volksrust](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksrust) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksrust?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.