Louis Trichardt

Louis Trichardt (formerly Trichardtsdorp) is a town at the foot of the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is named after the voortrekker leader Louis Tregardt. It is the centre of the Makhado Local Municipality, which comprises 16,000 km² with a total population of 270,000 (2001). Louis Trichardt is located in a fertile region where litchis, bananas, mangoes and nuts are produced. The national road N1 runs through the town. Louis Trichardt is 437 kilometres from Johannesburg and one hour's drive from the Zimbabwean border at Beitbridge. Louis Trichardt was known as Makhado for a short period (see below). Vleifontein, Elim, Tshikota, Madombidzha and Makhado Park surrounds the town at all directions. The mayor of the town is F.D. Mutavhatsindi.

History

Like many other towns in South Africa, Louis Trichardt had its origins in Voortrekker settlement of the area. Two groups of Trekkers reached the Soutpansberg mountain range in 1836, one under the leadership of Louis Tregardt (born near Oudtshoorn, South Africa, 10 August 1783) and another under Hans van Rensburg. Van Rensburg decided to lead his group to Sofala (near current Beira), Mozambique, but his entire party was killed en route.

Trichardt

Trichardt is a town in Gert Sibande District Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

Village 34km west of Bethal and 32km west-south-west of Leandra, several kilometres north-east of Secunda. It originated as a settlement of the Dutch Reformed Church and was proclaimed in 1906. Named after Carolus Johannes Tregardt (1811-1901), son of the Voortrekker Louis Tregardt.

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