Lephalale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lephalale (previously known as Ellisras), is a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa immediately north of the Waterberg Massif. The Matimba Power Station at Lephalale is the largest dry cooled coal power station in the world. The power station is fed directly from Grootegeluk Coal Mine next to it. Grootegeluk is an open cast terrace mining operation for coal from the Waterberg coal field. It produces more than 17 million tonnes of coal product per year, and provides jobs for many people from Ellisras, Onverwacht and Marapong. The mine is operated by South African company Exxaro (after the unbundling of Kumba Resources and Exxaro).

The town was established as Ellisras in 1960 and named after the original farm owners, Patrick Ellis and Piet Erasmus. Ellisras was renamed Lephalale in 2002 by the provincial government of Limpopo. Lephalale is the main river that crosses the municipality.

The town is divided into two major extension, Ellisras and Onverwacht. There are two primary schools as well as one high school.

The town is set to undergo huge expansions with the advent of the new, sixpack, Medupi Power Station to be operated by Eskom and the increased coal delivery from Grootegeluk Mine. The mine is planning to build two more coal beneficiation plants, a char plant and is moving towards a seven day work week (conops).

[edit] Demography

According to the 2001 census conducted by Statistics South Africa, the population of the greater Lephalale municipality, is 58,986, of which 89.3% are African, 10.5% white and 0.2% Coloured and Asian. The white population is likely to have been undercounted, a common problem with the 2001 census.

Google Earth picture of Lephalale:

Coordinates: 23°40′S, 27°45′E