Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
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| Newcastle | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Kwazulu-Natal |
| Municipality | Newcastle Local municipality |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Constance Lungile Dube |
| - Municipal Manager | Bongani Ntanzi |
| Elevation | 1,194 m (3,917 ft) |
| Population (1996) | |
| - Total | 219 682 [1] |
| - Metro Density | , Italy/km² (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","/sq mi) |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
| Postal Code | 2940 |
| Area code(s) | 034 |
| Website: http://www.newcastle.gov.za | |
Newcastle is a town in north-west KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on the Ncandu River. It is moderately industrial. The town started off life as Post Halt Two on the journey between Durban (then Port Natal and the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek[1] and Johannesburg.The town was strategically placed in 1854 by the Surveyor General of the Natal Colony, Dr PC Sutherland. The town was later known as the Waterfall River Township because of the Ncandu River. In 1864, the town of Newcastle was founded on the site, becoming the fourth town to be established in Natal after Durban, Weenen and Pietermaritzburg. Newcastle was named after the British Colonial Secretary, the Duke of Newcastle. In 1870 the Fort Amiel was built to ward off the Zulus. To commemorate Queen Victoria's Silver (60th) Jubilee a sandstone town hall was built in 1897, but was only completed two years later. The town was used as a depot by the British during both the First and Second Boer War. Newcastle functioned as a major transport junction and popular stopover for wagons and post chaises during the second half of the 1800s. In 1890, the first train arrived in Newcastle. In 1891, Newcastle was declared a borough. The discovery of coal brought a new era of prosperity and several ambitious building projects were planned.
The upper part of the Drakensberg mountain range curls along the West side of the town. A large proportion of the population lives in Madadeni Township in the south-western part. The N11 is the principal road running through it.
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[edit] Municipality
Newcastle is the seat of the local municipality by the same name as well as being the seat to the Amajuba District Municipality.
[edit] Economy
This town serves surrounding maize, livestock and dairy farmers as well as workers connected to Karbochem, Mittal Steel South Africa (previously ISPAT/ISCOR), the textile and service industry. There is also considerable coal mining in the area.
Mittal Steel South Africa produces over 1.5 million tons of long steel products annually.
Although the Mittal steelworks and the [Karbochem]] synthetic rubber plant (which covers an impressive 500 000 m² of manufacturing space), dominates the Newcastle industrial portfolio; there is a wide range of manufacturing undertakings sharing in the success of the region. Newcastle has welcomed many Taiwanese into the region with the addition of over a hundred textile factories.
An indication of the industrial future of Newcastle is reflected in the chrome chemical plant, which was completed in Newcastle during 2002. This joint venture project between Karbochem and German manufacturing giant Bayer has made Newcastle the largest producer of chrome chemicals in Africa. Mittal Steel also recently completed a R400 million project to rebuild one of their coke batteries. Other large operations include a diamond cutting works, various heavy engineering concerns, steel reinforcement and a slagment cement factory.
The development of a R2 billion project, Dunblane Golf and Trout Estate, which will eventually consist of 2000 houses, two hotels and a golf course is well underway and will create further opportunity for people to enjoy Newcastle.
The new Century Casino also provides much entertainment to Newcastle and surrounding areas.
From the 1880's, Newcastle experienced rapid economic growth. Today, Newcastle has the largest concentration of industry in the north western KwaZulu-Natal region. The Amajuba District Municipality is the fifth most densely populated district in KwaZulu-Natal, comprising of Dannhauser (1516 km²) Newcastle (1956 km²) and Utrecht (3539 km²). The average population density that was recorded in Amajuba was 67.7 people per km² in 2001. In 2001 the district was home to 468030 people, with 22% residing in Dannhauser, 72% residing in Newcastle and 7% in Utrecht. Today, Newcastle is home to approximately 413000 people.
[edit] Medical
Newcastle has two government hospitals, Newcastle Provincial Hospital and Madadeni Hospital [2]. There is also a small (90-bed) private hospital. There are also several clinics and specialist physicians in almost every field. In addition, there is a large retirement centre with frail care facilities.
[edit] Lifestyle
Newcastle has always offered entrepreneurs an opportunity to spread their wings and residents unmatched lifestyle and recreational facilities in a secure and family-orientated environment. The surrounding countryside offers superb opportunities for outdoor adventures like hiking, 4x4 trails, mountain biking and fishing. The area also boasts a modern indoor gym complex, public swimming pools, two golf courses, bowling clubs and several scuba diving clubs to mention just a few. In addition Newcastle is home to one of the provinces most attractive night clubs:Club Escape,which ecompasses class and unriviled entertainment,and regularly host famous South African deejays and artists. It is also now the proud home of the ,100 million rand, Century Casino,Spa and Hotel,which provides entertainment for the whole family, and houses an entertainment area for kids, a sports bar and various resturants. A library is situated in the centre of the town with satellite libraries in surrounding areas. Over the post decade, the town has grown from strength to strength and today, all the major chain stores, banking and financial institutions are represented in Newcastle. The development of three new major shopping complexes and the upgrading of existing ones indicates the increase in local confidence, spending power and economy.
[edit] Sport
Newcastle also boasts one of the regions leading Angling Club, namely Challengers Angling Club. The Club is at the forefront of the Natal Freshwater Angling Association and promotes various facets of the sport. An annual Angling Competition is held to assist local charities. The Club does not have any policies of bias and servers the entire community and not a closed sector.
[edit] Places of Interest
These include the Carnegie Art Gallery, where major South African artists are represented, Fort Amiel Museum, a typical Victorian frontier fort now museum, the Armoury and a unique Hindu temple.Club Espace and the Century Casino,Spa and Hotel
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.places.co.za/html/newcastle.html Places Info]
Newcastle Community Website Newcastle Website
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Province of KwaZulu-Natal |
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|---|---|---|
| Provincial Capital: | ||
| Major Metros: | ||
| District Municipalities: |
Ugu | Umgungundlovu | Uthukela | Umzinyathi | Amajuba | Zululand | Umkhanyakude | uThungulu | iLembe | Sisonke |
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| Local Municipalities: |
Amajuba | Zululand | Umkhanyakude | uThungulu | Umzinyathi | Uthukela | Umgungundlovu | iLembe | eThekwini | Ugu | Sisonke | |
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| Smaller Cities: |
Empangeni | Kokstad | Ladysmith | Newcastle | Port Shepstone | Richards Bay | KwaDukuza | Tongaat | Vryheid |
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