Nigel, Gauteng

Nigel is a small gold mining town in Gauteng Province, South Africa southeast of Johannesburg. The town is on the edge of the area known as the East Rand.

Nigel
Nigel
Nigel
Coordinates: 26°25′13″S 28°28′6″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceGauteng
MunicipalityEkurhuleni
Area
 • Total139.07 km2 (53.70 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total38,318
 • Density280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African44.9%
 • Coloured16.7%
 • Indian/Asian3.9%
 • White33.4%
 • Other1.1%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans43.5%
 • Zulu23.3%
 • English16.1%
 • Sotho5.3%
 • Other11.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1491
PO box
1490
Area code011

Background

A farmer, shopkeeper and prospector, Petrus Johannes Marais, having read Sir Walter Scott's The Fortunes of Nigel at the time (see Nigel), formed the Nigel Gold Mining Company after the discovery of gold on the farm Varkensfontein in 1886.[2]:286 The town, which grew around the mine, still bears names derived from Scott's book and its characters with the suburb of Glenvarloch and its streets derived from that source.[2]:286

Today the town is focused primarily on mining and also has various heavy industries.

The town became known as the setting of the popular Afrikaans-sitcom Vetkoekpaleis,[3] a sitcom that revolves around the daily lives of staff members of the Vetkoekpaleis (a Vetkoek-themed fast-food restaurant).

Nigel's municipal government became part of the much larger City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality following the creation of new local government structures in 2000, along with most of rest of the East Rand.

On 1 August 2010, a fire at the Pieter Wessels old age home led to the deaths of 22 people.[4]

Main Places
  • Alra-park
  • Mackenzie-Ville
  • Snake-park (Informal Settlement)

References
  1. "Main Place Nigel". Census 2011.
  2. Conolly, Denis (1975). The Tourist in South Africa. Travel-Guide (PTY) LTD. ASIN B0000E7XZN.
  3. Vetkoek-Paleis - S04E04, retrieved 13 September 2018
  4. "Four more residents die at old age home". BuaNews Online. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.


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