Delmas became famous in the latter part of 2010 for its proximity to the missing tiger known as Panjo. The tiger, only 17-months old, disappeared somewhere between Groblersdal and Delmas. Panjo the tiger, who had not only been hand-reared but slept every night with seven Jack Russells, placed the town on the map. Suddenly everyone knows where Delmas is.
Panjo the tame tiger has since thankfully been found near Bronkorstspruit, but Delmas, the small farming town remains just east of Johannesburg, serving a large community of farmers who plant mainly maize, wheat and potatoes. The name of the town, rather unromantically, comes from the Frenchman Frank Dumat, who originally owned the farm on which the town was laid out and who called it 'de le mas', which means 'of the small farm'.
It is a surprisingly leafy town with a golf course that attracts some attention and various forest plantations on its perimeters. Children play in the suburban streets and most houses are without the six foot walls and additional razor wire that grace so many residences in Johannesburg, which is what makes it an attractive alternative for weekends and time away.
But usually Delmas serves as a stopover for those en route to the further reaches of Mpumalanga or for those who have bought a farm for weekend getaways, or want to experience similar.
Delmas History
By Tulani J Ngwenya
Delmas is a small farming town largely known for chicken, maize, potatoe and wheat production. The town is located 19 km North-East of Springs and 73 km South-East of Pretoria and situated east of Johannesburg in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town originated out of a farm called Witklip or White Stone in 1907.
Witklip farm was owned by Frank Dumat who was later on to name the town De le mas, derived from the French de la mas which means ‘small farm’. The town is connected by two main roads, the R555 and the R50. The R50 north connects the town to the N12 freeway junction which links Johannesburg to Witbank while the road continues north to Pretoria. The R50 south connects the town to Standerton.
The town of Delmas falls under the Province of Mpumalanga, in the Nkangala under the Victor Khanye Local Municipality. The postal code of Delmas is 2210 and the area code is 013. The town covers 8.74 square kilometers and has a population of 7. 399. Black Africans constitute 40.2% of the population while the White population constitutes 56%; the coloured population constitutes 1.6%, and the Indian and Asian populations constitute 1%. Native Afrikaans speakers constitute 56.9% while native Southern Ndebele speakers constitute 8.5%, Zulu speakers 16.2% and English 7.2%.
Bothibelong is one of the oldest townships in Delmas and it is located 3 km north of Delmas. The name is derived from Sotho and means 'protection'. A newer location is named Botleng, which means 'place of beauty' in Sotho. Manhlangu Street, Masombuka Street, Tau Street and Sarel Cilliers Street are some of the most popularly known in and outside the town of Delmas.
Delmas has a lot of Rugby, Soccer, Cricket and Golf enthusiasts. The town has a Golf Club which is a nine-hole golf course, it was opened in 1960. The town is dominated by government public schools which have recently adopted Ndebele as the mode of instruction. There are only two private schools in the town.
The ANC is the oldest and most dominant political party in Delmas especially amongst the black population followed by the DA which is most popular with the coloured and white populations followed by the EFF which has a large following amongst the black population. Entertainment arenas and spaces are mainly centered in the township of Botleng in the form of taverns and ‘shisanyamas’.
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Geolocation
-26° 8' 2.2867", 28° 41' 24.895"