Bethanie, North West (original) (raw)

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Place in North West, South Africa

Bethanie
Bethanie is located in North West (South African province)BethanieBethanieShow map of North West (South African province)Bethanie is located in South AfricaBethanieBethanieShow map of South Africa
Coordinates: 25°33′14″S 27°36′22″E / 25.554°S 27.606°E / -25.554; 27.606
Country South Africa
Province North West
District Bojanala
Municipality Rustenburg
Government
• Paramount Chief Mamogale
Area[1]
• Total 27.87 km2 (10.76 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total 8,429
• Density 300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
Black African 99.1%
Coloured 0.1%
Indian/Asian 0.4%
White 0.1%
• Other 0.3%
First languages (2011)[1]
Tswana 79.2%
Zulu 5.2%
English 4.8%
Tsonga 2.1%
• Other 8.7%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street) 0260
PO box 0270
Area code 012

Bethanie is a town in Bojanala District Municipality in the North West province of South Africa.

The Bell tower in Bethanie is one of the oldest structures in the village. It was constructed in the late 1800s as part of the Mission.

Bethanie is a station of the Hermannsburg Mission, established in 1864, and located 37 km northeast of Rustenburg. The name is of biblical origin (Matthew 26:6, Mark 14:3 Mark 11:1), and is Hebrew for 'house of sorrow or misery'.[2]

Bethanie is the capital town of Bakwena Ba Mogopa, a SeTswana-speaking traditional community.

The station hosts multiple races.

It is one of 15 villages that form part of Bakwena Ba Mogopa nation. The village was previously a farm called Losperfontein, owned by Tjaart Kruger, President Paul Kruger's younger brother. The community purchased the farm around 1866, with the assistance of missionary Wilhelm Behrenssen, and it was renamed Bethanie.

Bethanie has a police station that renders services to nearby[3] settlements such as Modikoe and Berseba.

A view of Bethanie, with the iconic Lutheran Church a centerpiece.
  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Bethanie". Census 2011.
  2. ^ Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Internet Archive. p. 76. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Police Station ( Bethanie )".