Vanderbijlpark
Vanderbijlpark is an industrial town with a population of 95840 inhabitants according to the 2011 census, situated on and around the Vaal River in the south of the Gauteng.
Named after Hendrik van der Bijl, an electrical engineer and industrialist, Vanderbijlpark is home to Vanderbijlpark Steel (before part of ISCOR – Iron and Steel Corporation), and now part of the global company ArcelorMittal.
With neighbouring towns Vereeniging and Sasolburg, it forms the Vaal Triangle, a major industrial region of South Africa, in the district municipality of Sedibeng and the local municipality of Emfuleni.
The black townships Boipatong, Bophelong, Sebokeng and Sharpeville are close to the city. VECOR, the largest comprehensive heavy engineering works in the Southern Hemisphere, is also in Vanderbijlpark.
Vanderbijlpark is also home to Cape Gate (Pty) Ltd, a major market share holder in the wire industry.
It all started when Dr HJ van der Bijl, a young South African electrical engineer working in the United States at the time, was called back to South Africa in 1920 by the then Prime Minister Jan Smuts to advise the government on planning South Africa’s industrial development.
Van der Bijl oversaw the Iron and Steel Corporation’s first plant at Pretoria, but with the increased demand after World War II, 100 km² was bought to build a large steel works and model town.
The steel works began operating in 1947 and the town was proclaimed in 1949. The town attained municipal status in 1952 when Governor General Dr EG Jansen opened ISCOR’s second steel works.
Vanderbijlpark is designed in a circular design, which differs from the traditional grid design of towns. The town is divided into four distinct residential blocks, namely: CE (Central East), CW (Central West), SE (South East), SW (South West), Vanderbijlpark CBD
There are over 60 primary and secondary schools within the Vaal Triangle area. Of these, 20 primary and 18 secondary schools are in Vanderbijlpark.
The Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University is in Vanderbijlpark. This campus is situated on the banks of the Vaal River and has student numbers exceeding 3000. The main campus of Vaal University of Technology is in Vanderbijlpark. It is about 1 km away from the North West University.
The Computer Training Institute (CTI) has just built a new satellite campus in central Vanderbijlpark.
Sedibeng College is famous for attracting many students from as far as Quaqua (a big township near the Lesotho border) to do N-Level engineering courses and matric upgrades. A big part of Vanderbijlpark residential area is rented by students studying at the above mentioned institutions and others.
Vanderbijlpark is home to the Emerald Casino Resort, Emfuleni Golf Course and the Vaal Mall which is currently undergoing a major renovations and expansion.
maria ribeiro
I lived in vdbpark for 25 years, grew up there did primary school and high school got married in RC Church, its so nice to see the old places even if its only by photos, and to keep trck and history for my children who were both born there. Thank you for this ….
Business Listings
Dear Maria
It is so nice to get such positive feedback. I hope you visited the rest of the site and had a look at all the other articles and photos about the area.
JOHAN
In the article about Vanderbijlpark, it mentioned the “recently constructed” Vaal Mall. Next month (26 April 2016), this mall will be 10 Years Old. Is it also possible for oyu to update the other info about Vanderbijlpak? The population figure and the number of schools, etc is o concern. And on every related website, the population Figure for Vanderbijlpark is different. Where will I and other like-minded browsers get the most recent updated figure?
Jennifer Jones Entertainment
Good Morning Johan! Thank you for bringing our attention to this, we will make every effort to correct the information as soon as possible. It is browsers like you that interact that we truly appreciate! As soon as we have obtained the correct information and updated it I will inform you via this comments section.
I will also inform you regarding the population figures as soon as I obtain it. I think the most accurate information relating to population figures might be available on http://www.sedibeng.gov.za.
Should you be able to assist with information please don’t hesitate to forward to me at leon@showmevaal.co.za
Kind Regards.
Leon Joubert
ShowMe Vaal Content Manager.