Page 28 - Interface November 2024

What do you know

about Centurion’s

history?

The history of Centurion reflects the area’s transformation from early
settlements to a thriving urban centre.

Here’s a brief timeline summarizing • 1904: Lyttelton township is founded on the farm Droogegrond,
Centurion’s development: laying the groundwork for future development.

• 1200 AD: Earliest human habitation, with Black African • 1962: Combined areas of Doornkloof, Irene, and Lyttelton form
communities cultivating the land, herding cattle, and Centurion, with Lyttelton as its council seat.
crafting pottery.
• 1967: The area is renamed Verwoerdburg after Hendrik
• 1841: The Erasmus family settles in the area, Verwoerd, with expansions to include Clubview, Eldoraigne,
establishing farms that later inspired names like Wierdapark, and Zwartkop.
Zwartkop, Doornkloof, Erasmia, and Elardus Park.
• 1995: Renamed Centurion post-apartheid, symbolizing a more
• 1881: Rooihuiskraal becomes a battleground during unified identity.
the First Boer War, where a Boer commando under
Daniel Erasmus Jr. defeats British forces. • 2000: Integrated into the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
as part of local government restructuring.
• 1889: Alois Hugo Nelmapius buys parts of Doornkloof
and names it “Irene” after his daughter. Originally open farmland, Centurion has evolved into a vibrant
area featuring residential, commercial, and recreational
• 1901: The Irene Concentration Camp is established developments like the Centurion Country Club. Its history is rich
during the Second Boer War, where 1,249 lives are with cultural, agricultural, and political significance, reflecting the
lost, including 1,000 children. growth of Gauteng province from farmland to urban landscape.

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