Vereeniging Attractions

Vereeniging (pop. 170,000) lies on the Vaal River 60km/37mi south of Johannesburg. Founded in 1892, it gained a place in history when the treaty ending the Boer War was signed in the town. It subsequently developed into one of the most important centers of heavy industry (coal and steel) and the processing industries (engineering) in South Africa. This development was boosted by the construction of a large electric power station in 1909 and the Union Steel Corporation's steel-processing plant in 1913. The deposits of high-quality coal still remaining to be worked are estimated at 4000 million tons, so that coal-mining is likely to remain the foundation of the town's economy for many years to come.