~Vereeniging is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly situated in the Transvaal province. The name Vereeniging is derived from the Dutch word meaning "association" or "union".~Vereeniging is situated in the southern part of Gauteng Province, and with its neighbors Vanderbijlpark (to the west), Three Rivers (east), Meyerton (north) and Sasolburg (south) form the Vaal Triangle The city is currently one of the most important industrial manufacturing centres in South Africa, with its chief products being iron, steel, pipes, bricks, tiles and processed limeThe city was founded in 1892 and is situated on the banks of the northern loop of the Vaal River. Much of its early growth was due to the nearby coal mines.
The city is known for being the location where the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the Second Boer War (1899–1902) was negotiated. During this conflict, a concentration camp was set up by the British military in the area. The concentration camp at Vereeniging was set up in September 1900, and by October 1901 housed 185 men, 330 women, and 452 children. Conditions at the camp were very poor, water was brought by cart (there was no direct water supply) and only 24 latrines. Most inmates lived in bell-tents but there was a dispensary and a school. Today, the site of the concentration camp has been replaced by the Maccauvlei Golf Course.
Vereeniging was one of the first municipalities in South Africa to provide better housing for Africans. Near Vereeniging is the predominantly black community of Sharpeville, Gauteng, the site of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.
Some trivia about Vereeniging:
F.W. de Klerk was first elected to the South African parliament in 1969 as the member for Vereeniging.
Bles Bridges, a well known Afrikaans country singer, also stayed in Vereeniging, until his death in 2000.
Charl Schwartzel (the 2011 US Masters champion), Morné Morkel and Albie Morkel attended Vereeniging High.
Although named after Vereeniging, the Treaty of Vereeniging was actually signed at Melrose House, Pretoria.
General Smuts High School, one of the English language schools found in Vereeniging, was named after the famous General Smuts of the League of Nations fame. It also produced the rugby Springbok flyhalf Gerald Bosch.
It is said that Mohandas K Gandhi was briefly incarcerated in the old town jail, the ruins of which were visible in the grounds of Handhawer Primary School.
The motto of the city is "Per Pacem ad Industriam" ("Through peace to industry").
Famous actor, comedian, film-maker, presenter and singer Leon Schuster was born in Vereeniging on May 21, 1951