Bethal

Bethal (/bɛθʌl/) is a farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The farms in the region produce maize, sunflower seeds, sorghum, rye and potatoes. The town lies 155 km (96 mi) east of Johannesburg on the N17 national route.

Bethal
Bethal Show map of Mpumalanga Bethal Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 26°27′S 29°27′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Mpumalanga
District	Gert Sibande
Municipality	Govan Mbeki
Established	1898[1]
Area [2]
• Total	51.94 km2 (20.05 sq mi)
Elevation	1,660 m (5,450 ft)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	60,779
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	84.7%
• Coloured	0.9%
• Indian/Asian	0.8%
• White	13.2%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Zulu	66.7%
• Afrikaans	13.1%
• S. Ndebele	6.8%
• English	3.5%
• Other	10.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	2310
PO box	2310
Area code	017 647

History

The town originated on an old farm called Blesbokspruit.^[3]: 302 The town, established in on 12 October 1880,^[4] was named after the combined names of the wives of the owners of the farm, Elizabeth du Plooy and Alida Naude.^[3]: 302 It became a municipality in 1921.^[3]: 302

Economy

Agriculture

Bethal is famous for its potato industry,^[3]: 302 and the annual National Potato Festival was held there in early May, but discontinued in 2007. Other agriculture includes maize, sunflower seeds, sorghum, rye, oats and barley. Animal husbandry includes cattle, dairy and sheep farming.^[3]: 302 Bethal was once the headquarters of AFGRI, an agricultural conglomerate, now based in Centurion but its flour mill remains in the town.^[3]: 302

Mining

Bethal lies in South Africa's coal mining region and there are mines close by. Exxaro acquired the Total Coal South Africa in 2014 and has five mines in the area.^[3]: 302 Apart from exports, the coal is used in the Eskom power stations that dot the region.

Geography

The Olifants River has its origin near Bethal.^[5] The river eventually flows into the Limpopo River in Mozambique.

Climate

Climate data for Bethal, elevation 1,663 m (5,456 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	37.5 (99.5)	34.4 (93.9)	33.3 (91.9)	30.0 (86.0)	27.4 (81.3)	25.2 (77.4)	24.6 (76.3)	28.1 (82.6)	32.0 (89.6)	33.0 (91.4)	32.6 (90.7)	34.8 (94.6)	37.5 (99.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	25.8 (78.4)	25.9 (78.6)	24.8 (76.6)	22.8 (73.0)	20.3 (68.5)	18.4 (65.1)	18.0 (64.4)	20.7 (69.3)	24.3 (75.7)	24.5 (76.1)	24.6 (76.3)	25.4 (77.7)	23.0 (73.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	19.6 (67.3)	19.6 (67.3)	18.3 (64.9)	15.4 (59.7)	11.7 (53.1)	9.2 (48.6)	8.7 (47.7)	11.7 (53.1)	16.0 (60.8)	17.3 (63.1)	18.1 (64.6)	19.2 (66.6)	15.4 (59.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	13.4 (56.1)	13.3 (55.9)	11.8 (53.2)	8.1 (46.6)	3.1 (37.6)	−0.1 (31.8)	−0.6 (30.9)	2.7 (36.9)	7.6 (45.7)	10.1 (50.2)	11.6 (52.9)	13.0 (55.4)	7.8 (46.1)
Record low °C (°F)	4.0 (39.2)	6.0 (42.8)	0.5 (32.9)	−1.4 (29.5)	−5.9 (21.4)	−9.2 (15.4)	−10.6 (12.9)	−12.5 (9.5)	−5.6 (21.9)	−1.2 (29.8)	1.0 (33.8)	1.7 (35.1)	−12.5 (9.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	113.3 (4.46)	109.6 (4.31)	102.7 (4.04)	43.1 (1.70)	17.2 (0.68)	3.7 (0.15)	3.1 (0.12)	7.3 (0.29)	26.2 (1.03)	85.1 (3.35)	118.4 (4.66)	143.3 (5.64)	773 (30.43)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	15	9	9	7	3	2	1	2	4	10	14	13	90
Source 1: South African Weather Service (precipitation days)[6]Starlings Roost Weather[7]
Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[8]

Law and government

Bethal lies in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality (formerly Highveld East Local Municipality) situated in the Gert Sibande District, of Mpumalanga.

Infrastructure

Roads

Bethal is the crossroads of three main roads. The R38 leads out north-east to Carolina and south-west to Standerton. The R35 leads north to Middleburg 80 km (50 mi) away while the R35 connects south to Amersfoort 80 km away. The N17 connects westwards to Johannesburg and eastwards to Ermelo and Eswatini.

Notable people

• Andries Coetzee – South Africa national rugby team player
• Llewellyn Herbert – 2000 Summer Olympics 400 metres hurdles bronze medal winner
• Basil Hirschowitz – gastroenterologist and inventor
• Qedani Mahlangu – Gauteng MEC for Health
• Busisiwe Mkhwebane – Public Protector of South Africa
• Josia Thugwane – 1996 Summer Olympics marathon gold medal winner. South Africa's first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal
• Riaan Dempers - South African sprinter and former record holder in the 200 meters