Ogies

Ogies is a settlement in Nkangala District Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It is a coal-mining town 29 km south-west of Witbank and 70 km north-east of Springs.

Ogies
Ogies Show map of Mpumalanga Ogies Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 26°3′2″S 29°3′9″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Mpumalanga
District	Nkangala
Municipality	Emalahleni
Area [1]
• Total	1.95 km2 (0.75 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	1,230
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	76.7%
• Coloured	3.4%
• Indian/Asian	2.3%
• White	15.4%
• Other	2.2%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Zulu	33.1%
• Afrikaans	17.0%
• English	9.6%
• Sotho	9.5%
• Other	30.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	2230
PO box	2230
Area code	013

History

It was laid out in 1928 on the farm Oogiesfontein, 'fountain with many "eyes" or springs'. The name is derived from that of the farm.^[2] The town developed around train station built there in 1928.^[3]: 303 The original name of the town was Oogies but that changed to the current version in 1939.^[3]: 303

Economy

Mining

African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation built its first coal mine at Vlakfontein, near Ogies, which was completed in January 2011. It mostly supplies coal to the nearby Kendal Power Station.^[4]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Ogies is an important railway junction on the Springs to Witbank rail-line, a line that connects to the Port of Richards Bay.^[3]: 303 It has several branches of tracks that service the coal mines close to the town.^[3]: 303

Roads

The town at the junction of the R555 and R545 routes. The R545 connects southwards to Kriel and northwards to Balmoral. The R555 connects south-west to Springs and north-east to Witbank.