Leliefontein, Northern Cape

Leliefontein is a settlement in Namakwa District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Leliefontein
Methodist Mission Church, Leliefontein
Leliefontein Leliefontein
Coordinates: 30.3°S 18.083333°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Namakwa
Municipality	Kamiesberg
Area [1]
• Total	0.67 km^2 (0.26 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	616
• Density	920/km^2 (2,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	0.3%
• Coloured	99.2%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• Other	0.2%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	95.8%
• English	2.8%
• Tswana	1.1%
• Other	0.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)

A village in the Kamiesberg Mountains, 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Kamieskroon, Leliefontein was established in 1816 by Reverend Barnabas Shaw, an English Wesleyan missionary.[2][3] The mission was established on a farm awarded to the Namaquas by the Dutch governor Rijk Tulbagh.[4] It is probably named after the many white lilies found in the area.[2]

It was the site of the 1902 Leliefontein massacre, during the final stages of the Second Boer War.

From 1966 till 2016, it was the site of a major helicopter base of the SADF from where two squadrons of attack helicopters and transport helicopters operated, co-located with an Armoured Corps/Tank Battalion base and headquarters. It came under the operational responsibility of the 4th Integrated Division headquartered at Springbok.[5]

References

1. "Main Place Leliefontein". Census 2011.
2. "Leliefontein". Tracks4Africa Padkos. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
3. http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SOUTH-AFRICA/2015-02/1422774768
4. Sandra Olivier (2005). Touring in South Africa. Struik. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-77007-142-1.
5. "Leliefontein". Karoo Space. Retrieved 10 January 2014.