Amsterdam is a small sheep farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Other than large sheep farms, there are large plantations of gum, pine and wattle trees in the area. The town also lies close to the border with Swaziland. The town, some 77 km east of Ermelo. Part of a Scottish settlement established by Alexander McCorkindale, it was proclaimed a town in June 1881. At first called Roburnial the name was changed on 5 July 1882 to Amsterdam, after the Dutch city where the State Secretary, Eduard Bok, was born, and out of gratitude for Dutch sympathy during the First Anglo-Boer War (1880-1881).
This was the home of Oom Chaart who was a local farmer and well known Boer in the town. He was tall, had a black beard and he wore short brown trousers 'wif a beld' as well as a pair of brown 'boer' farming shoes that were used to stomp the 'bleddy rats'. Oom Chart was feared by the local community as well as visitors from other small towns. He was made famous in the community by his phrase: "I will knock you off your birth certificate".
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District: Gert Sibande |
Racial makeup (2011) |
First languages (2011) |