Brits, South Africa
Brits (/brəts/) is a town in the North West Province of South Africa. It is situated in a fertile citrus, vegetable and grain-producing area that is irrigated by the waters of the Hartbeespoort Dam. It is close to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, which includes Pretoria, and it has the same dialling code as Pretoria. In addition to being a centre for agriculture, the city is home to several heavy industries. A factory of the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo produced cars for the domestic market and export to Asia from 1974 to 1985. The city also plays an important role in the South African mining industry: 94% of South Africa's platinum comes from the Rustenburg and Brits districts, which together produce more platinum than any other single area in the world. In addition, there is a large vanadium mine in the district.
Brits | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Brits as seen from Dewetsnek in the Magaliesberg | |
Brits Brits Brits | |
| Coordinates: 25°38′4″S 27°46′52″E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | North West |
| District | Bojanala |
| Municipality | Madibeng |
| Area | |
| • Total | 114.7 km2 (44.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 53,511 |
| • Density | 470/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • African | 41.1% |
| • White | 46.6% |
| • Indian/Asian | 5.5% |
| • Other | 0.9% Coloured |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Tswana | 28.6% |
| • Afrikaans | 25.9% |
| • Northern Sotho | 10.1% |
| • Xhosa | 10.1% |
| • Other | 25.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 0250 |
| PO box | 0250 |
| Area code | 012 |
Mothotlung, Letlhabile, Maboloka, Bethanie and Oukasie are the black townships, with Oukasie founded in 1931 being one of the oldest townships in South Africa.The Indian area in Brits is Primindia. Brits is part of the Madibeng Local Municipality.
Brits is linked to Sandton by the R511 and to Randburg by the R512, and to Pretoria by the R513, R514 & R566. Freeway access is by the N4 Highway (Bakwena Toll Route), which was constructed in the early 2000s.