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Carletonville Merafong
Carletonville Show map of Gauteng Carletonville Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 26°21′29″S 27°23′53″E / 26.35806°S 27.39806°E / -26.35806; 27.39806Coordinates: 26°21′29″S 27°23′53″E / 26.35806°S 27.39806°E / -26.35806; 27.39806
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
District	West Rand
Municipality	Merafong City
Established	1960
Area [1]
• Total	35.14 km2 (13.57 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	23,000
• Density	650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	70.1%
• Coloured	0.9%
• Indian/Asian	1.3%
• White	27.4%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	24.9%
• Xhosa	19.8%
• Tswana	13.2%
• Sotho	13.2%
• Other	28.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	2499
PO box	2500
Area code	018

Carletonville is a town in western Gauteng, South Africa, just north of the richest gold-mining area in the world. At 3,749 m, Western Deep Levels holds the record for the world's deepest gold mine.

Developed by various mining companies from 1937 onwards, Carletonville was named after the long-serving mining director of Consolidated Gold Fields, Guy Carleton Jones, but was not officially incorporated until 1959. Upon reaching a population of 2000 1967, (mostly white inhabitants of the apartheid era) it became officially recognised and celebrated as a provincial town. There are several privately owned gold-mining township villages and contractor labour quarters established on mining ground owned by the various mining houses which operate in the area. The villages are located to the South of the R501 Provincial Road which forms the Southern boundary of Carletonville. While the mining Companies themselves have changed hands, or amalgamated and changed names, the mine villages situated to South are known as Blyvooruitzight, (the oldest) Western Deeps and Elandsrand. To the West and South West is Doornfontein and Deelkraal and to the East is East Village at East Driefontein. The Town of Carletonville serves as the major shopping centre for the mine village townships. Mines are only permitted tuck shops for basic necessities, which are usually located at mine recreation centres, or on privately owned farm boundariies close to contractor labour quarters.

The site of a 3 October 2007 collapse at Elandskraal mine, is located some 11 km South of Carletonville. In 1964, a sinkhole in the former mining village township of Westdene, Blyvooruitzight, buried the entire Oosthuizen family and their maid, alive. Situated some 5½ km South of Carletonville and being one of four village townships at the Blyvooruitzight Gold Mine, Westdene, was consequently abandoned and then later demolished. The subsequent housing shortage was quickly normalised by extending the Southdene village township with pre-fabricated asbestos housing. Approximately 170 families were housed in caravans at the once lovely, but now derelict, Blyvooruitsight Recreation Centre. Some of the prefabricated houses in the extensions to Southdene were erected at a distance of only 400 meters South of the sinkhole, while some pre-existing housing in Southdene and Northdene are situated even closer to the sinkhole than that. Unknown at the time, on 28 March 2008 all asbestos products would be banned in South Africa as an extreme health hazzard, but many asbestos prefabricated houses in Southdene and houses containing asbestos products in ceilings and roofs all around South Africa and the World, are still occupied today.

Government

Carletonville forms part of the Merafong City Local Municipality and is situated in the West Rand district municipality of Gauteng Province. It is also the seat of Merafong City Local Municipality.

Shopping

• Carletonville mall is the newly opened shopping destination in the town, having opened its doors in 2015, it has over 85 stores. The mall is anchored by Checkers, Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Truworths and many others. It has McDonald's and KFC drivethroughs located along Station Street also known as the R500 Provincial Road. The GLA of the mall is 25,000m²
  

Economy

• The economy of the town is dominated by the villagers who live on property owned by the large gold mines surrounding the town. #It is also the home to one of the world's deepest mines.

Notable people

• 
  Brian McMillan, South African cricketer


• 
  Jaque Fourie, South African rugby union footballer

Transport

References

External links

• CNN.com


• Carletonville


• Blyvooruitzight


• Blyvoor enviro