Muldersdrift

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Muldersdrift
| image_skyline           = Muldersdrift, now suffering from a high crime rate, is home to a large hospitality industry that caters to neighboring Johannesburg and Pretoria citizens coming there for functions or weddings. (Photo- VOA Solene Honorine).jpg
| image_caption           = Muldersdrift is home to a large hospitality industry
| pushpin_map             = South Africa Gauteng#South Africa
| coordinates             = {{coord|26.033|S|27.85|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [[South Africa]]
| subdivision_type1       = Province
| subdivision_name1       = [[Gauteng]]
| subdivision_type2       = District
| subdivision_name2       = [[West Rand District Municipality|West Rand]]
| subdivision_type3       = Municipality
| subdivision_name3       = [[Mogale City Local Municipality|Mogale City]]
| subdivision_type4       = Main Place
| subdivision_name4       = [[Krugersdorp]]
| established_title       = Established
| leader_title            = Councillor
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/763004007 |title = Sub Place Muldersdrift |work=Census 2011}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 4.66
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="census2011" />
| population_total        = 1744
| population_as_of        = 2011
| population_density_km2  = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Racial makeup (2011)
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics1_title1    = [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|Black African]]
| demographics1_info1     = 89.9%
| demographics1_title2    = [[Coloureds|Coloured]]
| demographics1_info2     = 0.9%
| demographics1_title3    = [[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]]
| demographics1_info3     = 0.2%
| demographics1_title4    = [[White South African|White]]
| demographics1_info4     = 9.1%
| demographics1_title5    = Other
| demographics1_info5     = 
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = [[First language]]s (2011)
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics2_title1    = [[Tswana language|Tswana]]
| demographics2_info1     = 19.2%
| demographics2_title2    = [[Zulu language|Zulu]]
| demographics2_info2     = 15.1%
| demographics2_title3    = [[Sotho language|Sotho]]
| demographics2_info3     = 10.1%
| demographics2_title4    = [[English language|English]]
| demographics2_info4     = 8.4%
| demographics2_title5    = Other
| demographics2_info5     = 47.1%
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]]
| utc_offset1             = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[List of postal codes in South Africa|Postal code]] (street)
| postal_code             = 1747
| postal2_code_type       = [[Post-office box|PO box]]
| postal2_code            = 1739
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in South Africa|Area code]]
| area_code               = 011
}}

'''Muldersdrift''', in the [[Gauteng]] Province of [[South Africa]], is a picturesque rural area situated 27&nbsp;km north-west of [[Johannesburg]], between Johannesburg and the [[Magaliesberg]] mountain range.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wheretostay.co.za/information/g/west_rand |title=West Rand, Gauteng - Deal Direct, Pay Less |website=Wheretostay.co.za |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tova.co.za/location/gauteng/muldersdrift/ |title=Muldersdrift &#124; |accessdate=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809232542/http://tova.co.za/location/gauteng/muldersdrift/ |archivedate=August 9, 2013 }}</ref> The area falls under the [[West Rand District Municipality]], and is part of the [[Mogale City Local Municipality]].

Located in the [[Kromdraai, Gauteng|Kromdraai Valley]] and on the [[Crocodile River (Limpopo)|Crocodile River]], Muldersdrift forms part of the Crocodile Ramble,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theramble.co.za/ |title=Crocodile Ramble, Crocodile River, Cradle of Humankind |publisher=The Ramble |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref> a scenic tourist route generally regarded as the most popular of all the craft routes around South Africa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encounter.co.za/the-crocodile-ramble.html |title=The Crocodile Ramble, South Africa |website=Encounter.co.za |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref>  Muldersdrift is the gateway to the [[West Rand]], and forms part of [[Cradle of Humankind]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westrandtourism.co.za/index.php/discover-the-west-rand/muldersdrift |title=Muldersdrift |accessdate=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822140630/http://westrandtourism.co.za/index.php/discover-the-west-rand/muldersdrift |archivedate=August 22, 2013 }}</ref>

==History==
Muldersdrift is found on a ''drift'', a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] offering a safe crossing point of the [[Crocodile River (Limpopo)|Crocodile River]].<ref name="Roode01">{{Cite news |url=http://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/236151/history-of-150-year-old-drift-in-a-nutshell/ |title=History of 150-year-old Drift, in a nutshell |last=Fourie |first=Chantelle  |date=16 January 2017 |publisher=Roodepoort Northsider |publication-date=11 October 2016 }}</ref> The river crossing point was on an old wagon route that lead from [[Pretoria]] in the north-east to [[Potchefstroom]] in the south-west.<ref name=Roode01/> The area was said to have been settled in 1840s as farmland and the area acquired its name in 1866 after the Mulder family when they camped close to the river when they were unable to across the ''drift'' due to flooding.<ref name=Roode01/> The spot would soon become an ''outspan'' (resting spot) site for horse and oxen on the wagon route and would attract a postmaster long before the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand.<ref name="Leyds">{{cite book | title=A History of Johannesburg: The Early Years | publisher=Nasional Boekhandel | author=Leyds, Gerald Anton | year=1964 | pages=318}}</ref>{{rp|4}}

==Places of interest==
With its wealth of tourism establishments and more than 40 wedding venues and conference centres, It is often referred to as the "wedding capital" of [[Gauteng]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/gauteng/love-muldersdrift/ |title=I Love Muldersdrift because |website=Blog.sa-venues.com |date=2011-09-14 |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/muldersdrift/ |title=Muldersdrift – Gauteng Tourism Authority |website=Gauteng.net |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref>
Home to numerous small farms, smallholdings and [http://www.randomharvest.co.za/Indigenous-Plant-Nursery nurseries], the area has acquired a reputation for being an arts and cultural hub with a number of home craft industries with a number of potters, artists, brewers, and astronomers based in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wheretostay.co.za/information/g/west_rand/muldersdrift |title=Muldersdrift, West Rand - Deal Direct, Pay Less |website=Wheretostay.co.za |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetaccommodation.co.za/town/muldersdrift |title=Tourist Attractions in Muldersdrift, Gauteng |accessdate=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006002434/http://www.internetaccommodation.co.za/town/muldersdrift |archivedate=October 6, 2012 }}</ref>

The [[Wonder Cave (Kromdraai, Gauteng)|Wonder Cave]] near Muldersdrift is one of the show caves of the [[Cradle of Humankind]] [[World Heritage Site]]. It is the third largest cave in South Africa<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/muldersdrift.php |title=Muldersdrift |website=Sa-venues.com |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref> and one of the world's richest hominid fossil sites.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/wonder_cave/ |title=Wonder Cave, Cradle of Humankind, Kromdraai – Gauteng Tourism Authority |website=Gauteng.net |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref>

Muldersdrift is home to [[Gilroy's Brewery]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/gilroys_brewery/ |title=Gilroy Brewery – Gauteng Tourism Authority |website=Gauteng.net |date= |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref> Also situated in Muldersdrift is Gauteng's newest casino. The Silverstar Casino and Entertainment Centre contains a variety of restaurants, retail shops, conference facilities, a spa, and a 34-room hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsogosunhotels.com/hotels/silverstar/pages/overview.aspx |title=Southern Sun Silverstar Hotel &#124; Muldersdrift Johannesburg |website=Tsogosunhotels.com |date=2015-11-05 |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://silverstarcasino.co.za/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx |title=Silverstar Casino And Entertainment &#124; About Us |website=Silverstarcasino.co.za |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref>
Opened in October 2013, the {{convert|75,000|m2|0|abbr=off}} Cradlestone Mall is named after its proximity to the [[Cradle of Humankind]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cradlestonemall.co.za/ |title=Welcome to Cradlestone Mall |website=Cradlestonemall.co.za |date=2016-04-18 |accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref>

==Crime==
Violent crimes have increased during the 21st century in Muldersdrift. The estate manager of the Heia Safari Ranch in Muldersdrift, Paul Shulze, was shot dead in the area in 2013; his own former father-in-law, Franz Richter, was shot dead in 2007 on the same estate. Also in 2013, a local woman, Mrs Liesl Botha was attacked in the same house where her daughter Alyssa Botha had been brutally murdered several months earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dreyer  |first=Anchen |date=3 April 2013 |title=Two more murders in Muldersdrift |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/two-more-murders-in-muldersdrift--anchen-dreyer |access-date=6 August 2023 |website=www.politicsweb.co.za |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden]] 
*[[Cradle of Humankind]]
*[[Lanseria International Airport]]
*[[Magaliesburg]]
*[[Hartbeespoort Dam]]
*[[Maropeng]]
*[[Sterkfontein| Sterkfontein Caves]]
*[[Wonder Cave (Kromdraai, Gauteng)|Wonder Cave]]
*[[Krugersdorp Game Reserve]]
*[[Lesedi Cultural Village]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/muldersdrift/ Gauteng Tourism - Muldersdrift]
*[http://www.valleyofancestors.com/  Valley of Ancestors Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site]
*[http://cradlestonemall.co.za/ Cradlestone Mall]
*[http://silverstarcasino.co.za/ Silverstar Casino]
*[http://leafygreens.co.za/ Leafy Greens]

{{Greater Johannesburg|communities}}
{{West Rand District Municipality}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in the Mogale City Local Municipality]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Gauteng]]