Forming part of the greater Johannesburg area, Roodepoort’s history dates back to 1884 when Fred Struben made the first discovery of payable gold. Confidence Reef, as the original spot is now known, stems from a large rocky outcrop in the centre of town. At the time gold was discovered, the area was sparsely settled by Boer farmers, whose farms were soon declared public diggings. As gold fever spread, so did the development of property and small business.
The town itself began its existence when Jan Bantjies secured property rights for one of the original farms, known as Roodepoort. A shantytown sprung up as a result of diggers flocking to the area from all over the country and between 1886 and 1888 there were four mining towns that established themselves in the area. Soon, the main reef at Langlaagte in Johannesburg was found and the deposits at Confidence Reef gradually petered out. By then a community had already become well established and city status was eventually granted in 1977, when Maraisburg was dropped from the name.
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