Glencoe, KwaZulu-Natal

Glencoe
—  Town  —
Glencoe Location of Glencoe in KwaZulu-Natal
Glencoe
Coordinates: 28°11′00″S 30°09′00″E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Umzinyathi
Municipality	Endumeni
Area
• Total	25.23 km2 (9.74 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	6,116
• Density	242/km2 (630/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2001)
• Black African	48.1%
• Coloured	3%
• Indian/Asian	21.7%
• White	27.2%
First languages (2001)
• Zulu	44.7%
• English	27.6%
• Afrikaans	24.6%
• Other	3.1%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

Glencoe is situated in the Umzinyathi District District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The main economic activity in the area is coal mining while sheep and cattle ranching are also practiced.

History

With coal discovered at Dundee not even 8 km away an efficient way was needed to transport the coal to the factories other than ox wagons. The railway from Durban to Johannesburg reached this point on 4 September 1889. A new village sprung up where a branch line was built from the Durban-Johannesburg line to the eastern Transvaal in 1903. The village was renamed Glencoe, after a mountain valley in Lochaber, Scotland, when it became a town in 1934.

Trivia

• General French was periodically stationed here during the Second Boer War.
• Boer President Paul Kruger twice stayed overnight during the Siege of Ladysmith, South Africa.
• The house of Carl Landman - second in command at the Battle of Blood River can - be found on a farm close to Glencoe.
• Fort Mistake, a fort designed as a communications link between Ladysmith and Newcastle in 1881 and playing a key role in the Anglo-Boer War is found nearby.