By Lucille Davie

Mogale City, previously known as Krugersdorp Local Council, was named after Chief Mogale, the young heir to the Po Chiefdom of the Batswana. The Po tribe, one of the original tribes, occupied the territory now known as Mogale City. They occupied an area that stretched from the Magaliesberg in the west to the present day Northcliff Ridge in the east, to the Vaal River in the southwest and Haartebeespoort Dam in the northwest.

Tradition has it that Chief Mogale and his people were traders and miners of gold. Their cross border trade extended as far a field as Egypt.

Toward the end of the 1820s, the stability of the area was disrupted by the invasion of Mzilikazi ka Mashobane. Mzilikazi warriors easily overwhelmed the Po, killed their chief and took the young heir, Mogale wa Mogale, captive.

This young heir was to play a major role in the history of the area, which encompassed the mountain range eventually known as the Magaliesberg, a corruption of the name Mogale (meaning "the brave one" in Setswana).

A party of the Po ventured out of their hideout and rescued Mogale wa Mogale and spirited him away to safety south of the Vaal River.

Because of his successful conquest, Mzilikazi was able to claim a kingdom of considerable size, with the Magaliesberg as its centre.

However, by 1830 the Voortrekkers, dissatisfied with life under British administration in the Cape Colony, began to migrate from the colony. Mzilikazi was driven out of the area by the Voortrekkers under Paul Kruger, who named the area after himself.

The eviction of Mzilikazi from the region again opened the area for settlement by the original inhabitants of the region. The process however, was far from tranquil for Batswana ba Po. The apparent improvement in their situation after the defeat of Mzilikazi did not last long.

In 1841, the earliest recorded use of Chief Mogale wa Mogale's name for the district was made. The naming proved of little benefit to the chief or his people, for his lands had been occupied and were being farmed by the Boers. The Po people were relegated to doing such menial work as digging irrigation furrows from the river that was also named after him.

Today, a true son of Africa has had his name rightfully honoured in the new Mogale City.

In 2001, Krugersdorp Local Council was renamed Mogale City to acknowledge that indigenous kingdoms governed the area before European settlers landed in South Africa. The change highlights the democratic change in South Africa and a new sense of patriotism.

The JG Strijdom arch bust, designed by JH Labuschagne, was unveiled on 16 December 1966 by Susan Strijdom. It stands on gold-bearing rock. The arch was designed by T Pitout.

The first stone of the cenotaph was laid on 20 May 1922. It was unveiled by Sir Abe Bailey on 15 July 1922. The names of those who died in action during the World Wars were added in 1975.

More than 800 women and children were buried in the Concentration Camp Cemetery during the Boer War.

Memorial Avenue, which runs from Paardekraal to the hospital, commemorates those who died during the First World War.

- Johannesburg News Agency