Vereeniging is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly situated in the Transvaal province. The name Vereeniging is derived from the Dutch word meaning "association" or "union", and in both languages is currently spelled vereniging, with one e.
Vereeniging is situated in the southern part of Gauteng Province, and its neighbors are Vanderbijlpark (to the west), Three Rivers (east), Meyerton (north) and Sasolburg (south). The city is currently one of the most important industrial manufacturing centres in South Africa, with its chief products being iron, steel, pipes, bricks, tiles and processed lime.
The predominant language in Vereeniging is Afrikaans, followed closely by English and Sesotho.
The city was founded in 1892 and much of its early growth was due to the nearby coal mines.
The city is known for being the location where the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the Second Boer War (1899–1902) was negotiated. During this conflict, a concentration camp was set up by the British military in the area. The concentration camp at Vereeniging was set up in September 1900, and by October 1901 housed 185 men, 330 women, and 452 children. Conditions at the camp were very poor, water was brought by cart (there was no direct water supply) and only 24 latrines. Most inmates lived in bell-tents but there was a dispensary and a school. Today, the site of the concentration camp has been replaced by the Maccauvlei Golf Course.
Vereeniging was one of the first municipalities in South Africa to provide better housing for Africans[citation needed]. Near Vereeniging is the predominantly black community of Sharpeville, Gauteng, the site of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.
Since 1994, Vereeniging has been the home of southern Africa's annual LED Festival.
