Senwes Scenario February / March 2017 | Page 14

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AREA FOCUS

WESSELSBRON

SOURCE OF AGRICULTURE

source of food

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WESSELSBRON AND ITS PEOPLE HAVE A NUMBER OF SYNONYMS - FREE STATE WORLD , MAIZE MEN , SAND- VELDTAND PANNEVELD . AND THIS MAIZE TOWN HAS A LOT TO BE PROUD OF .
AUBREY KRUGER
WHERE DOES THE NAME WESSELBRON COME FROM ? The town was name after Commander CJ ( Conerlis Janse ) Wessels , better known as Kerneels . Wessels was known for the fact that he led the Siege of Kimberley , which took place from 14 October 1899 to 15 February 1900 during the Second War of Independence . Wessels was also a member of parliament for the Hopestad district for 21 years . The spring ( bron ) of
The town was named after Commander CJ Wessels .
100 years ! The town will be celebrating its centenary in 2018 .
FEB / MAR 2017 • SENWES Scenario
Wesselsbron , a strong water source found in Willemse Street , forms the rest of the name .
ALMOST 100 YEARS OLD The town was founded on 11 June 1918 on the farm Zoetvlei , which means that this agricultural town will be celebrating its centenary next year .
Most of the street names in town are initials and surnames . It is interesting that the vertical streets , which run in the length of the town , have been named after South African leaders such as Presidents Brand , Hertzog , Steyn and Louis Botha . The cross-streets have been named after important people who played a role in the founding of Wesselsbron , such as former mayors of the town , PL Kotzé , JAG Muller and CN Ross to name but a few . The Hinterland branch is situated at 10 P . Kotzé Straat - Kotzé was mayor from 1937 to 1940 .
SENWES ’ WESSELSBRON SILOS - THE LARGEST Mike Jacobs is the project manager at the Wesselsbron silo complex , which consists of three silos , namely 234 , 235 and 277 . Mike will be celebrating his 20th year of service at Senwes this year . He has been the project manager at Wesselsbron for the past two years . As far as years of service is concerned , he singles out Gawie Rossouw ( Silo Manager at 277 ), who received a 30-year service award at the end of 2016 .
LARGEST SILO COMPLEX IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE The capacity of the Wesselsbron silo complex is a massive 297 220 tons and with its 108 bins it is the largest silo complex in the Southern Hemisphere .
Silo 234 The silo has a total of 68 bins and a total capacity of 127 120 tons .
Silo 235 This silo has 12 bins with a total capacity of 42 000 tons .
Silo 277 Silo 277 has 28 bins with a total capacity of 128 100 tons .
Crops handled at Silo 277 are maize , soybeans and sunflower . Silo 235 mainly handles white maize , but was closed during the past season due to the drought . Silo 234 handles almost all crops , from
Mike Jacobs is the project manager at the Senwes Wesselsbron silo complex .