Meyerton is a small town lying 15 km north of Vereeniging in
Gauteng, South Africa.
Situated in the local municipality of Midvaal and the district
municipality of Sedibeng, it was established in 1891 and was named
after JP Meyer, a field cornet and member of the Transvaal
Volksraad. It acquired municipal status in 1961. Meyerton is the
location of SABC shortwave broadcasting facilities.
Meyerton is often reported as being the home of the Oprah
Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls which officially opened in
January 2007 at Henley-on-Klip, but Henley-on-Klip is in fact
separated from Meyerton. Henley-on-Klip is a small idyllic village
and a bird Sanctuary Outside of Meyerton.
Meyerton came into existence with the discovery of the ‘Black
Reef’ - a vein of gold that ran through a number of farms out here
on the banks of the Klip River. There is a distinctly rural feel to
this part of the country. Just outside of Johannesburg one might
be, but there is immediately a sense of having escaped the confines
of city living, and the access to both the Klip River and the Vaal
Dam, a very popular weekend haunt, makes it that much more
enticing.