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SELATI RAILWAY : Beknopt Overzicht Van De Selati Spoorweg Kwestie

Volkstem Drukkerij, Pretoria, 1897

No 56 of only 100 copies printed. Very good in the original grey printed wrappers, white linen spine, the corners chipped and worn, library number foot front wrapper adjacent spine, neat library oval stamp verso title else a clean tight copy of this extremely scarce title, of which SABib records no holdings. 56pp. In 1887 gold was discovered near Gravelotte in the Northern Transvaal. This became known as the Selati Goldfields. While the Eastern Railway Line was being constructed from Komatipoort to Pretoria in 1891, it was evident that the Soutpansberg area (in the far Northern Transvaal) also needed fast rail transport to Lourenco Marques (Maputo). This prompted the Volksraad to approve the construction of a railway line from Komatipoort, via the Selati Goldfields, to Zoekmekaar. After laying 120km of track from Komatipoort, the Selati line came to an abrupt stop in 1894 at the Sabie River near Skukuza. This was due to a corruption investigation into the affairs of the concession holder, Baron Eugene Oppenheim. The Anglo-Boer War (1899- 1902) delayed the completion even further. The Selati Line to Zoemekaar was eventually completed in 1915 and later (in the late 1960's) diverted to run outside the Kruger National Park to the present railway station at Hazyview.

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