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===Colonial history===
Lydenburg, traditionally known to the [[Pedi people|Pedi]] as Mashishing, was founded in 1849 by a group of [[Voortrekkers]] under the leadership of [[Andries Potgieter]] when they abandoned their previous settlement [[Ohrigstad]] (to the north) due to a [[malaria]] epidemic. The town became the capital of the Lydenburg Republic ('De Republiek Lydenburg in Zuid Afrika') in 1856 and later in 1857 joined the [[Republic of Utrecht]] but in 1860 both these republics joined the [[South African Republic|Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR)]]. The town became the capital of the Lydenburg District of the [[South African Republic]] (ZAR).
Lydenburg became important because it was on the wagon route to the port of Delagoa Bay (now [[Maputo Bay]]) which was free of British control. In 1871 construction of the road was started by Abraham Espag under the orders of President [[Thomas François Burgers]]. The first wagons arrived in Lydenburg from Delagoa Bay in 1874.
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