Irene

Irene is a village of 2,700 people (2011) on the outskirts of Centurion in Tshwane, South Africa. It is south of Pretoria. Irene is known for having been a home to the South African statesman and military leader Jan Smuts, and as the site of a concentration camp where the British imprisoned Boer (Afrikaner) women and children during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). More than 1200 people died in the camp.

Understand

Irene Concentration Camp Cemetery's Pillars of remembrance

Get in

There are direct trains from Pretoria and Johannesburg via Metrorail, there are numerous intermediate stations however and these trains suffer from overcrowding. Nearby Centurion is served by high-sped and very comfortable Gautrain services.

• 1 Irene railway station. (updated Dec 2020)

See

Smuts House Museum.

Irene Dairy Farm.

• 1 Smuts House Museum, Doornkloof, 23rd St West (Follow John Voster Dr (M19) south, turn left into Nellmapius Dr (M31), cross under the rail bridge and turn right into 23rd St West), ☏ +27 12 667-1176. Preserved home of Gen Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa from during World War II. One of only 3 UN depository libraries in South Africa is located here and may be used for research. A tea garden is open daily. (updated Sep 2021)
• Irene Dairy Farm (Irene Farm), Dr Livingstone Drive, ☏ +27 12 667-1000. 8AM to 6PM. Started in 1889, the Irene Farm has been run by the van der Byl family for five generations and has become a landmark in the Centurion countryside. 

Do

• Camdeboo Day Spa, 391 Nellmapius Drive, ☏ +27 12 667-6464. Amidst the tranquil surroundings of Irene Country Lodge you will find the beautiful Camdeboo Day Spa and Restaurant, where the main focus is to relax and revive the senses. 

Buy

• Irene village mall. South of Pretoria. Like a village, with roofed passages. Including a nice children-friendly Hitec-Fountain 

Sleep

• Irene Country Lodge, 391 Nellmapius Drive, Irene, 0062, ☏ +27 12 667-6464. At the end of a shady country lane in the historic village of Irene, lies Irene Country Lodge - a place where old-world charm meets modern-day convenience in a breathtaking country setting.