One of its claims to fame was that it had the highest mine dump in the world at that time, 120 metres (390 ft) above ground level.

[3] From 1905 the village began to grow rapidly, remaining a suburb of Benoni until 1912 when it was granted the status of a municipality and proclaimed as a town.

Brakpan's central position makes it a good distribution centre for industry, especially engineering works and foundries.

In the late 1990s the municipality approved the construction of a huge casino and entertainment complex, Carnival City,[4] which opened the town to tourists and provided much-needed jobs for the people.

Many British residents emigrated during the apartheid era leaving a vacuum in the town which was filled by mostly Afrikaner farmers who had lost interest in farming.