North West

Lesedi Village Dancers

Mining plays a dominant role of the province.

DIAMONDS are mined at Lichtenburg, Koster, Christiana and Bloemhof.

GOLD are mined at Klerksdorp and Orkney.

PLATINUM around Rustenburg and Brits

MARBLE mainly in Taung but also around Rustenburg and Brits.

FLUORSPAR is mined at Zeerust.

THE MAGALIESBERG

Range of almost unbroken line of Quartzite Mountains that stretches from near Pretoria to Rustenburg.  Its bush-covered hills, towering cliffs, craggy gorges, rock pools and gentle valleys make it an appealing retreat.

Used to have and abundance of elephants but today only small game and even leopard, high in the rocky cliffs.

The main attractions are the many walks, mountain bike trails and the up-market hotels and cottages along the mountain range.

Hot –air Ballooning has become part of the Magaliesberg experience.  This is usually followed by a champagne breakfast. 

The popular Hartbeespoort Dam, at the far end of the Meander, is a bushveld Riviera, set against an attractive mountainous backdrop.

Johannesburg & Sun City Map

HARTBEESPOORT DAM & MAGALIESBERG

Built on the Crocodile river in 1923.

Favoured recreational area offering wide variety of watersports and places of interest.

To the east of the dam, the cable car takes you to the top of the Magaliesberg and a favorite hang gliding venue. Along the eastern shore, a fresh water aquarium, a snake park, Bird Park and a small well stocked zoo.  The Transvaal Yacht Club, offers all the major water sports facilities.

Across the dam wall at the Damdoryn Crossing is the extensive craft market with arts and craft of almost every African country are displayed.  Traveling west is the elephant sanctuary and numerous farm stalls.

On the southern side, visit the Lesedi Cultural Village and experience the cultural diversity and the traditional architecture, dance and songs of the diverse peoples of South Africa.

Also the Pecanwood Gold Course that hosts the annual Nelson Mandela Invitation Tournament.

To the north is the town of Brits where the De Wildt Cheetah Research Centre is located.  Offers tours and lectures on the role and importance of cheetah, wild dogs and smaller carnivores in the environment.  The Margaret Roberts Herb Centre is also located near De Wildt.

White & Black Rhino Fight

MADIKWE GAME RESERVE

North of the Pilanesberg lies Madikwe Game Reserve, a vast 76 500 ha conservancy and a transition zone between the Kalahari sandveld and the thornveld.

3 ½ hours from Gauteng and a mere 45 minutes by aircraft.

Hosts all the major plains species, the Big 5 and has the second largest concentration of elephants in South Africa.  Also known birding area (230 species) with high populations of raptors.  Offer sanctuary to wild dog packs, cheetah and brown hyena.

There is a private landing strip in Madikwe.

MAFIKENG

The name Mafikeng means, “Place amongst the rocks”.  Mafikeng attracted the attention of the world during the Anglo-Boer war of 1899 – 1902 as the small British garrison under Colonel Powell held out for 217 days against Boer forces who had surrounded the town.

Today Mafikeng is a vibrant provincial and commercial capital and a major tourism attraction.

The Mafikeng Museum exhibits the Anglo Boer War history.

To the south east of Mafikeng is Kanon Kopje, a defensive fort built during the Warren Expedition of 1885. Along the way there is a number of sites linking the famous S.A. writer Sol Plaatje to Mafikeng at the time of the Mafikeng Siege.  Includes his residence, his newspaper office and printing works.

The 4600ha Mafikeng Game Reserve hosts a wide variety of plains game and is one of the principal breeding parks for white Rhino.  The Manyane Game Lodge features a lion enclosure and crocodile camp.

The Botsalano Game Reserve is a popular weekend attraction for game viewing.

At the entrance to Mafikeng is a bird sanctuary at Cookes Lake, which also offers picnic sites and camping.  To the south are the Lotlamoreng Dam Cultural Reserve and Montshiwua Dam where there is a cultural village, recreational area and a demarcated waterfowl sanctuary.

In the east the inland diving venue at Wondergat is a vast underwater network of caves used principally for diving instruction.

TAUNG

The Taung Heritage and Blue pools site, located to the west of the village of Taung is a place of enormous scientific importance.  During diggings in 1924 a lime-encrusted skull of a child was unearthed.  This discovery was to advance the knowledge of the presence of early humankind in Africa by some million years.  The famous scientist Dr Raymond Dart, who described the skull, name it Australopithecus africanus.

The Taung site also boasts limestone cliff at the head of the valley and a constant stream of clear water flows through a succession of attractive pools in descent down to the ancient valley below.

The important farming town of Vryburg, north of Taung, is a well-known cattle ranching center where the finest free range beef in S.A. is produced.

To the northeast, is the town of Delareyville and the Barberspan Bird Sanctuary, an outstanding birding site and undoubtedly the finest in S.A. The sheer numbers and variety of birds to be seen on the pans are unique in S.A. 365 species, including rare migrants. 

Jan Kemp Dorp - An avenue of trees, probably the longest in South Africa, on the N18, on either side of the village were planted by Italian prisoners of war during the second world war.

THE VREDEFORT DOME

2000 million years ago a giant meteorite struck the earth near the present day village of Vredefort.  The impact created a crater some 200km in diameter causing a tremendous shift in the earth’s crust.

Today the Dome Conservancy is one of the province’s prime adventure tourism sites for rock climbing, white water rafter, and canoeists.  The Vaal River forms the southern boundary to the conservancy.  The restored mining village at Venterskroon provides a fascinating insight into the pioneering days.

To the north, the historic university town of Potchefstroom, with its colonial architecture straddles the N12.  There are several museums, the most notable being the Potchestroom Museum, which has excellent displays tracing the history of the town, along with a fine ethnographic representation of the region.

East of Potchefstroom, the vast goldfields dominate the landscape, where some of the mines are at a depth of more than 3km below the surface. 

Potchefstroom was the original capital of the Zuid-Afrikaanse Republic.

West of Potchefstroom on the N12 the towns of Stilfontein and Klerksdorp.  Stilfontein has a community outreach project “Golden Village Project” designed to provide skills training to miners and their families.  Excellent leatherwork and clothing are made.  They also sponsor a dance group of very talented young people.

Klerksdorp – Gold mining town with 19^th century mining shafts and rock inscriptions of Anglo Boer War British regiments.  Klerksdorp museum (formerly a prison) exhibits early town life, archaeology and social history.  Geared for the mining industry.

The Mmabana Cultural Centres, located at Taung, Mafikeng, Leherutse and Klerksdorp are centers were learning individuals can gain skills in a wide range of art.

GREAT MARICO

This is cattle country but also well known for the distilling of Mampoer.  The distilling is a historical part of Marico culture.  Also spectacular in the area is the cultural historical site of the Tswana’s origin. This is also the most extensive iron-age settlement in the North West.  It is as unique as the Zimbabwe ruins.

The Lindleyspoort Dam is one of the five ecological conservation dams in the country, with hiking trails, birdlife and a scuba diver’s paradise.

RUSTENBURG

The two biggest platinum mines in the world are situated within 14km of the town, with more being developed.  Other minerals such as chrome, palladium, nickel and copper are also mined.

There are also large granite quarries 19km from the town.

The exploitation of the town’s bountiful riches has led to a significant population increase.

It is also one of the country’s most important citrus areas.  This is a mixed-crop farming land.  Includes tobacco, citrus, paprika, wheat, peppers, cotton and sunflowers.  On average 187 million kg of tobacco is cultivated yearly on approx 19 500 ha.

Things to do in Rustenburg;

Rustenburg Kloof with its breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

Sightseeing, sailing, clay pigeon shooting, combat shooting, oval racing, go-karting, restaurant, parks and reserves.

Rustenburg is about 150km away from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

BRITS

Industries concentrate mostly on manufacturing and construction.

Platinum and marble is also mined in the area.

Mixed-crop farming land.  Includes tobacco, citrus, paprika, wheat, peppers, cotton and sunflowers

BORAKALALO NATIONAL PARK

This is one of the most accessible reserves to the Johannesburg and Pretoria areas.  50km north of Brits, it is remote and peaceful area of unusual beauty and diversity set in Kalahari thornveld and woodland country, along the banks of the Moretele River and the 800ha Klipvoor Dam.

The reserve is some 13 000ha in size and conserves a wide variety of antelope, giraffe, white rhino, leopard and numerous smaller mammal species.  Birdlife is particularly abundant with over 300 species recorded, including 11 eagle and 18 smaller raptors.

Sources:  South Africa’s Heritage Destination Book – North West Province Tourism

                Reader Digest Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks & Nature Reserve of S.A

                Internet :  www.gov.za/province/overview