Klerksdorp
Klerksdorp is a city and administrative district located in the North West Province, South Africa. Klerksdorp is situated 185 km South West of Johannesburg and 325km North East of Kimberly along the N12 Treasure Route. Klerksdorp is on the N12, between Potchefstroom and Wolmaransstad. The discovery of gold in 1886 saw thousands of prospectors descending on the quiet rural aggregation of Klerksdorp. Today, Klerksdorp is the centre for a large mining and agricultural economy and has the second largest grain co-operative in the world.
The greater city area of Klerksdorp incorporates the towns of Orkney, Kanana, Stilfontein, Khuma, Hartbeesfontein and Tigane, giving it a population of more than 350,000 inhabitants (Census Statistics South Africa 2001). Together with Rustenburg, Klerksdorp forms the economic heart of North West Province. It is one of the hubs of the South African gold mining industry. Apart from mining, Klerksdorp is positioned as a notable medical, retail and educational centre for North West Province and Northern Free State. The Klerksdorp district is a major contributor to South African agriculture; maize, sorghum, groundnuts and sunflower are important crops farmed in the district. Klerksdorp has the largest agricultural co-op in the southern hemisphere, named ‘Senwes’.
HISTORY
The city was founded in 1837 when the Voortrekkers settled on the banks of the Schoonspruit (“Clear stream”), which flows through the town. Klerksdorp is one of the oldest European (white) settlements of the former province of Transvaal.
In August 1886 gold was discovered in the Klerksdorp district by M.G. Jansen van Vuuren as well as on the Witwatersrand, which lies about 160 km to the east. As a consequence, thousands of fortune-seekers descended on the small village, turning it into a town with 70 taverns and even a stock exchange of its own. Klerksdorp was connected by rail to Krugersdorp on 3 August 1897 and to Kimberley in 1906. The gold mining industry was revived by large mining companies in 1932, causing the town to undergo an economic revival, which accelerated after World War II.
Climate
SHOPPING
Klerksdorp is host to a one-stop 63,000m² Matlosana Mall with modern design, superb retailers and ample parking that add up to a new and exciting shopping experience for the under-retailed consumer market of Klerksdorp and further afield. Matlosana Mall comprises three major food anchors as well as fashion, lifestyle, entertainment, sport and restaurant offerings, with space to accommodate 145 stores in total.
Other shopping venues include the CBD, Tower Mall, City Mall, Flamwood Walk, The Checkers Hyper Centre, Pick & Pay Centre and various independent malls with speciality and independent retailers.
SOCIAL SCENE
Klerksdorp is home to a large variety of restaurants, pubs, clubs, take aways, video rentals, coffee shops, entertainment venues and cocktail bars. The community of Klerksdorp is exposed to a wide variety of events and festivals for all tastes and preferences, from fashion, arts, culture, sport, music and more.
Sport Scene
ATTRACTIONS (in and around Klerksdorp)
- The Klerksdorp Museum was built in 1891 as a prison and served as such until 1973. The house of the warden hosts period exhibitions. It exhibits the Klerksdorp sphere, spherical to sub spherical objects that pseudoarcheologists consider to be man-made. The museum also offers Peach Mampoer & Soet Blits liqueurs. The museum hosts a variety of arts and culture exhibitions and festivals.
- The Faan Meintjies Nature Reserve, located about 15 km from Klerksdorp. It has 30 species of game and 150 species of birds. A very popular picnic spot.
- The Oudorp hiking trail. It is a 12 km long trail and winds its way through the oldest parts of the town. This walk meanders through the early homes of Voortrekker families. Remains of pre-historic Tswana kraals can also be seen.
- Goudkoppie (Gold Hill) is the city’s latest tourist attraction. It is situated near both the N12 highway and the Johannesburg-Cape Town railway line. Old mining shafts dating back to the 18th century, and rock inscriptions of Anglo-Boer War British regiments
- The Klerksdorp Dam, 10 km outside Klerksdorp on the road to Ventersdorp, with resorts, a hot spot for all water sports, camping, fishing
- The Jack Scott house: This tin house was imported from Britain and was the home of Jack Scott, the father of modern-day mining in the area.
- Klerksdorp Mine Tours: Interesting tours can be arranged on request.
- Old Cemetry: Emotive cemetry for British soldiers and Boer women and children who died during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899 – 1902.
- Stock Exchange Building: Built and occupied in 1888 during the gold rush.
- Flyfishing: Fly fishing for coarse fish is a growing sport in the area.
- Horse Trails: Contact Rhino Rock Horse Trail and Riding School.
- Vaal River: Many resorts and clubs are situated on the banks of the Vaal river which is a hot spot for water sports and recreation.
- Hartebeespoortdam: Roughly 90 minutes’ drive from Klerksdorp, surrounded by the beautiful Magaliesberg mountain range, Hartbeespoort Dam, or Harties to locals, has become a hive of activity and is a very popular weekend getaway for the city.
- The Hartbeespoort Dam offers an array of water sports, a local bird sanctuary, challenging hikes and gentle rambles. There is a collection of restaurants in Hartbeespoort that range from Tan’ Malie se Winkle, a local institution where you can eat to your heart’s content on traditional Afrikaans home-cooked meals, to the local Pick-a-Pancake, which takes pancakes into a new league. This restaurant lies literally in the heart of the Welwitschia Market – a range of African arts, crafts, novelties, curios and other at the fourway crossing at Hartbeespoort that makes a visit here imperative.
- Sun City: Deep in the rugged bushveld, in the heart of an ancient volcano, lies the world’s most unique resort, the internationally acclaimed Sun City. The Resort has a unique heartbeat and an African rhythm of its own and is unlike any other Resort destination in the world. This is pure fantasy and your every desire is met. There are four world-class hotels including the magnificent Palace of the Lost City that glitters like a jewel beneath the African sun, brilliant in its rain forest surroundings and luxurious in its detail and design. Adjoining the Resort, is the beautiful Pilanesberg National Park, which will delight game viewers as it is a malaria free zone and home to the “Big 5” (Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion and Rhino). The Sun City resort has amazed the international community with its glamorous casinos, gourmet restaurants, extensive sports facilities and star studded spectaculars. The full variety of entertainment on offer ranges from slots to safaris; the theatre extravaganza to a games arcade for children; horse riding to golf; the Valley of Waves to The Lost City … whatever it is you’re looking for, you’ll find it at Sun City.