Kalahari (South Africa)

Kalahari, or Kgalagadi, is a district in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It was renamed and formally John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality in 2008 after a freedom fighter and trade unionist.

Cities

• 1 Kuruman — known for its scenic beauty and the Eye of Kuruman, a deep spring

Understand

This district was the richest mining region in the Northern Cape until a decline in mining employment and the near extinction of the asbestos mining industry in the 1980s. Today, minerals mined include manganese ore, iron ore and tiger's eye. The Sishen iron-ore mine is one of the largest open-cast mines in the world and the iron-ore railway from Sishen to Saldanha is one of the longest iron-ore carriers in the world.

The rural land in the district is used extensively for cattle, sheep, goat and game farming. The area is well known for its good commercial hunting in the winter.

See

The Eye is the biggest natural fountain in the southern hemisphere. It was proclaimed a national monument in 1992.

The Wonderwerk Cave is one of the longest-inhabited caves in the world. There are San rock paintings in areas near its mouth.

The Moffat Mission was established in 1820 by Scottish missionary, Robert Moffat, in Kuruman. The mission church has been declared a national monument.

Do

The Sishen Golf Club in Kathu is an attractive golf course.

The Khai Apple Recreation Resort in the Gamagara Municipality offers accommodation, camping and caravanning facilities, fishing and horse riding.

Game hunting from old limestone farmsteads, a feature of the Kalahari landscape, that have been converted into hunting lodges with accommodation and game-processing facilities.