North West Province

The North West Province, provides a link between South Africa and Botswana. The province is the largest platinum production area in the world, and its Stelland area is the "Texas of South Africa" with some of the biggest cattle herds in the world.

Cities

• 1 Mafikeng — the capital of the North West Province has many popular resorts
• 2 Bloemhof — a base for visiting the Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve
• 3 Hartbeespoort — a resort area between the Magaliesberg Mountains and Hartebeespoort Dam
• 4 Klerksdorp — a mining and agricultural centre
• 5 Potchefstroom — a university town with several museums and historical sites
• 6 Rustenburg — a base for visiting nearby game reserves
• 7 Taung — known for its cultural cultural events such as the annual Cultural Calabash
• 8 Vryburg — an agricultural town with modern architecture and well-preserved old buildings

Other destinations

• 1 Sun City — South Africa's Las Vegas, with casino, golf course and adventure area.
• Groot Marico — a typical small farm village, famous for literature and Mampoer

National parks

• 2 Pilanesberg National Park — a small park, easy to reach from Johannesburg. Has the Big Five

Other nature reserves

• Marakele Game Reserve — approx. 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Thabazimbie
• Madikwe Game Reserve — in the north of the province

Understand

Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland. The Magaliesberg mountain range in the northeast extends about 130 km (80 miles) from Pretoria to Rustenburg. The Vaal River flows along the southern border of the province.

The mainstay of the economy of North West Province is mining, which generates more than half of the province's gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce. The chief minerals are gold, mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp; uranium, mined at Klerksdorp; platinum, mined at Rustenburg and Brits; and diamonds, mined at Lichtenburg, Christiana, and Bloemhof. About 85% of all money-making activities take place between Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom. The economic heart of the province is Klerksdorp. The northern and western parts of the province have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches. The eastern and southern parts are crop-growing regions that produce maize (corn), sunflowers, tobacco, cotton, and citrus fruits. The entertainment and casino complex at Sun City and Lost City also contributes to the provincial economy.

The majority of the province's residents are Tswana people who speak Tswana, as in neighbouring Botswana. Smaller groups include Afrikaans, Sotho, and Xhosa speaking people. English is spoken primarily as a second language.

Climate

Temperatures range from 17° to 31 °C (62° to 88 °F) in the summer and from 3° to 21 °C (37° to 70 °F) in the winter. Annual rainfall totals about 360 mm (about 14 in), with almost all of it falling during the summer months, between October and April.

Get in

By car

The N12 highway runs from Kimberley through the eastern part of the province (Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom) to Johannesburg. The N14 from Upington joins the N12 in Wolmaranstaad. The N4 runs through the north of the province. It comes from Gaborone in Botswana, goes through Zeerust and Rustenburg and from there to the north of Pretoria.

By plane

The airport of Pilanesberg/Sun City offers flights from Johannesburg.

The capital city of Mmabatho/Mafikeng has regular flights operated by South African Airways from Johannesburg.

Rustenburg Airfield.

By bus

Greyhound and Translux offer bus connections from other provinces.

Do

• Rock Climbing
• SkyDive Rustenburg - based at Rustenburg Airfield. Enjoy a scenic flight over Rustenburg and the Magaliesberg on the climb to 12,000 ft (3,700 m), 40 seconds in freefall attached to a tandem master, and a 5-minute parachute ride back to earth. +27 79 345 7058 SkyDive.Rustenburg@gmail.com
• Zip 2000 (Also known as a ZipSlide, ZipWire, FlyingFoxes or Foefie Slide), Sun City (Follow N4 toward Rustenburg, follow the signs along the R556 to Sun City), ☏ +27 14 557-1544, tim@zip2000.com. Tu-Su 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM. At 2 km this is the longest zipslide in the world. During the slide you will reach speeds up to 140 km/h. Departures are from the Sun City Welcome centre. R295 per person.