NORTH WEST 530 Endured a Seven-Month Siege During the Second Anglo-Boer War
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530 NORTH WEST — Introduction modernoverland.com modernoverland.com Introduction — NORTH WEST 531 North West The North West Province is probably best known for its precious metal mining and its two top tourist destinations: the over-the-top mega resort of Sun City and nearby Pilanesberg National Park - home NORTH WEST NORTH to the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). But there is much more to check out in the North West Province beyond these two NORTH WEST NORTH popular sights. There are a few lesser-known game and nature reserves with great hiking trails that will allow you to experience the pleasant landscape away from the crowds. A handful of interior cities have their own distinct flavor, such as Rustenburg and its exploding funeral business or the laid-back but prosperous capital city of Mafikeng that endured a seven-month siege during the Second Anglo-Boer War. 532 NORTH WEST — Highlights modernoverland.commodernoverland.com modernoverland.commodernoverland.com Highlights — NORTHN11 N11R561 WESTR561 533 R572 R572 R561 R561 N11 N11 A1 A1 CH ap TE R H IGHLIGHT S R518 R518 North West ProvinceKang Kang LephalaleLephalale Mountain Sanctuary Park – Take an easy hike to check out impressive rock formations, then cool off in a private spring-fed pool so clean you can drink R510 R510 R33 R33 R518 R518 from it (p538) A A Sun City – Check out this bizarre, completely man-made fantasy collection R517 R517 of theme park attractions, hotels, and a casino and water park (p543) N N A1 A1 MolepololeMolepolole LIMPOPOLIMPOPO Pilanesberg National Park – Catch the Big 5 while surrounded by ancient R510 R510 A A R33 R33 volcanic hills in one of South Africa’s top national parks (p539) SekomaSekoma N1 N1 A2 A2 GaboroneGaborone Mafikeng – Brush up on some of your Anglo-Boer WarKhakhea historyKhakhea in the town WW MookgopongMookgopong R511 R511 that endured a painful 217-day siege (p545) R510 R510 S S R516 R516 Bela-BelaBela-BelaR516 R516 KanyeKanye R576 R576 T T R47 R47 A2 A2 N1 N1 PilanesburgPilanesburg MogwaseMogwase LobatseLobatse NationalNational Park Park WerdaWerda O O R510 R510 R375 R375 R568 R568 BlairbethBlairbeth R556 R556 MakopongMakopong R375 R375 Sun SunCity City WEST NORTH R47 R47 R511 R511 R378 R378 Bray Bray N4 N4 R565 R565 PhepengPhepeng B B N1 N1 MosenthalMosenthal R573 R573 ZeerustZeerust PhokengPhokeng Terra FirmaTerra Firma R510 R510 R556 R556 R568 R568 Groot GrootMariko MarikoN4 N4 N4 N4 R375 R375 RamatlabamaRamatlabama N4 N4 R375 R375 MolopoMolopo SwartruggensSwartruggens R52 R52 R513 R513 OttoshoopOttoshoop RustenburgRustenburg R514 R514 N18 N18 N4 N4 N4 N4 R378 R378 R47 R47 SuurfonteinSuurfontein MountainMountain R375 R375 PretoriaPretoria NORTH WEST NORTH KosterKoster R24 R24 SanctuarySanctuary Park Park Tosca Tosca MafikengMafikeng R53 R53 R377 LogagangR377 Logagang DerbyDerby N18 N18 R52 R52 BoonsBoons R375 R375 R375 R375 BakervilleBakerville N1 N1 TshabongTshabong R378 R378 R375 R375 R503 R505R503 R505 R52 R52 R30 R30 MorokwengMorokweng Piet PlessisPiet Plessis MareetsaneMareetsane R375 R375 LichtenburgLichtenburg JohannesburgGAUTENGJohannesburgGAUTENG R52 R52 R377 R377 R375 R375 N14 N14 R378 R378 ColignyColigny N14 N14 VentersdorpVentersdorp KatlehongKatlehong N18 N18 BodensteinBodenstein R501 R501 CraftholeCrafthole BiesiesvielBiesiesvielN14 N14 R51 R51 R507 R507 GerdauGerdau R500 R500 VereenigingVereeniging Stella Stella SannieshofSannieshof R30 R30 R501 N12R501 N12 GanyesaGanyesa N1 N1 KameelKameel N14 N14 R505 R505 R503 R503 R54 R54 R42 R42 R23 R23 R549 R549 DelareyvilleDelareyville R380 R380 PotchefstroomPotchefstroom R23 R23 R378 R378 N18 N18 N12 N12 VanderbijlparkVanderbijlpark N14 N14 R53 R53 R506 R506 R59 R59 R501 R501 N1 N1 KlerksdorpKlerksdorpR502 R502 R54 R54 N14 N14 MigdolMigdol Parys Parys VryburgVryburg R505 R505 N12 N12 R716 R716 Hallatt’sHallatt’s Hope Hope VredefortVredefortR549 R549 R31 R31 TierkloofTierkloof R59 R59 R31 R31 N14 N14 R34 R34R506 R506 R502 R502 R76 R76 R57 R57 R30 R30 R720 R720 WitpoortWitpoort R26 R26 IpelegengIpelegeng ViljoenskroonViljoenskroon Lykso Lykso N18 N18 WolmaransstadWolmaransstad R103 R103 HotazelHotazel R504 R504 LeeudoringstadLeeudoringstad AmaliaAmalia R504 R504 R721 R721 HelbronHelbron R76 R76 R34 R34 N14 N14 MakwassieMakwassieR504 R504 R371 R371 R504 R504 R720 R720 KoofsfonteinKoofsfontein N1 N1 R34 R34 R727 R727 R380 R380 PudimoePudimoe KurumanKuruman R34 R34 N12 N12 R30 R30 R57 R57R707 R707 N18 N18 R506 R506 R82 R82 N14 N14 R76 R76 NORTHERNNORTHERN ReiviloReivilo R372 R372 TaungTaung R59 R59 R372 R372 R34 R34 R31 R31 BloemhofBloemhof R725 R725 FREEFREE KroonstadKroonstad Petrus PetrusStyn Styn R34 R34 CAPECAPE PostmasburgPostmasburg N12 N12 R59 R59 R57 R57 R707 R707 R371 R371 R34 R34 R720 R720 R373 R373 N18 N18 HoopstadHoopstad R34 R34 WesselsbronSTATEWesselsbronSTATE R76 R76 N1 N1 N14 N14 ChristianaChristiana R76 R76 R59 R59 WelkomWelkom R34 R34 R57 R57 OlifantshoekOlifantshoek R708 R708 R2620miR26 R31 R31 N12 N12 R700 R700 R719 R719 R76 R76 R710 R710R30 R30 50km R720 R720 N14 N14 WarrentonWarrenton BultfonteinBultfontein 534 NORTH WEST — History modernoverland.com modernoverland.com Rustenburg — NORTH WEST 535 HISTORY effort against the Boer republic from Mafikeng. join the democratic transition of South Africa in Beyers Naude St & Nelson Mandela Dr) is located This attempt, which later became known as the the early 1990s. Violent conflicts toppled the downtown and has ATMs available. Original Khoisan paintings found in the region Jameson Raid, failed horribly and Rhodes was government in 1994. The former state of date back as far as 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, a soon forced to resign as Prime Minister of the Bophuthatswana was reincorporated into South testament to the long indigenous inhabitation of Cape Colony. Africa as the newly elected democratic government INTERNET the western Transvaal, today known as the North The outbreak of the South African War restructured the country, and the western Transvaal West Province. Tswana descendents of Bantu in 1899 turned the western Transvaal into was established as the North West Province. @ Internet Café (S 25 40.598 E 027 14.417, Kock migrants from the north later settled the area and a major battleground. Mafikeng gained The Bophuthatswana capital of Mmabatho was St, 014-592-1979, 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm paved the way for the rise of the ancient “lost city” international fame when roughly 8,000 Boers merged with Mafikeng to form the new capital of Sat, R50/30min) has nine updated computers and of Kurreechane (or Kaditshwene) during the Iron besieged 6,000 Barolong, 1,000 refugees, 1,000 the North West Province in 1996. allows laptops to be plugged in. Age. Today, the city’s stone wall ruins represent Englishmen and 900 British troops in the city PostNet (S 25 42.366 E 027 15.147, Waterfall the most notable remaining example of for over 217 days as they launched ongoing Mall, 014-592-7878, 8:30am-5:30pm Mon- original Tswana culture. The advanced society assaults and cut off supplies to the city, in an Fri, 9am-2pm Sat, R1/min) has four updated of iron smelters and blacksmiths impressed attempt to starve their opponents into submission. RUSTENBURG computers but doesn’t allow laptops. It is located GPS: S 25 40.089 E 027 14.305 early British explorers and Wesleyan missionaries Future political activist Sol Plaatje was among next to the entrance to the Pick ‘n Pay. pop. 125,000 | elevation 1,165 m/3,822 ft who arrived in the region in 1820s. However, the the besieged, and it was during this time that he Mug & Bean (S 25 42.366 E 027 15.147, Tswana inhabitants abandoned the city as wrote his literary masterpiece, "Mafikeng Diary: Rustenburg is a bustling city and the commerce Waterfall Mall, 014-537-3124, 7:30am-9pm turbulent warfare spread across the region and A Black Man’s View of a White Man’s War." and transport hub of the region, although there Mon-Sat, 7:30am-5pm Sun, free wifi) is a café/ the Ndebele forces under Chief Mzilikazi invaded Over the next two years, the western Transvaal isn’t that much going on within the city itself. restaurant with free wifi, but no computers for and established a stronghold just north of present was devastated. The Boers launched guerilla Unemployment and business turnover are high public use. day Mafikeng. warfare and British scorched earth tactics and with places opening and closing with considerable News Café (S 25 42.308 E 027 15.098, across The North West Province was rife with frontier internment of Boer women and children and black frequency. One business that is thriving though the street from Waterfall Mall, 014-537-3711, WEST NORTH instability between 1830 and the South African Africans in unsanitary concentration camps led to is the funeral business, with tombstone shops on 7am-late Mon-Fri, 7:30am-late Sat-Sun, free wifi) War in 1899. Encroaching Voortrekkers, distancing widespread disease and death. The British Imperial nearly every other block, a large new crematorium has meals, pastries, desserts and free wifi, but no themselves from the control of the British Cape Army finally overcame the Boer commandos in and rows of fresh gravesites dug in the computers available to the public. Colony, invaded the region and pushed the 1902 and eight years later declared the Union of cemetery on the outskirts of town. However the Ndebele north as they established a dispersed South Africa in 1910. surrounding area offers a much more pleasant NORTH WEST NORTH network of farms. As violence subsided, The apartheid government carved up the majority (and less morbid) experience with scenic farms, SHOPPING previously displaced chiefdoms such as the of the region as a separate African “homeland” and guesthouses, Kswane Nature Reserve, Barolong repopulated the area around the called Bophuthatswana, a hodgepodge state Mountain Sanctuary Park and the nearby Sun City Waterfall Mall (S 25 42.366 E 027 15.147, on Molopo River. Around the same time, in 1856, the that was given nominal independence in 1977.