Mokopane

Mokopane (formerly Potgietersrus, still nicknamed 'Potties') is the main town of the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in the Waterberg District of Limpopo. It is an agricultural and mining service centre on the Platreef of the Bushveld Complex, near Anglo American's Mogalakwena open-pit platinum mine, and serves farms producing citrus, maize, wheat, tobacco, cattle and game. Suburbs include Chroom Park, Trim Park, Nylpark and Kameeldoring Park.

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History

Voortrekkers founded a settlement here in 1852, first called Vredenburg. It was renamed Potgietersrus after Piet Potgieter, killed in 1854 during the Siege of Makapansgat, when Chief Mokopane's (Makapan's) Kekana Ndebele people were besieged in the nearby caves for about a month. The town grew as a farming centre with tobacco and general co-operatives, and in 2003 was renamed Mokopane in honour of the chief. Platinum mining has since become a major part of the economy.

Getting there

About two hours' drive north of Gauteng. The N1 toll road bypasses the town on the way to Polokwane (about 40 minutes north) and Beitbridge; the R101 runs through the town centre and the N11 runs north-west from town. Mokopane has a small airfield (FAQR); the nearest scheduled flights are from Polokwane.

Weather & climate

Semi-arid bushveld climate with hot summers and afternoon thunderstorms, and mild, dry, sunny winters.

Things to do

Doorndraai Dam Nature ReserveAbout 7,000 ha reserve around Doorndraai Dam, roughly 30 minutes from Mokopane, popular for birding and angling, with game such as kudu, zebra and giraffe.
Kameeldoring Country Club golfBunker-free 18-hole par-72 bushveld course from 1978 where trees are the main hazard; carts for hire and open to the public every day.
Percy Fyfe ConservancySmall bushveld reserve about 20 km from Mokopane towards Polokwane that breeds roan antelope and disease-free buffalo; cycling routes, a hiking trail and game drives.
Thabaphaswa Hiking and MTB Trails38 km of self-planned hiking routes plus mountain-bike trails among granite domes, with camps, a tree shelter and glass-walled huts; leopard, brown hyena and nearly 200 bird species.

Things to see

Arend Dieperink MuseumCultural history museum in an old stone school building, covering the region from Makapan's caves to the Anglo-Boer War, with a replica bushveld farmhouse and Piet Potgieter's grave nearby.
Makapan's Valley (Makapansgat Caves)Fossil-bearing caves in a World Heritage-listed valley north-east of town, where Australopithecus africanus remains were found and where Chief Makapan's people were besieged in 1854. Visits must be booked in advance and are guided.
Mokopane Biodiversity Conservation Centre1,300 ha breeding and conservation centre of the National Zoological Garden on the northern outskirts of town, with rare species such as black rhino, tsessebe, roan and lemurs.

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