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The Northern Cape province lies to the south of its most important asset – the mighty Orange River – which provides the basis for a healthy agriculture. The Northern Cape is a place of vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles. The cold Atlantic Ocean forms its western boundary.
This region covers the largest area of all the provinces and has the smallest population. The major airports are situated at Kimberley, the capital, and Upington. The Northern Cape is serviced by an excellent road network which makes its interior easily accessible from South Africa’s major cities, harbors and airports.
Important towns are Upington, center of the Karakul sheep and dried fruit industries, and the most northerly wine-making region in South Africa; Springbok in the heart of the Namaqualand spring-flower country; Kuruman founded by the missionary Moffat; De Aar, hub of the South African railway network; Sutherland, the coldest town in the country, and the sheep-farming towns of Carnarvon, Colesberg,Kenhardt and Prieska.
Apart from a narrow strip of winter-rainfall area along the coast, the Northern Cape is a semi-arid region with low summer rainfall. The area is characterized by cold and frost in winter and extremely high temperatures in summer. The largest part of the province falls within the Nama-Karoo biome with a vegetation of low shrubland and grass, with trees limited to water courses. The area is especially known for its spectacular display of spring flowers which, for a short period every year, attracts many tourists. This biome is home to many wonderful plant species, such as the elephant’s foot (halfmens), tree aloe (kokerboom) and a variety of succulents. Animals are also adapted to this hot, dry area. The province has several national parks and conservation areas such as the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park which, together with the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana is Africa’s first transfrontier game park, known as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is one of the largest nature conservation areas in southern Africa, and one of the largest remaining natural ecosystems in the world. This transboundary park provides unfenced access to a variety of game between South Africa and Botswana, and has a surface area of more than two million hectares. Nowhere is the Orange River more impressive than at the Augrabies Falls, which ranks among the world’s greatest cataracts on a major river. The Augrabies Falls National Park was established to preserve this natural wonder. The People The Northern Cape is sparsely populated and houses some 840,000 people on 361,830 km˛ of land. About 69% of the people speak Afrikaans. Other languages spoken are Setswana, IsiXhosa and English. The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. A good collection can be seen at the McGregor Museum in Kimberley. The province is also rich in fossils.
Agriculture The Northern Cape shares the rich Benguela Current with the Western Cape, but in the past did not derive great benefit from this marine resource. In 1998, however, the provincial government encouraged the development of and investment in the marine industry. It has facilitated the formation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan which aims to attract investment in mariculture projects such as deep-sea fishing. The mariculture project is closely linked to existing plans of the Namaqualand Development Corridor (NDC) which is actively lobbying investment support for a deep-sea harbor along the west coast of the Northern Cape. The NDC also focuses on the beneficiation of sea products and their exports. The province has fertile agricultural land. The economy of a large part of the Northern Cape, the interior Karoo, rests on sheepfarming.
The Orange River Valley, especially at Upington, Kakamas and Keimoes, is intensively cultivated grape and fruitgrowing country. The Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme near Warrenton produces wheat, fruit, peanuts, maize and cotton. The karakul pelt industry is one of the foremost agricultural activities in the Gordonia district of Upington. Mining The Northern Cape is extremely rich in minerals. The country’s chief diamond pipes are found in the Kimberley district. In 1888, the diamond industry was formally established with the creation of De Beers Consolidated Mines. Alluvial diamonds are also extracted from the beaches and sea between Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth. The Sishen Mine near Kathu is the biggest source of iron ore in South Africa. The copper mine at Okiep is one of the oldest mines in the country. Copper is also mined at Springbok and Aggeneys.
The province is also rich in asbestos, manganese, fluorspar, semi-precious stones and marble. Levels of development assistance and investment in the province have been low, mainly owing to its vastness. Huge investment projects are, however, scheduled to start in 1999, and are likely to impact significantly on the area’s economic prospects in the near future. Better prospects are also forecast for small-scale miners who, with the assistance of the provincial government, opened a resource center in 1998 to help them explore and beneficiate their mineral claims. Provincial Government Internet: http://ncwebpage.ncape.gov.za |
