northern cape Archives - Gerd Hoffmann

08 Oct 2018

The white sand dunes

The white sand dunes near Oilifantshoek are a place not far from Kathu. In the Africaans language, they are called Witsand Nature Reserve. What stands for the white sand nature reserve. It’s a trip of three hours to the west. First, driving from Kathu and following the national road N14 in the direction of Upington. Then the second part is an unpaved road. Short after the little town of Oilifantshoek, a poster indicates to turn left from the main road […]

24 Sep 2018

Under African skies

At the end of the day when the sun drops down, the dust settles and after a short twilight transition then the African skies change dramatically. The temperature drops and millions of cicadas start playing music. That is even the time when the sky looks washed and then suddenly the first stars appear. It’s time to enjoy the evening under African skies in the Kalahari desert. That reminds me of the song “Under African Skies” by Paul Simon. For sure. […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

24 Aug 2018

Sishen iron ore mine

Sishen iron ore mine is a mine near the town of Kathu in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. The iron ore mine opened in the 1950s. Kathu the town beside developed in parallel to the mine. In fact, the Sishen iron ore mine is one of the biggest iron ore mines in the world. That’s why Kathu is also called Africa’s iron ore capital. The iron ore mine in Sishen has a unique feature. The mineral is called Magnetite […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

04 Aug 2018

A total lunar eclipse on 2018 July, 28

A great highlight for stargazing was the total lunar eclipse on 2018 July, 28. The eclipse was visible in a clear night sky from Kathu in South Africa. However, the total lunar eclipse on July 28, 2018, started in the evening in the Northern Cape at 19:14. It was exactly the right time after sunset for watching the magic. Interesting in this lunar eclipse is, that planet Mars has had the nearest position to the moon for 15 years. In addition, Mars had […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

29 Jul 2018

The Big Hole in Kimberley

Kimberley the capital of South Africa’s Northern Cape province has a deep relation to diamond mining. The Big Hole in Kimberley is the result of diamond mining in the last century. Like the gold rush in the USA, South Africa had a diamond rush. The mine closed in 1914. Since this time the mine was just a big hole for Kimberley. However, in the 1960s a rethinking of the hole came up. The idea was born to turn the old mine […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

22 Jul 2018

Augrabies waterfalls

The Northern Cape has a couple of interesting places to visit. One of them is indeed the Augrabies waterfalls. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned so much about the Oranje River in school. However, the most important thing was, that the river is the biggest in South Africa. Also, the river comes from Lesotho’s Drakenbergs and crosses South Africa from east to west. The Augrabies Waterfalls locating in the Augrabies National Park in the northwest of South Africa, close to the Namibian border. […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

30 Apr 2018

The Northern Cape province

The Northern Cape province is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The province has a very low population. Hills and bushland dominate the landscape. Additionally, a huge area of the province is part of the Kalahari desert. While in the wintertime temperatures drop below zero, the summertime is hot. In fact, temperatures up to 40 degrees are possible. Major cities are very rare. Small settlements appear from time to time besides the road. The distances between cities are huge. Kimberly […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

24 Apr 2018

Kathu the town under trees

Kathu is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The town locates on the south edge of the Kalahari desert. The nearby towns are Upington and Vryburg. The distances are huge to my surprise. More than 200 km in each direction. Founded in the late 1960s, Kathu is indeed a very young town. With a population of around 15000 inhabitants, the town is a mid-size town. It’s obvious that the city comes straight away from a drawing […]

2018 / Africa / South Africa

Tag : northern cape