Kuruman | |
|---|---|
 The Eye | |
  Kuruman  Kuruman  Kuruman | |
| Coordinates:27°27′S23°26′E / 27.450°S 23.433°E /-27.450; 23.433 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Northern Cape |
| District | John Taolo Gaetsewe |
| Municipality | Ga-Segonyana |
| Established | 1887; 138 years ago (1887)[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 93.39 km2 (36.06 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 13,057 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 43.7% |
| • Coloured | 23.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.3% |
| • White | 30.3% |
| • Other | 1.2% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 76.9% |
| • Tswana | 14.9% |
| • English | 4.0% |
| • Other | 4.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 8460 |
| PO box | 8460 |
| Area code | 053 |
Kuruman is a small town in theNorthern Cape province ofSouth Africa. It is known for its scenery and theEye of Kuruman, a geological feature that brings water from deep underground. The abundance of water produces an unexpected swathe of green amidst the barren plains and is known as the "Oasis of the Kalahari".[3] It was at first a mission station of theLondon Missionary Society founded byRobert Moffat in1821.[4] It was also the place whereDavid Livingstone arrived for his first position as a missionary in1841. The Kuruman River, which is dry except forflash floods after heavy rain, is named after the town.
Kuruman is regarded as the "Oasis of the Kalahari". It is set out on the Ghaap Plateau and receives its water source from a spring called "The Eye" which rises in a cave in the semidesert thornveld area in the Kalahari region. Kuruman is the main town in the area and the spring gives about 20 to 30 million litres of water daily to approximately 10 000 inhabitants. It is also known as "Die Oog" or "Gasegonyane" in theKalahari region.[5]
The name Kuruman is derived from the Chief who lived in the area, named Kudumane.Robert Moffat, a missionary from theLondon Missionary Society, also lived there from 1820 to 1870. Moffat helped build the Moffat Church which was completed in 1838 and is still used for regular church services. While living in Kuruman, Moffat translated the bible into theTswana language: this was the second bible in an indigenous southern African language.[5][6]
Kuruman is situated on the main route betweenGauteng andNamibia/Cape Town viaUpington. The route is growing in popularity because of its beautiful nature and various tourist attractions.[5] Kuruman lies virtually on the edge of the Kalahari at the foot of a range of low hills.[7] It has relatively mild weather patterns compared to other Northern Cape towns, such asUpington andSpringbok, and is surrounded by more vegetation than Upington and Springbok, which are mostly semi-arid to desert environments.
Mining and agriculture (cattle and game) support Kuruman's thriving economy. Minerals mined in Kuruman includemanganese,iron ore,tiger's eye andcrocidolite. The richest deposits of crocidolite in the world are found in the Kuruman district.[5]
According to the 2001 census, Kuruman had a population of 9,824, of which 4,267 (43.4%) wereColoured, 3,549 (36.1%) wereWhite and 1,969 (20.0%) wereBlack. The most spoken language at home wasAfrikaans with a percentage of 80.68%, followed byTswana language with 14.8%. Males make up 50.58% of the population and females, 49.42%.[8]
Kuruman was home to local author and Sanusi or Zulu traditional healer,Credo Mutwa.[citation needed]
Philip Hazel, the British computer programmer, emigrated to Kuruman with his family after WWII; his father worked in the offices of an asbestos-mining company.[9]
TheKalahari Meerkat Project, made famous by the television seriesMeerkat Manor, is located nearby.
Kuruman is one of the more noted Peace Corps outposts in the northern regions of the country.[10] From 2007 to 2009, it was home to former Peace Corps volunteer and published author and playwrightStefanie DeLeo.[11]
In 2010, Hilda Coetzee, now known as Hilda Williamson, was the underchairman of the A.T.K.V. in the Northern Cape area (The Afrikaans Language and Culture Association (Afrikaans: Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging)), of Kuruman, South Africa. The A.T.K.V. is a society that aims to promote the Afrikaans language and culture.[12][circular reference] This society was founded in Cape Town and its membership was open to include all people sharing the same values of the Christian faith.
This is a natural fountain delivering approximately 20 to 30 million litres (4,400,000 to 6,600,000 imp gal; 5,300,000 to 7,900,000 US gal) of crystal clear water daily which supplies domestic water, feeds the Kuruman River and spills more water into two irrigation canals which are 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in length. The Eye was claimed to have been discovered in 1801 and this led to the establishment of the mission station in the early 19th century. The Eye then came to be described as "The fountain ofChristianity". It is the biggest natural fountain in the Southern Hemisphere. In the early years,Tswana people called this fountainGasegonyane which means "small water calabash with bubbling water".[13]
Municipalities and communities ofJohn Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality,Northern Cape | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Kuruman | ||
| Joe Morolong | .svg) | |
| Ga-Segonyana | ||
| Gamagara | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
