Rustenburg is one of the oldest towns in the North West province. Officially founded in 1851 by Boers who had trekked into the area a decade earlier.

Rustenburg makes for a great base from which to explore areas of interest throughout the region. Rustenburg is also known as the ‘Platinum City’ because of the platinum mining around the area.

By far the best-known attractions in Rustenburg are the nature reserves that are all within striking distance of the town.

For those more culturally minded, there are some magnificent churches to be seen, including the Anglican Church (1871) and the Dutch Reformed Church (1898 -1903).

There are a multitude of sites with cultural and historical significance in and around Rustenburg. This is no surprise, given the many different communities in the area, such as the indigenous Bafokeng, Bakgatla and Tswana people, whose totemic tribal traditions are of much interest.

There is also the German community of Kroondal that traces its origins back to 1857.

Pilanesberg National Park is one of the most accessible South African game reserves. It is the fourth largest in the country and is set high in the Pilanesberg mountain range, traversing the floor of an ancient, long-extinct volcano.

Pilanesberg features all the major mammal species including the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. There is also the Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, which is famous for its breeding herd of sable antelope. Small numbers of predators, including caracal, aardwolf, black-backed jackal and leopard also occur. More than 320 species of birdlife have been recorded including a breeding colony of cape vultures.

The Hartbeespoort dam is another nearby attraction offering plenty of activities near Rustenburg as well as providing irrigation for the entire region. A favoured site for watersports, the dam has many resorts, boat clubs and picnic sites scattered along its banks.

It is Saturday the 3rd of September and we are going to check out Hartbeespoortdam today after B has come back from working.  Comments to follow…

Far from peaceful as its name would suggest, Rustenburg is the throbbing centre of the North West province.  Easily accessible and filled with entertainment, Rustenburg is located on major highway routes and offers a wide range of activities for the visitor.

We were superblessed to meet up with one of our favourite friends from Mosselbay right here in Rustenburg last night.  He was here on business. We have not seen David in such a long time and it felt great to meet up with him.  We ate dinner at Panarottis, Waterfall Mall where we received very good service, before David had to leave for he was driving back to Johannesburg.

So, it is Monday the 5th of September and we had a superblessed weekend.  As I already mentioned, we went to Hartbeespoort on Saturday after B came home from working on site.  He had a quick nap before we set off on our road trip.  Enroute to Harties, we went past the little mining town named Mooinooi and I wondered who the ‘mooi nooi’ (pretty girl)was after whom the town was named.  I am still searching for this answer… maybe a reader could shed some light?

We commented on the fact that we have been in this area around Magaliesburg, coming and going more than a few times this year.