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South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: Rustenburg

City Guide I Tourist Office I Arrival I Accommodation I Entertainment I Internet Cafes

Rustenburg

situated in North West province
120km north west of Johannesburg
area of rich mineral deposits and mines
city dates back to 1905 and the Nel brothers
town near to the Sun City casino complex
population around 130,000
located in the north west of South Africa
mining center and tourist base

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If your team are to be involved in fixtures in Rustenburg, it is definately worthwhile spending a couple of days in and around this pleasant town situated 120 kilometres north west of Johannesburg.

Entering from the direction of the Magaliesberg Mountains, the outskirts of the town are set in lush vegetation of jacaranda, poinciana, frangipani, hibiscus, poinsettias and bouganvillaeas.

For many years a frontier post for the Kalahari desert and Botswana to the west, the town has had much Voortrekker influence over time. Now a prosperous agricultural, mining and tourist region, it is a wealthy, cosmopolitan town.

Slate, tin, marble, lead, granite, chrome, asbestos, and platinum, with the two largest platinum mines in the world, are mined locally.

Rustenburg's World Cup stadium - the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace - is a modern structure built in 1999 and requires minimal upgrade to attain FIFA's standards. It is a 40,000 seater venue which will host First and Second round games. Situated in the small town of Phokeng 15 kilometres north west of Rustenburg en route to Sun City, it's major shareholders are the Bafokeng tribespeople.

Places of interest close to the town, include: Rustenburg Nature Reserve, 3,000 hectares in extent, is situated to the south of the town, at the western edge of the Magaliesberg Mountain range and is home to many protected and rare plants, antelope, hyena , jackal and leopard.

Boekenhoutfontein, the farm, built in the mid 1800s, belonged to President Paul Kruger. Some of the original buildings have been pleasantly preserved.

Rustenburg Museum is situated in the town centre and houses many items relating back to the early Boer settlers.

The N.G. Kerk (church), a national monument, was built in 1850 and was used a a hospital by the British during the Boer War and six of the soldiers who died there received the Victoria Cross. Their graves lie in the military cemetery next to the Anglican church in the town centre.

Further afield, 38 kilometres to the north of the town, is the Pilansberg National Park which is the third largest game park - 500 square kilometres- south of the Limpopo River. Situated in a series of volcanic craters with Lake Mankwe in it's centre, the reserve is home to the Big 5 animals, plus hippo, giraffe, cheetah, the full range of antelope and over 300 species of birds. A fantastic central lookout post - Lenong - overlooks the lake and much of the park.

There is ample accommodation in the park from camping sites to luxury lodges. As at all game parks early booking is essential.

Lost City, Sun City.

Just to the south of the Game Reserve en route to the soccer stadium and Rustenburg is the "Las Vegas" of South Africa - Sun City, a huge entertainment and accommodation complex which houses arguably South Africa's largest casino complex, nightclubs, cinemas, concert venues, two championship golf courses, an artificial surfing beach, lush botanical gardens, a crocodile park, a waterworld for parasailing, water skiing, windsurfing and kite boarding, the Disney-inspired Lost City, balloon flights over the game reserve and four 5 star hotel complexes which even in normal times are expensive.

Whether you enjoy the wilds and open spaces of Africa or the artificial man-made attractions of Sun City, it is well worth spending a couple of days in the area, between fixtures.

Tourist Offices

The Rustenburg Tourist Information Center (Tel: 014 597 0904) is on Main Road (7.30am-5pm; Mon-Fri; 8am-1pm Sat).

Getting There

Air

There is a small airport close to Sun City - Pilanesberg Airport which receives flights from Durban, Johannesburg, and from Cape Town.

Rail

There is a train service from Pretoria.

Bus

From Johannesburg and Pretoria it is less than 120 kilometres to Rustenburg along the N4 , take your time and enjoy the scenery of the Magaliesberg Mountains and the array of fruit and African craft and stone sculpture stalls along the way.

From the south, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth, one can circumnavigate Johannesburg by turning on to the R 76 at Kroonstad and driving through Klerksdorp, Ventersdorp and Derby. The roads are excellent, and carry few vehicles.

Luxury coaches connect Rustenburg to Johannesburg, Pretoria (4 hours) and Windhoek in Namibia and Gaborone in Botswana.

Getting Around

The minibus taxi park is behind Nelspruit Plaza with destinations including White River (20 mins), Barberton (40 mins), Sabie (60 mins), Hazyview (60 mins), Graskop (90 mins) and Komatipoort (2 hours).

Security

The South African government are aware that public safety is a major issue and are determined to increase the quantity and proficiency of the police force over the next couple of years.

Car Hire

All the major car hire companies are well represented in all major cities and at the airports. Cheaper less exclusive local companies also offer vehicles for hire.

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Accommodation

Featured Hotels

Cabanas Hotel Sun City - 3 Star Hotel
Cascades Hotel Sun City - 5 Star Hotel
Palace Hotel Sun City - 5 Star Hotel
Sun City Main Hotel - 5 Star Hotel

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Eating

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Drinking

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Internet Cafes

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Football Teams

The South African professional soccer season runs from September to May. Rustenburg does not have a pro-soccer team but the World Cup venue is the multi-purpose 40,000 seat Royal Bakokeng Stadium.

Weather

The weather during the day time should be pleasant, anything between 20 and 25 degrees Centigrade - warm enough for sunbathing on the artificial beach, but cold at night. Normally one would expect no rain over the World Cup period.

Kevin Wilyman