Northern Cape

Coordinates: 30°S 22°E / 30°S 22°E / -30; 22
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see North Cape (disambiguation).

Northern Cape
  • Noord-Kaap (
    Afrikaans
    )
  • Kapa Bokone (Tswana)
  • Mntla-Koloni (Xhosa)
Province
Coat of arms of Northern Cape
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi (Strive for a better life)
Map showing the location of the Northern Cape in the north-western part of South Africa
Location of the Northern Cape in South Africa
Country South Africa
Established27 April 1994
Capital and largest cityKimberley
Districts
List
Government
 • Type
US$9.1 billion[5]
Websitewww.northern-cape.gov.za
Northern Cape
ZuluiNyakatho Kapa
XhosaeMntla-Koloni
AfrikaansNoord-Kaap
SepediKapa Leboa
SesothoKapa Leboya
SetswanaKapa Bokone
VendaKapa Devhula

The Northern Cape (

Alexander Bay
.

The

Free State in the southeast and with Namibia to the northwest. The river is also used to irrigate the many vineyards in the arid region near Upington
.

Native speakers of Afrikaans comprise a higher percentage of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province. The Northern Cape's four official languages are Afrikaans, Tswana, Xhosa, and English. Minorities speak the other official languages of South Africa and a few people speak indigenous languages such as Nama and Khwe.

The provincial motto, Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi ("We go to a better life"), is in the

national motto, ǃKe e ǀxarra ǁke, was derived from the extinct ǀXam language
.

History

Main article: History of the Northern Cape

The Northern Cape was one of three provinces made out of the Cape Province in 1994, the others being Western Cape to the south and Eastern Cape to the southeast. Politically, it had been dominated since 1994 by the African National Congress (ANC).[6] Ethnic issues are important in the politics of the Northern Cape. For example, it is the site of the Orania settlement, whose leaders have called for a Volkstaat for the Afrikaner people in the province.

The Northern Cape is also the home of over 1,000

San who emigrated from Namibia following the independence of the country; they had served as trackers and scouts for the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War, and feared reprisals from their former foes. They were awarded a settlement in Platfontein
in 1999 by the Mandela government.

The precolonial history of the Northern Cape is reflected in a rich, mainly Stone Age,

rock engravings such as at Wildebeest Kuil and many sites in the area known as ǀXam -ka !kau, in the Karoo. They occur on hilltops, slopes, rock outcrops and occasionally (as in the case of Driekops Eiland near Kimberley), in a river bed.[9] In the north eastern part of the province there are sites attributable to the Iron Age such as Dithakong.[10] Environmental factors have meant that the spread of Iron Age farming westwards (from the 17th century – but dating from the early first millennium AD in the eastern part of South Africa) was constrained mainly to the area east of the Langeberg Mountains, but with evidence of influence as far as the Upington area in the eighteenth century. From that period the archaeological record also reflects the development of a complex colonial frontier when precolonial social formations were considerably disrupted and there is an increasing 'fabric heavy' imprint of built structures, ash-heaps, and so on. The copper mines of Namaqualand and the diamond rush
to the Kimberley area resulted in industrial archaeological landscapes in those areas which herald the modern era in South African history.

Government

Main article: Government of the Northern Cape

The provincial government consists of a premier, an executive council of ten ministers, and a legislature. The provincial assembly and premier are elected for five-year terms, or until the next national election. Political parties are awarded assembly seats based on the percentage of votes each party receives in the province during the national elections. The assembly elects a premier, who then appoints the members of the executive council. The premier of the Northern Cape as of 2019 is Zamani Saul of the African National Congress.

Political history

The politics of the Northern Cape are dominated by the African National Congress (ANC), but their position has not been as strong as in the other provinces. Initially, no party had an absolute majority. In 1994 the ANC's Manne Dipico became the first Premier of the Northern Cape after Ethne Papenfus, the sole elected representative of the Democratic Party (DP), voted with the ANC. In return, she was elected speaker of the legislature.[11]

The ANC increased its voter share in later elections and has remained firmly in charge of the province after 1999.

election of 22 April 2009. Hazel Jenkins became Premier following the election, and COPE became the official opposition. Jenkins was later replaced by Sylvia Lucas
in 2013.

The 2014 election saw the ANC returned to power once again with an increased mandate, while DA once again became the official opposition, after the collapse of COPE. The newly formed Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also entered the legislature for the first time. Sylvia Lucas was re-elected to her first full term.[12]

In the 2019 election, the Northern Cape was considered competitive. The opposition DA planned on taking over the province. The ANC returned as the majority party but the party's support had dropped. The DA was once again the official opposition with an increased seat total. The EFF made gains, while the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) won a seat in the legislature for the first time since 2004.[13]

Geography

See also: List of cities and towns in the Northern Cape
A waterfall situated a few kilometres north of Nieuwoudtville on the road to Loeriesfontein, in the Northern Cape (Namaqualand region).

The Northern Cape is South Africa's largest province, and distances between towns are enormous due to its sparse population. Its size is just shy of the size of the American state of

Kalahari Desert, characterised by parallel red sand dunes and acacia tree dry savanna.[citation needed
]

Northern Cape has a shoreline in the west on the South Atlantic Ocean. It borders the following areas of Namibia and Botswana:

Domestically, it borders the following provinces:

Rivers

The major river system is the

Gariep) River Basin, draining the interior of South Africa westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. (The political philosopher Neville Alexander has used the idea of the 'Garieb' as a metaphor for nationhood in South Africa, a flowing together, in preference to the rainbow metaphor where the diverse colours remain distinct).[14]
The principal tributary of the Orange is the
Warrenton. The Vaal, in turn, has tributaries within the province: the Harts River and the Riet River, which has its own major tributary, the Modder River
.

Above the Orange-Vaal confluence, the Seekoei River drains part of the northeastern Karoo into the Orange River above the Vanderkloof Dam. Next downstream from the Orange-Vaal confluence is the

Hanover and Richmond
respectively. Along the Orange River near the town of
Williston
. Further downstream from Kakamas, below the
Kalahari in the north. With its tributary, the Nossob River, it defines part of the international boundary between South Africa and Botswana. Further tributaries of the Molopo River include the Kuruman River, fed by the Moshaweng River and Kgokgole River, and the Matlhwaring River
. Flowing west into the Atlantic, in
Groen River. [citation needed
]

Climate

Windmills in Namaqualand, Northern Cape

Mostly arid to semiarid, few areas in the province receive more than 400 mm (16 in) of rainfall per annum and the average annual rainfall over the province is 202 mm (8.0 in).

Sutherland
, which often receives snow and temperatures occasionally drop below the −10 °C (14 °F) mark.

  • Kimberley averages: January maximum: 33 °C (91 °F) (min: 18 °C (64 °F)), June maximum: 18 °C (64 °F) (min: 3 °C (37 °F)), annual precipitation: 414 mm (16.3 in)
  • Springbok
    averages: January maximum: 30 °C (86 °F) (min: 15 °C (59 °F)), July maximum: 17 °C (63 °F) (min: 7 °C (45 °F)), annual precipitation: 195 mm (7.7 in)
  • Sutherland
    averages: January maximum: 27 °C (81 °F) (min: 9 °C (48 °F)), July maximum: 13 °C (55 °F) (min: −3 °C (27 °F)), annual precipitation: 237 mm (9.3 in)

Municipalities

Main article: List of municipalities in the Northern Cape
Northern Cape districts and local municipalities
Sign along R354 welcoming motorists into the Northern Cape from the Western Cape. The sign is in Afrikaans (top left), English (bottom left), Tswana (top right), and Xhosa (bottom right)

The Northern Cape Province is divided into five

district municipalities. The district municipalities are in turn divided into 27 local municipalities
:

District municipalities

Cities and towns

Main article: List of cities and towns in the Northern Cape
Springbok
viewed from the old cemetery

Population 50,000+

Population 10,000+

Population < 10,000

Economy

As reported by the Northern Cape Provincial Government, unemployment still remains a big issue in the province. Unemployment was reported to be at 24.9% during Q4, 2013. Unemployment also declined from 119,000 in Q4, 2012 to 109,000 in Q4, 2013.[16]

The Northern Cape is also home to the

Carnarvon
.

The economy of the Northern Cape relies heavily on two sectors, mining and agriculture, which employ 57% (Tertiary Sector) of all employees in the province.[citation needed]

See also:
Northern Cape wine

Most famous for the diamond mines around Kimberley, it also has mining activities for Manganese and iron ore.

The Northern Cape also has a substantial agricultural area around the

Wine of Origin areas have been demarcated. The Orange River also attracts visitors who enjoy rafting tours around Vioolsdrif. Extensive sheep raising is the basis of the economy in the southern Karoo
areas of the province.

Demographics

Population density in the Northern Cape
  •   <1 /km2
  •   1–3 /km2
  •   3–10 /km2
  •   10–30 /km2
  •   30–100 /km2
  •   100–300 /km2
  •   300–1000 /km2
  •   1000–3000 /km2
  •   >3000 /km2
Afrikaans
  •   English
  •   Xhosa
  •   Tswana
  •   No language dominant

    • About 53.8% of the population are first-language

    Setswana, Xhosa and English. To the extent that apartheid-era population classification persists, the majority of the Northern Cape population is characterised as Black. [17]



    See also

    References

    1. ^
      ISBN 9780621413885. Archived
      (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
    2. ^ https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/download/file/fid/2889. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    3. ^ https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/download/file/fid/2889. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
    5. ^ "Provincial gross domestic product:experimental estimates, 2013–2022" (PDF), www.statssa.gov.za
    6. ^ sahoboss (31 March 2011). "Northern Cape". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
    7. hdl:10204/1944
      .
    8. PMID 18501953
      .
    9. ^ Parkington, J. Morris, D. & Rusch, N. 2008. Karoo rock engravings. Clanwilliam: Krakadouw Trust
    10. ^ Morris, D. & Beaumont, P. 2004. Archaeology in the Northern Cape: some key sites. Kimberley: McGregor Museum.
    11. ^ Sunday Times. 8 May 1994. The country's legislators vow they will serve new SA
    12. ^ De Wet, Phillip (8 May 2014). "Elections: DA, EFF demolish Cope in Northern Cape". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
    13. ^ Mahlati, Zintle (10 May 2019). "ANC retains North West, Northern Cape with reduced majorities". IOL. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
    14. ^ Alexander, Neville. 2002. An ordinary country, pp 106–107
    15. ^ Dent, M.C., Lynch, S.D. & Schulze, R.E. 1989. Mapping Mean Annual and Other Rainfall Statistics over Southern Africa. Water Research Commission, Petoria. WRC Report 109/1/89.
    16. ^ http://economic.ncape.gov.za/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=3&Itemid=365 [dead link]
    17. ^ "Census in 2011" (PDF). www.statssa.gov.za. Retrieved 25 October 2023.

    External links

    30°S 22°E / 30°S 22°E / -30; 22

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