South African Tourism is the government’s marketing department for promoting the country locally and internationally; for leisure, business or events tourism. It is also tasked to ensure each of the country’s nine provinces are being recognised. This year, the hidden gems of the Northern Cape with its rich cultural and political history, as well as the strength of its diamond mining industry, were highlighted.
GALESHIWE TOURISM ROUTE ACTIVITIES
You can start at Galeshiwe precinct to explore the township under the leadership Boitumelo Phiris known as Joy of Natives Mines tours.
Joy explained will explained the history Galeshiwe is one of its major attractions, with a rich history, it is a vibrant hub of contemporary arts and culture, ideally situated for visitors. It provides fascinating insights into the early days of the Kimberley diamond rush, as well as the area’s resistance to colonialism and apartheid.
Galeshiwe was named for Chief Kgosi Gale-shewe of the Bathlaping tribe, who led a rebellion against the Cape Colony Government’s decision to kill all cattle in order to combat rinderpest. The Pan Africanist Congress leader and anti-apartheid hero, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, spent the last years of his life in Galeshiwe, practising as a lawyer after being released from prison in 1969. His offices still exist and are now used as a centre for Youth Network in the area. The house of Sibukwe, were he was banished to, is also still in the same area, but currently belongs to another family.
The township is home to a monument commemorating the Mayibuye Uprising which started in November 1952 in protest against “whites-only” public benches. This led to riots in which 13 people were killed and 78 others wounded by police. For the active visitors, the area’s clean air and beautiful nature, is ideal for biking and a restaurant offers dishes to satisfy many different palates.
On this route is also the first Abantu community hall. The Abantu-Batho Hall, now called the Galeshewe Centre, was opened on July 22 in 1931 and cost £3000, provides space for 500 people and was used as a movie theatre. Sol Plaatje, another well-known activist, made a public speech at its official opening. His last ever speech was made at this historic hall in Kimberley before his death in Johannesburg in 1932.
To stop protesters from marching into town during the protests, the first police station with its double staircase is still to be seen in Galeshiwe. It is one of the many police stations where anti-apartheid activist, Phakamile Maja, was detained before being killed by the then police who threw him out of the sixth floor of another police station. All this makes for an informative journey and plays a major part in in Kasi Tourism, highlighting the history of our country.
KIMBERLY TOURISM ROUTE
You can start at the famous The Big Hole
The Old Town brings the New Rush era to life, where the hopeful, the desperate and the determined flocked to the town of Kimberley to seek their fortunes.You’ll discover period buildings that have been preserved or restored to their original glory; these include a church built in Europe and shipped to Kimberley, Barney Barnato’s boxing academy, the digger’s sleeping quarters and the De Beers railway coach, used by Cecil John Rhodes to commute between Cape Town and Kimberley.
White there you can watch a movie of 20 minutes about how the hole was dug up. The Big Hole View and the Underground Experience
Digging commenced at the Kimberley diamond mine site in 1871. By the time mining ended on 14 August 1914, the mine had yielded 2722 kilograms of diamonds, extracted from 22,5 million tons of excavated earth. Today what remains is a massive crater 214 meters deep with a surface area of 17 hectares and a perimeter of 1,6 km. It is surrounded by original buildings from the heyday of the mine, relocated from earlier sites to form an unforgettable open air visitor experience.
You can then pass by McGregor Memorial Museum, is a multidisciplinary museum which serves established in 1907.
The museum houses major natural history and cultural history collections including a botanical herbarium, zoology collections, a history archive (including documents, photographs and oral history recordings), ethnography collections, archaeology and rock art collections, physical anthropology, palaeontology and geology collections. Most of these fields are represented by professional staff and collection managers, and the collections and associated research programs are reflected in permanent and temporary exhibits in various sections and buildings of the museum as well as in outreach programs in the province and displays in smaller museums.
Which at one time served also as the Hotel Belgrave (1908–1933) and as the Holy Family Convent School, Kimberley (1933–1971), For the duration of the Siege of Kimberley (14 October 1899 – 15 February 1900) during the Anglo-Boer War, Cecil John Rhodes lodged in rooms at what was then the Sanatorium.
Then close your day with by passing by at the William Humphreys Art Gallery
Nestled in the Oppenheimer Gardens in Kimberley, Endearingly known as WHAG and conveniently situated in central South Africa, it remains one of the cultural gems for locals and a must-see for patrons of the arts passing through the diamond city.
Apart from its primary function as a museum of art, this gallery serves the community as an educational and cultural center. Activities include temporary and permanent exhibitions, film screenings for all ages, and art workshops for children.
The reference library is the only library for visual and tactile arts in the province and it consists of a wide variety of art-related books. The library remains a valuable resource for school learners and students taking art as a subject. The public are welcome to use the facilities from 08:00 to 16:30 during the week.
WHAG’s permanent collection consists of donations.
