A frontier town that's still looking for its destiny – Mokopane (previously Potgietersrus) was established by the Voortrekkers in 1852 as Vredenburg. Its early history is one of conflict. This was followed by happier times as a thriving agricultural centre when it became known as the "garden town of the north." Today it's primarily a mining town that's yet to grasp the potential of tourism, notwithstanding a World Heritage Site 10km outside the town and the Waterberg Biosphere on its doorstep.
It is, in fact, an amalgam of towns and villages - black and white - who's phenomenal growth stems from the shrinkage of agricultural activities, the consolidation of farms into much larger game reserves with fewer staff, and the establishmentof the mines around it, rather than the incredible attraction of the Waterberg that it nestles against. Tourism is primarily focused on business travellers to the platinum mines surrounding the town rather than any leisure market.
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Geography & demographics
Mokopane is nestled between mountain ranges alongside the Mogolakwena/Nyl River on the edge of the Waterberg Biosphere.
It lies in the Mogalakwena municipality which covers 1683 sq km and comprises three towns, 117 villages and nine traditional leaders and five kingdoms. In the 2011 Census, the municipal area has a population of 307 682, of which 34.3% is under the age of 15. Population growth between 1996-2001 was 1.1% which dropped to 0.31% between 2001 and 2011.
History
During the 1850s, the two Voortrekker leaders, AH Potgieter and AWJ Pretorius, were embroiled in a clash of views which was resolved by the signing of a peace treaty in 1852 and the establishment of a new town, to commemorate this. AH Potgieter asked for the new town in the Makapanspoort to be given the name Vredenburg. In 1858, the name was changed to Piet Potgietersrust to commemorate the Voortrekker leader who was killed in a skirmish in 1854.
