Marikana

Marikana, Bojanala Region

Just into the North West province, Marikana lies between Hartbeespoort and Rustenburg in the Bojanala region, best described as the part of the province that lies closest to Gauteng and regarded as the most scenic part, covered in natural bushveld vegetation with the Magaliesberg adding a further attraction to visitors.

This is the quarter of the Royal Bafokeng, some 3 million, Setswana speaking indigenous people who took the mining community to task during the 1980s when they demanded compensation and royalties from the companies mining platinum in the area. Their farms today are located on the Merensky Reef where some of the richest deposits of chrome and platinum are found, and they've used royalties from mining to build a solid infrastructure for themselves, including schools, roads, clinics and a sports complex.

Nearby Rustenburg is said to be the third oldest town of what was once the Transvaal (over the Vaal River) province and en route to the Lost City / Sun City complex, an international attraction that includes two designer golf courses, a huge casino and the Valley of Waves that provides hours of water fun for children.

Marikana lies in the Pilanesberg and right next to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, home to an incredible array of animals, including the Big Five. And, if you're really short of things to do, the Cradle of Humankind lies across the Magaliesberg, Hartbeespoort and Rustenburg regions providing myriad examples of Stone Age relics.