North West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994, and includes parts of the former Transvaal Province and Cape Province, as well as most of the former bantustan of Bophuthatswana. It was the scene of political violence in Khutsong, Merafong City Local Municipality in 2006 and 2007, after cross-province municipalities were abolished and Merafong Municipality was transferred entirely to North West. Merafong has since been transferred to Gauteng province in 2009.[5][6][7]
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.
Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland. The Magaliesberg mountain range in the northeast extends about 130 km (about 80 miles) from Pretoria to Rustenburg. The Vaal River flows along the southern border of the province.
Climate
Temperatures range from 17° to 31 °C (62° to 88 °F) in the summer and from 3° to 21 °C (37° to 70 °F) in the winter. Annual rainfall totals about 360 mm (about 14 in), with almost all of it falling during the summer months, between October and April.
The Bridge of Time facing the Entertainment Centre, Sun City
The mainstay of the economy of North West Province is mining, which generates more than half of the province's gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce. The chief minerals are gold, mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp; uranium, mined at Klerksdorp; platinum, mined at Rustenburg and Brits; and diamonds, mined at Lichtenburg, Christiana, and Bloemhof. About 85% of all money-making activities take place between Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom. The economic heart of the province is Klerksdorp. The northern and western parts of the province have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches. The eastern and southern parts are crop-growing regions that produce maize (corn), sunflowers, tobacco, cotton, and citrus fruits. The entertainment and casino complex at Sun City and Lost City also contributes to the provincial economy.
The majority of the province's residents are Tswana people who speak Tswana, as in neighbouring Botswana. Smaller groups include Afrikaans, Sotho, and Xhosa speaking people. English is spoken primarily as a second language. Most of the population belong to Christian denominations. (Figures according to Census 2001 released in July 2003).
According to the 2007 community survey 90.8% of the province's population was Black (mostly Tswana-speaking), 7.2% as White (mostly Afrikaans speaking), 1.6% as Coloured and 0.4% as Asian. The 2007 community survey showed the province had a population of just over 3 million. The province's white population is very unevenly distributed. In the southern and eastern municipalities, the white percentage in double figures such as the Tlokwe and Matlosana where the white percentages were 27% and 12% respectively.
The province has the lowest number of people aged 35 years and older (5.9%) who have received higher education. Since 1994 the number of people receiving higher education has increased. After the disbanding of the bantustans, many people migrated to the economic centres of Cape Town and Gauteng.[9]
Education
The province had two universities: the University of North West, which was formerly called the University of Bophuthatswana (founded in 1979), in Mmabatho; and Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (founded in 1869; became a constituent college of the University of South Africa in 1921 and an independent university in 1951). These two universities have now merged and the new institution is called North-West University.
As part of the Department of Education's proposed plans for higher education, the existing four higher learning institutions will be merged to form two. During 2003, as part of the Year of Further Education and Training project, three mega institutions, Taletso, ORBIT and Vuselela, were established to provide technical and vocational training to the youth. These institutions have been incorporated into many of the former education and technical colleges and manpower centres.
^ https://municipalities.co.za/demographic/1191/rustenburg-local-municipality. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ abcdCensus 2011: Census in brief(PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. ISBN9780621413885. (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
^Mid-year population estimates, 2021 (PDF) (Report). Statistics South Africa. 19 July 2021. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
^"Bophuthatswana". South African History Online. Retrieved 22 September 2019. In March 1994 Bophuthatswana was placed under the control of two administrators, Tjaart van der Walt and Job Mokgoro. The small, widespread pieces of land were reincorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994. Bophuthatswana is part of the North West Province under Premier Edna Molewa.
^"North West". South African History Online. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
^"Merafong City Local Municipality (GT484)". municipalities.co.za. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
^Tau, Poloko. "Bushy Maape finally sworn-in as North West premier". Citypress. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
^"Internal Migration to the Gauteng Province" (PDF). University of Cape Town. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
External links
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for North West Province.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to North West (South Africa).
North West Parks and Tourism Board
May 10, 2023
north, west, south, african, province, north, west, province, redirects, here, other, similarly, named, provinces, northwestern, province, disambiguation, coordinates, north, west, province, south, africa, capital, mahikeng, province, located, west, major, pop. North West Province redirects here For other similarly named provinces see Northwestern Province disambiguation Coordinates 27 S 26 E 27 S 26 E 27 26 North West is a province of South Africa Its capital is Mahikeng The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana North West Bokone Bophirima Tswana Noord wes Afrikaans ProvinceCoat of armsMotto s Kagiso le Tswelelopele Peace and Prosperity Location of North West in South AfricaCountrySouth AfricaEstablished27 April 1994CapitalMahikengLargest cityKlerksdorp 1 DistrictsList Bojanala PlatinumNgaka Modiri MolemaDr Ruth Segomotsi MompatiDr Kenneth KaundaGovernment TypeParliamentary system PremierBushy Maape ANC LegislatureNorth West Provincial LegislatureArea 2 9 Total104 882 km2 40 495 sq mi Rank6th in South AfricaHighest elevation1 805 m 5 922 ft Population 2011 2 18 3 Total3 509 953 Estimate 2021 4 122 854 Rank7th in South Africa Density33 km2 87 sq mi Rank7th in South AfricaPopulation groups 2 21 Black89 8 White7 3 Coloured1 8 Indian or Asian0 6 Languages 2 25 Tswana70 4 Afrikaans9 0 Sesotho5 8 Xhosa5 5 Tsonga3 7 English3 5 Zulu2 5 Pedi2 4 Time zoneUTC 2 SAST ISO 3166 codeZA NWHDI 2019 0 672 4 medium 8th of 9Websitewww NWPG gov zaNorth West South African province ZuluiNyakatho NtshonalangaXhosaiMntla NtshonaAfrikaansNoord WesSepediLeboa BodikelaSesothoLeboya BophirimelaSetswanaBokone BophirimaVendaDevhula Vhukovhela Contents 1 History 2 Law and government 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 3 2 Borders 4 Municipalities 4 1 District municipalities 4 2 Cities and towns 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Education 8 Sports 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory EditNorth West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994 and includes parts of the former Transvaal Province and Cape Province as well as most of the former bantustan of Bophuthatswana It was the scene of political violence in Khutsong Merafong City Local Municipality in 2006 and 2007 after cross province municipalities were abolished and Merafong Municipality was transferred entirely to North West Merafong has since been transferred to Gauteng province in 2009 5 6 7 This province is the birthplace of prominent political figures Lucas Mangope Moses Kotane Ahmed Kathrada Abram Onkgopotse Tiro Ruth Mompati J B Marks Aziz Pahad Essop Pahad and others Law and government EditThe 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 North West Province as of 7 September 2021 is Bushy Maape of the African National Congress He replaced Job Mokgoro as premier after Mokgoro resigned in August 2021 8 Geography Edit Hamerkop Kloof between Rustenburg and Pretoria on north facing slopes of Magaliesberg Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland The Magaliesberg mountain range in the northeast extends about 130 km about 80 miles from Pretoria to Rustenburg The Vaal River flows along the southern border of the province Climate Edit Temperatures range from 17 to 31 C 62 to 88 F in the summer and from 3 to 21 C 37 to 70 F in the winter Annual rainfall totals about 360 mm about 14 in with almost all of it falling during the summer months between October and April Borders Edit North West borders the following districts of Botswana Kgatleng far northeast South East northeast Southern north Kgalagadi northwestDomestically it borders the following provinces Limpopo northeast Gauteng east Free State southeast Northern Cape southwestNorth West Province is traversed by the northwesterly line of equal latitude and longitude Municipalities EditMain article List of municipalities in the North West North West Province districts and local municipalities The North West Province is divided into four district municipalities The district municipalities are in turn divided into 18 local municipalities District municipalities Edit Bojanala Platinum District Moretele Madibeng Rustenburg Kgetlengrivier Moses Kotane Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Naledi Mamusa Greater Taung Kagisano Molopo Lekwa Teemane Ngaka Modiri Molema District Mahikeng Ratlou Tswaing Ditsobotla Ramotshere Dr Kenneth Kaunda District JB Marks Matlosana Maquassi Hills Cities and towns Edit Population 200 000 Mahikeng Klerksdorp Rustenburg Population 50 000 PotchefstroomPopulation 25 000 Brits Orkney Lichtenburg Population 10 000 Bloemhof Christiana Coligny Koster Letsopa Ledig Mogwase Ottosdal Pampierstad Schweizer Reneke Stilfontein Ventersdorp Vryburg Wolmaransstad Zeerust Population lt 10 000 Mmakau Mothibistad ReiviloEconomy Edit The Bridge of Time facing the Entertainment Centre Sun City The mainstay of the economy of North West Province is mining which generates more than half of the province s gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce The chief minerals are gold mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp uranium mined at Klerksdorp platinum mined at Rustenburg and Brits and diamonds mined at Lichtenburg Christiana and Bloemhof About 85 of all money making activities take place between Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom The economic heart of the province is Klerksdorp The northern and western parts of the province have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches The eastern and southern parts are crop growing regions that produce maize corn sunflowers tobacco cotton and citrus fruits The entertainment and casino complex at Sun City and Lost City also contributes to the provincial economy Demographics Edit Population density in the North West lt 1 km 1 3 km 3 10 km 10 30 km 30 100 km 100 300 km 300 1000 km 1000 3000 km gt 3000 km Dominant home languages in the North West Tswana Afrikaans English Ndebele Xhosa Zulu Northern Sotho Sotho Tsonga No language dominant The majority of the province s residents are Tswana people who speak Tswana as in neighbouring Botswana Smaller groups include Afrikaans Sotho and Xhosa speaking people English is spoken primarily as a second language Most of the population belong to Christian denominations Figures according to Census 2001 released in July 2003 According to the 2007 community survey 90 8 of the province s population was Black mostly Tswana speaking 7 2 as White mostly Afrikaans speaking 1 6 as Coloured and 0 4 as Asian The 2007 community survey showed the province had a population of just over 3 million The province s white population is very unevenly distributed In the southern and eastern municipalities the white percentage in double figures such as the Tlokwe and Matlosana where the white percentages were 27 and 12 respectively The province has the lowest number of people aged 35 years and older 5 9 who have received higher education Since 1994 the number of people receiving higher education has increased After the disbanding of the bantustans many people migrated to the economic centres of Cape Town and Gauteng 9 Education EditThe province had two universities the University of North West which was formerly called the University of Bophuthatswana founded in 1979 in Mmabatho and Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education founded in 1869 became a constituent college of the University of South Africa in 1921 and an independent university in 1951 These two universities have now merged and the new institution is called North West University As part of the Department of Education s proposed plans for higher education the existing four higher learning institutions will be merged to form two During 2003 as part of the Year of Further Education and Training project three mega institutions Taletso ORBIT and Vuselela were established to provide technical and vocational training to the youth These institutions have been incorporated into many of the former education and technical colleges and manpower centres Sports EditBasketball North West Eagles Potchefstroom Rugby union Platinum Leopards Rustenburg Soccer Platinum Stars dissolved Rustenburg Netball North West Flames Potchefstroom Softball Generations Softball club Klerksdorp See also EditList of cities and towns in the North West Province List of speakers of the North West Provincial Legislature Provinces of South AfricaReferences Edit https municipalities co za demographic 1191 rustenburg local municipality a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help a b c d Census 2011 Census in brief PDF Pretoria Statistics South Africa 2012 ISBN 9780621413885 Archived PDF from the original on 13 May 2015 Mid year population estimates 2021 PDF Report Statistics South Africa 19 July 2021 p 2 Retrieved 19 July 2021 Sub national HDI Area Database Global Data Lab hdi globaldatalab org Retrieved 13 September 2018 Bophuthatswana South African History Online Retrieved 22 September 2019 In March 1994 Bophuthatswana was placed under the control of two administrators Tjaart van der Walt and Job Mokgoro The small widespread pieces of land were reincorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994 Bophuthatswana is part of the North West Province under Premier Edna Molewa North West South African History Online Retrieved 22 September 2019 Merafong City Local Municipality GT484 municipalities co za Retrieved 22 September 2019 Tau Poloko Bushy Maape finally sworn in as North West premier Citypress Retrieved 7 September 2021 Internal Migration to the Gauteng Province PDF University of Cape Town Retrieved 12 August 2020 External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for North West Province Wikimedia Commons has media related to North West South Africa North West Provincial Government North West Parks and Tourism Board Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title North West South African province amp oldid 1152016878, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
