Kimberley, Northern Cape

Province

Kimberley is a South African city and the capital of the Northern Cape. It has 96 977 inhabitants (as of 2011) and is therefore also the largest city of the province.

  • 4.1 Air Traffic
  • 4.2 Rail
  • 4.3 Road traffic
  • 5.1 Economics
  • 5.2 infrastructure
  • 5.3 Media

Geography

Location

The city lies at the confluence of the Vaal in the Orange on the eastern border of the North Cape to the Free State Province. Eastward lies Bloemfontein, the sixth largest city in the country. Other major cities are not in the area. To the west lies at a greater distance the town Upington.

Climate

The summer in Kimberley lasts approximately from November to February. The average maximum temperatures are then at about 30 degrees Celsius. The summer months are the wettest, especially at the beginning of the rainfall are well above the annual average. From January to March, there is an average of ten days with precipitation per month. Wet ester month is February with an average of 76 mm of precipitation.

The coldest and driest phase at the same time, between June and August. So there in July average only two days with precipitation and 27 mm rainfall total. The mean maximum temperature in this month at 19 degrees Celsius, the lowest value usually around 3 ° C. Subzero temperatures are in the Kimberley exception, the record low is -8 ° C.

History

1866 diamonds were discovered near the Orange River and later on a hill in what is now the center. Three years later, in 1869, they found the first diamonds in the parent rock ( the later so-called ) kimberlite. Then put a " diamond rush " and the city Vooruitzigt or New Rush was born. In a few months the town grew to more than 30,000 inhabitants. 1871, the diamond fields were claimed by various parties and the Griqua leader Nikolaas Waterboer awarded for a mediation process that went under British protectorate. In the episode was on 27 October 1871 Griqualand West proclaimed and after delays in London New Rush was renamed by proclamation of July 5, 1873 in Kimberley, after the British Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Kimberley. Griqualand West was annexed to the Cape Colony by Griqualand West Annexation Act ( Westgriqualand annexation law ) on 27 July 1877.

The diamonds were mined from hundreds of diamond prospectors in individual claims in the mining industry. Three factors led to this reduction came to an end:

  • With increasing depth of mining became more difficult, expensive and dangerous,
  • An international financial crisis led in 1873 to a decline in prices for diamonds and
  • The diamond -bearing rock layer of the yellow ground was pierced; only a few believed to be found in deeper layers as diamonds.

Cecil Rhodes, who had worked in previous years, mainly with the diamond trade, bought the now less profitable and less promising mines and founded the De Beers Company, named after the original owners of the farm on which lay the diamond fields. He then acquired the majority stake in the company Barnato Brothers and Company of his opponent Barney Barnato and merged the two companies under the umbrella of De Beers. Finally, the Barnato brothers sold their stake in Rhodes for £ 5,338,650. The mining of diamonds was continued in mining. The most famous diamond mine is the Big Hole.

During the Second Boer War (1899-1902) Kimberley was a garrison of the British military leader Redvers Buller. Nevertheless succeeded the Boer generals Christiaan Smuts January, Louis Botha and James Barry Hertzog Munnick between the October 14, 1899 and February 15, 1900, the interim siege of the territory.

In 1912, merged with the neighboring town of Kimberley Beaconsfield to City of Kimberley.

Policy

In the national elections of 2009, the African National Congress ( ANC) won, the party of President Jacob Zuma, 62.6 percent, the Democratic Alliance (DA) 16.7 percent of the vote in Kimberley. As a provincial capital of Northern Cape Kimberley performs many administrative tasks.

Worldwide political attention was given to the city in May 2000, when there met representatives of several diamond -producing countries from southern Africa to adopt the so-called Kimberley Process. It is a complex system that is designed to prevent the State of origin certificates to trade in so-called blood diamonds. As blood diamonds smuggled diamonds are called, were financed by the various wars in Africa or be. Meanwhile, 47 countries participate ( the EU countries as a basis) in the Kimberley Process.

Traffic

Traffic

The Kimberley Airport ( IATA: KIM ) is a year with more than 150,000 passengers the eighth-largest airport in South Africa and 2008/2009 was the only international airport in South Africa with increasing passenger volume. It is located seven kilometers south of the city center. Its catchment area is primarily in the eastern part of the Northern Cape Province, scheduled flights are available in various South African cities.

Rail traffic

Regular train services there are, among others, to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. They are operated by the railway company Transnet Freight Rail.

Kimberley's urban network has a two -kilometer tram line and thus the only tram system in South Africa. It was established in 1985 and is mainly used for tourist purposes.

Road

From Kimberley the National Road N8 continue eastbound to Bloemfontein. The N12 national road crosses Kimberley in northeast-southwest direction.

Infrastructure and economy

Economy

The city was founding place of South Africa's first stock exchange, the Kimberley Royal Stock Exchange. It was opened on 2 February 1881.

Even today, the city lives in part from diamond mining, but the mines of the city, still carry about 5 % of the entire South African diamond mining at. For another important industry has become the tourism.

Infrastructure

As the first city in the southern hemisphere Kimberley got on September 2, 1882 electric street lighting.

Media

The first daily newspaper was first published on October 15, 1870 under the name of Diamond Field. Other historical newspapers from this period were the Diamond News and the Independent. The current daily newspaper of the city is called Diamond Fields Advertiser and published since 23 March 1878. Another -weekly, but Afrikaans newspaper is the Volksblad. It appears in the Naspers -Verlag and is headquartered in Bloemfontein, but has for the Northern Cape a local section. The sheet has existed since November 18, 1804, since 1925 it appears daily.

Education

Currently, the city has the following secondary schools (as of 2010 ):

  • Adamantia
  • Diamantveld
  • Kimberley Boys' High School
  • Kimberley Girls' High School
  • Northern Cape High School
  • St Boniface College, Galeshewe
  • St Cyprian 's Grammar School
  • St Patrick 's College, Kimberley (formerly CBS Kimberley )
  • Technical High School Kimberley ( Kimberley HTS )

The Perseverance School and the Gore Browne Training College were closed at the time of apartheid because of the Group Areas Act.

Culture and sights

The Big Hole

The Big Hole ( German: The big hole ) is the former opencast mine the Kimberley Mine. From the Big Hole total of 2722 kg diamonds were promoted. The hole is often referred to as the "biggest ever dug by man hole". In the immediate vicinity of the Big Hole is the Kimberley Mine Museum. From a viewing platform you can have a look at the huge hole. The museum is also home to the De Beers Hall, which is a collection of rough diamond and some replicas of diamonds on display.

Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Gardens

The gardens with the Diggers Fountain with five life-size sculptures of Diamantenschürfern the center honor the diamond mine owner Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. He was also mayor of Kimberley, he also co-founded the Anglo American Corporation.

Museums and Galleries

In the McGregor Museum is much more exposed to the history and ecology of the Northern Cape. Even the town's history Kimberley and the world religions there are exhibitions. Cecil Rhodes had the house built in 1897 as a hotel and sanatorium for richer people, during the siege by the Boers at the turn of the century lived Rhodes himself there. Since the September 24, 1907 exists in the building the museum.

In the Duggan - Cronin Gallery, you can see about 8000 photographs that Alfred Duggan - Cronin has made 1919-1939 by the original inhabitants of the region and its traditions. Furthermore, there are exhibited, among other original petroglyphs.

Other museums include the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum ( scientific and archaeological exhibitions) and the Humphreys Art Gallery ( Art Collection ).

Churches

The most famous church is the Cathedral Church of St. Cyprian. She has the longest nave in South Africa. Other churches include the Kimberley Seventh-day Adventist Church and St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral.

Other buildings

  • Africana Library (library )
  • De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited 's Head Office (former headquarters De Beers )
  • Harry Oppenheimer House ( diamonds are rated here )
  • Star of West Club (first pub Kimberley )

Sports

The former coach of the South African Cricket Team, Mickey Arthur, comes as the famous former cricket player Nipper Nickelson, Xenophon Balascas, Ken Viljoen, Ronnie Draper and Pat Symcox out of town. The stadium De Beers Diamond Oval (capacity 11,000 spectators ) in Kimberley was also one of the venues for the Cricket World Cup 2003.

The GWK Griquas, an association of the South African Rugby Union is in Hope Park Stadium ( Capacity: 18,000 spectators ) based in the city.

Karen Muir, born in Kimberley, broke at the Junior World Swimming Championships in Blackpool at the age of just 12 years the world record in the 110 m backstroke distance. Thus, she became the youngest athlete who had ever broken a world record.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Bevil Rudd (1894-1948), South African track and field athlete and Olympic champion
  • Zachariah Keodirelang Matthews (1901-1968), Professor of Anthropology, ANC politician and diplomat botswanischer
  • Jessie Vihrog (1907-1996), German actress
  • Gideon Nxumalo (1929-1970), musician, composer, Moderator
  • Karen Muir (1952-2013), South African swimmer
District Frances Baard District Municipality Municipality Sol Plaatje Local Municipality Vaal River Griqua people John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Democratic Alliance (South Africa) Kimberley Process Certification Scheme Anglo American plc Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin
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