Kuruman is a small town situated at the intersection of the N14 National Route and R31 Provincial Route in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
The town falls within the Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality under the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality of the Northern Cape Province.
Kuruman is the main town, as well as the administrative centre and seat of both the Local Municipality and District.
Kuruman is located on the main route between Gauteng and Namibia/Cape Town via Upington. The route is growing in popularity because of its beautiful nature and various tourist attractions.
Kuruman lies virtually on the edge of the Kalahari at the foot of a range of low hills. It has relatively mild weather patterns compared to other Northern Cape towns, such as Upington and Springbok, and is surrounded by more vegetation than Upington and Springbok, which are mostly semi-arid to desert environments.
Kuruman is set out on the Ghaap Plateau and is known for its scenery. The town receives its water source from a spring called “Eye of Kuruman”, a geological feature that brings water from deep underground. The water rises in a cave in the semidesert thornveld area in the Kalahari region.
The spring gives about 20 to 30 million litres of water daily to approximately 10,000 inhabitants.
The abundance of water produces an unexpected swathe of green amidst the barren plains and is known as the “Oasis of the Kalahari”. It is also known as “Die Oog” or “Gasegonyane” in the Kalahari region.
Kuruman was at first a mission station of the London Missionary Society founded by Robert Moffat in 1821. It was also the place where David Livingstone arrived for his first position as a missionary in 1841. The Kuruman River, which is dry except for flash floods after heavy rain, is named after the town.
The name Kuruman is derived from the Chief who lived in the area, named Kudumane. Robert Moffat, a missionary from the London Missionary Society, also lived there from 1820 to 1870. Moffat helped build the Moffat Church which was completed in 1838 and is still used for regular church services.
While living in Kuruman, Moffat translated the bible into the Tswana language: this was the second bible in an indigenous southern African language.
Economy
Agriculture (cattle and game) and mining support Kuruman’s thriving economy. Minerals mined in Kuruman include manganese, iron ore, tiger’s eye and crocidolite. The richest deposits of crocidolite in the world are found in the Kuruman district.
