Pomfret is a desert town, situated on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in the North West Province of South Africa, near the site of an old asbestos mine. It is situated about 205 km north-west of Vryburg.
The town falls within the Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality under the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province.
Several of Pomfret’s inhabitants are former members of the 32 Battalion, also known as the Buffalo Battalion. These ex-soldiers were predominantly Portuguese-speaking Angolans who fought on the South African government side in Angola and Namibia, and after the end of the South African Border War to police the black townships. The community remains largely Portuguese-speaking.
Mining operations in the area date back to 1926, while the military base was established later, in 1989.
Up to this day, Asbestos fibres still sprout in abundance throughout Pomfret and are easily found on bricks.
Currently, Pomfret is described as depressing by those who visit. Injured 32 Battalion veterans of war live in squalid circumstances.
In 2004, 60 mercenaries from Pomfret were recruited to take part in an attempted coup against the government of Equatorial Guinea, known as the Wonga coup. They were jailed for one year for their suspected involvement.
A 2009 documentary film recorded South African mercenaries describing how Pomfret was a place to recruit cheap labor for mercenary activities.
