A Town called Mokopane (Potgietersrus)
About Mokopane (Potgietersrus)
Mokopane was officially renamed from Potgietersrus to Mokopane in 2003.
The town was established by the Voortrekkers and named Potgietersrus after the Voortrekker leader Piet Potgieter.
It is home to the Northern Ndebele speaking tribes, English, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, and XiTsonga speakers.
Five kingdoms in the vicinity of the town are Kekana (Moshate), Langa (Mapela), Gegana (Mshade), Lebelo (Garasvlei) and Langa (Bakenburg).
Two hours from Gauteng, the town acts as a getaway destination and as a stop-over for travelers en route to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park.
The area is typical bushveld with many acacia trees and aloes, which are at their best in June and July.
The Mokopane area is one of South Africa’s richest agricultural areas producing wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef, maize, 
peanuts and citrus. The Zebediela Citrus Estate, 55 km to the southeast, is one of the largest citrus farms in the southern hemisphere.
The Cave of Hearths, once the site of bloody confrontations between the Voortrekkers and BaTlou people, has a sequence of artifacts dating from the Early Stone Age throught to the Late Stone Age.
The area is rich in minerals with the mining of platinum, diamonds and granite as chief mineral resources.
The stunning bushveld environment and influences from Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Afrikaans and English cultures give Mokopane a unique character. There are ancient caves, the “Big Five”, San drawings, curios, bushveld food and drink such as biltong (dried meat) and mampoer (a potent drink), tropical gardens and traditional dancing.
The historic and archeologically-significant Makapansgat Caves is situated 15 km north of the town.
The Arend Dieperink Museum portrays the history of the town, from the ape-man at Makapansgat, bushman drawings and early activities in the area up to the Anglo Boer War and recent happenings.
The Doorndraaidam Nature Reserve offers fishing, water sports, hiking, camping and birdwatching.
Early and Middle Stone Age tools have been discovered at the scenic Skoonheid Donga. It can be found just 2km north of Chuniespoort where the Chunies River flows through the Strydpoort Mountains.
One of the most notable archaeological and historical sites in the country is found at Makapan’s Valley, 15 km north of the town. The sediments, fossils, bones and artefacts found in the caves in the valley preserve a unique record of hominid habitation and evolution dating back 3,3 million years. The valley which has stood at the frontier of palaeontological and archaeological research for much of the twentieth century has been declared a National Heritage Site.
The Percy Fyfe Nature Reserve situated approximately midway between Polokwane and Mokopane is a breeding station for protected species like roan, tsessebe and Addo buffalo. Camping and hiking is permitted in the reserve.
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