Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.

History

On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a police contingent, was sent to act against the

Griquas The Griquas (; af, Griekwa, often confused with ''!Orana'', which is written as ''Korana'' or ''Koranna'') are a subgroup of heterogeneous former Khoe-speaking nations in Southern Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the Cap ...

in the area. The Griqua's anti-colonial resistance had erupted into an open conflict. Jackson arrived in Kenhardt and set up camp under a giant

camelthorn tree ''Vachellia erioloba'', the camel thorn, giraffe thorn, or Kameeldoring in Afrikaans, still more commonly known as ''Acacia erioloba'', is a tree of southern Africa in the family Fabaceae. Its preferred habitat is the deep dry sandy soils in par ...

. This has been for a long time the most remote settlement in the North-Western Cape. With time the town developed from under this tree, becoming a municipality in 1909. The Hartbees River, with its many sweet thorn trees, provides a green belt irrigated by the Rooiberg Dam. Kenhardt is famous for being at the heart of the Dorper sheep-farming area. Kakamas

Geography

This region contains very little vegetation, primarily very low shrubs and yellow grass among a rocky desert kind of landscape. If you travel south from Kenhardt towards

Brandvlei Brandvlei is a small town in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. This is where a 19th-century trekboer called ''Ou Brand'' settled. Brand camped at this spot at the Sakrivier, a dry river bed, which only occasionally had wate ...

, you will pass through a huge landscape of yellow grass lands and rocky desert like ares for the next 145 km and more. During the seasons many birds flock to the

pans Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware ...

, when they contain water, after some rainfall. Temperature above 40 °C is not uncommon.

Activities

* Visit the

Quiver Tree ''Aloidendron dichotomum'', formerly ''Aloe dichotoma'', the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and parts of South ...

forest, ''Kokerboom Woud'' in Afrikaans, about 5 km south of Kenhardt on the main route to Cape Town. Some of these trees have special formed weaver birds nests. The forest comprises approximately 4,000 to 5,000 trees. * Walk the geological legendary granite metamorphic outcrops of the area. Along the trail all kind of quartz lie scattered. * Tours to the pans on the outlying farms where you can view San artwork and enjoy the farm hospitality. * A hiking trail where Anglo Boer War remains and the beautiful landscape can be experienced. * Make your own discoveries on fossilized foot impressions and engravings.

Places of interest

*Giant Camelthorn Tree This tree is about 500–600 years old. It is under this tree which Magistrate Jackson set up his camp in 1868. *Old Library Building The old library was built in 1897, and it was used until 1977. In 1978 it was declared a national monument, currently it is used by Sanlam as their office. * Verneukpan A vast dry pan on which Sir

Malcolm Campbell Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1 ...

tried, in Bluebird 1, to set a new world land-speed record in 1929.

References

External links