Thabazimbi is an

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

mining town in the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The town is at the feet of the Ysterberg and is surrounded by the Witfonteinrand and Boshofberg with the majestic Kransberg in the background. The name Thabazimbi means ''mountain of iron'' because of the large

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

reef that was discovered in 1919 by J. H. Williams. The mine boasts one of the largest

mining shaft Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic vi ...

s in Africa. More than 2 million tons of ore are mined every year and hauled by train to Mittal's iron and steel works. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line from

Rustenburg Rustenburg (; , Afrikaans and Dutch: ''City of Rest'') is a city at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West province, South Africa (549,575 in 2011 and 626,522 in the 2016 census). In 2017 ...

reached the area in the 1930s and full scale iron and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

production began. The town was proclaimed in 1953. Kumba Iron Ore, previously

Kumba Resources Kumba Iron Ore is an iron-ore mining company in South Africa. It is the fourth largest iron-ore producer in the world and the largest in Africa. History Kumba Iron Ore is a successor of Kumba Resources, which was listed on the Johannesburg Sec ...

, is now the principal operator of the iron ore mine. Thabazimbi - Iron ore mining - 001

The

Marakele National Park Marakele National Park is a National Park, part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Flora and fauna The park is accessible to all passenger vehicles, with the camp and tent sites on good roads. Also, approximately 80& ...

about 20 km north-east of the town and in the heart of

Waterberg Mountains The Waterberg ( nso, Thaba Meetse) is a mountainous massif of approximately in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2000 m above sea level. Vaalwater town is lo ...

is characterised by contrasting mountain landscapes, hills and valleys, as well a variety of wildlife. Marakele National Park is also the home of some of the

Tuli Elephants Tuli may refer to: Modern places (alphabetical by country) * Tülü, Balakan, Azerbaijan * Tülü, Lerik, Azerbaijan * Tuli (Trebinje), a settlement in the city of Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Tuli Block, a small region of Botswana * Tuli, ...

that were caught up in controversy in 1999 involving

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

in South Africa. In the post-apartheid era, the town made headlines in 2003 as the site of

Kamp Staaldraad Kamp Staaldraad (Afrikaans words, translated idiomatically as ''Camp Barbed Wire'') was a military-style "boot camp" organized as a "team building" exercise for the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks (or Boks), during their pr ...

, the Springboks' infamous training camp prior to the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

. The excesses of Kamp Staaldraad helped lead to an almost complete housecleaning of the upper administrative levels of South African

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

References

External links

Thabazimbi Online Business CatalogLocal Newspaper: Die Kwêvoël Sanparks Site: Marakele ParkKumba Resources
{{Authority control Populated places in the Thabazimbi Local Municipality Mining communities in South Africa