Upington, Northern Cape

Upington ( Nama: //Khara hais) is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olijvenhoutsdrift ('Olive wood drift'), due to the abundance of olive wood trees in the area, but later renamed after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General and then Prime Minister of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established in 1871 and run by Reverend Christiaan Schröder. The mission station now houses the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognises the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th century.

The elevation of Upington is 2,742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls (arguably the greatest of South African waterfalls) and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange River.

The Upington 26

On 13 November 1985, a black policeman was killed following a disturbance at a political meeting in Paballelo, a black township on the outskirts of Upington. Twenty-six people were charged with the killing, of whom twenty-five were convicted of murder on the basis of common purpose, and one convicted of attempted murder. Fourteen were sentenced to death, although the death sentences were later overturned on appeal. In 2011, a memorial in honour of the Upington 26 was unveiled in Upington by Hazel Jenkins, the Premier of the Northern Cape. In 2014, the Australian film '' A Common Purpose'' was made about the case.

Wine industry

Upington's most famous wines are produced by an organisation known as Orange River Cellars. The organisation has six depots in the area (all of them on the banks of the Orange River) at Upington, Kanoneiland, Grootdrink, Kakamas, Keimoes and Groblershoop. Their wines are exported, ''inter alia'', to Europe and the USA.

Transportation

Upington Airport has scheduled flights provided by SA Airlink (an affiliate of South African Airways). One of the airport's runways is 4,900 m in length. This unusually long runway was constructed to serve as an emergency landing strip for the NASA Space Shuttle if needed, as one of the only such emergency-designated landing areas for the Shuttle. It also allows Boeing 747 and other heavy air cargo and military aircraft to use the airport for refueling stops on long-haul flights.

In the first half of the 20th century, there was a passenger train service from Cape Town to Upington. Until the 1950s, a narrow-gauge railway line (two-foot gauge) ran from Upington to Kakamas and Keimoes, two nearby towns. The trains carried passengers and freight, being mainly dried fruit. The line to Kakamas was still in use during the November 2010 grape harvest season.

Shopping

Shopping in Upington is characterised by High Street shopping, with most stores located along Scott, Schroder, Nelson Mandela and Mark Streets. Upington has a mall, which is the area's first super-regional mall. The ''Kalahari mall'' is anchored by Game, Checkers, Spar, Woolworths, Tiger Wheel & Tyre and clothing stores, banks and restaurants. It is located on the corner of Van Riebeeck and Malherbe Streets.

Geography and climate

Upington is located on the northern banks of the Orange River and is surrounded by irrigated vineyards. The hottest month of the year is January, with average daily temperatures swinging from to , while in the coolest month of July temperatures range between and . Also the driest month of the year, July sees an average rainfall of only , while the wettest month of March sees .
Upington has been noted as being the sunniest location on the planet for three months of the year, from November through January.

Upington has a hot desert climate (BWh) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Precipitation peaks during late summertime.

Notable natives and residents

* Chris Brink – mathematician, vice-chancellor of Newcastle University in England, vice-chancellor and rector of Stellenbosch University
* Ruben Cloete – footballer for the South Africa national soccer team
* Alice Krige – actress
* Shaleen Surtie-Richards - actress
* Jasper Wiese – rugby union footballer for the South Africa national rugby union team
* Tiaan Strauss - rugby player for Western Province and the Springboks. Later for Australia.
*Christo Wiese - South African businessman

Gallery

Image:upingtonrunw.jpg, 4900 m airport runway
Image:golfcourseupt.jpg, Golf course
Image:Upingtonriver.jpg, View from "Die Eiland" holiday resort

See also

* Vastrap, South Africa's former nuclear weapons test range.

References

External links

Additional information about Upington Airport

The Orange River Wine Cellars Home Page

Upington Business Directory

Racially motivated land dispossession in Gordonia: Memorial lecture on the 1913 Natives Land Act

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Orange River
Populated places in the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality
Populated places established in 1873
1884 establishments in the Cape Colony