Northern Cape – Kimberley is probably one of the oldest and most well known cities in South Africa and makes out a very intricate part of our country’s as well as the Northern Cape’s history and development. As a province, the Northern Cape resulted from the division of the former Cape Province after the first democratic elections in 1994. Its legislative seat is in Kimberley – the City of Diamonds – which is situated on the western border of the province.
The languages of the Northern Cape are Afrikaans (68%), Setswana (21%) and English (2 550, with the balance being made up by the 11 official languages. Culturally it is a very diverse Province, with the largest percentage of inhabitants being the descendants of the Khoi and San people, who lived in the Province before African en European colonization.
The Northern Cape has always been suited to the explorer and the pioneer and this remains the case, with a huge variety of natural, archaeological, paleontological and cultural attractions thvoughout the province. This includes the number of visit-worthy cities in the near Lime Acres/Danielskuil, where the Wonderwerk Caves are found, and Die Oog, in Kuruman. KImberley and the Big Hole is also not to be missed.
“Evaporating Gravestones” near Danielskuil, in the Northern Cape,was the first clue to the rich limestone deposits found at what was to become the mining village known as Lime Acres. Geologist, Digby Roberts heard these and other stories about businessmen who had been disappointed to find that the stone they quarried developed brown stains when exposed to air. What they suspected to be poor quality dolomite, Roberts recognized as primary limestone.
Discoveries of this limestone and other minerals as well as the geographical placed Ghaap Plateau, makes for much needed conservation and upkeep of our region,and the Northern Cape, which plays such an important role in our economical as well as our heritable living.
It is in this special region that Linksfontein is situated, and makes us part of something special.