Kimberley: 21 Interesting Facts That You Might Not Know

I’ve never visited Kimberley. It’s probably the biggest town in South Africa’s Northern Cape province (and I have no relatives living in that province). I would not mind visiting this South African town though, the town has a very rich history.

Here are 21 Interesting facts you might not know about Kimberley

1. The town was founded in 1871 following the discovery of diamonds on the Vooruitzicht farm (owned by Johannes and Diederik de Beer), the settlement was initially called New Rush. In 1873, it was renamed Kimberley in honor of Lord Kimberley, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies.

2. The territory (Griqualand West) was officially incorporated into the Cape Colony in 1880, making Kimberley part of the colony. This was after several years of administrative back-and-forth.

3. Kimberley is internationally recognized and aptly nicknamed the “Diamond City.”

4. Cecil John Rhodes formed De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888 here to monopolize the local mines. While the company maintains a massive historical and operational presence in Kimberley, its global corporate headquarters moved to Johannesburg and London in later years.

5. Today Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape province. According to recent census data (2022/2023), the population of the greater Kimberley area (Sol Plaatje Municipality) is approximately 260,000.

6. Between 1871 and 1914, roughly 50,000 miners excavated the Kimberley Mine (The Big Hole) by hand, yielding roughly 2,722 kg (13.6 million carats) of diamonds. The hole is about 214 meters deep, though 40 meters of water at the bottom means only about 175 meters are visible from the surface.

7. During the Second Anglo-Boer War, Kimberley was besieged by Boer forces for 124 days until it was relieved in February 1900. A British concentration camp was indeed established nearby, where many Boer women and children suffered due to poor conditions.

8. The municipality is named after Sol Plaatje, a brilliant intellectual and founding member of the South African Native National Congress (the precursor to the ANC). A statue of him was indeed unveiled in 2010 to honor his legacy as a journalist and activist.

9. Kimberley’s Pioneers of Aviation Museum marks the site of South Africa’s first flying school, opened in 1913. This paved the way for the South African Air Force (SAAF), which was established in 1920 and is considered one of the oldest independent air forces in the world.

10. Kimberley is a hub of South African heritage, housing the Miners’ Memorial, the Honoured Dead Memorial (designed by Sir Herbert Baker), and the Concentration Camp Memorial, among many others dedicated to the diverse history of the region.

11. In 1882, Kimberley became the first city in the Southern Hemisphere (and the first in Africa) to install electric streetlights. It actually beat London to this feat.

12. Africa’s very first stock exchange, the Kimberley Royal Stock Exchange, opened its doors here in 1881.

13. The country’s first School of Mines opened in Kimberley in 1896. This institution eventually moved to Johannesburg and became the foundation for the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

14. Kimberley’s Halfway House Hotel (established 1872) is world-famous as the first “drive-in” bar. Legend says Cecil John Rhodes preferred to stay on his horse while drinking; eventually, the pub was officially licensed to serve patrons in their vehicles (or on their mounts).

15. The city’s Star of the West (built in 1870) is one of the oldest operating pubs in South Africa. Local folklore even suggests there were once underground tunnels connecting it to the mines for “discreet” entertainment.

16. During the peak of the diamond rush, it was said that Kimberley had more pubs per capita than anywhere else in the world – outnumbering both pharmacies and churches.

17. Just outside the city, Kamfers Dam (a permanent wetland) is home to one of the largest populations of Lesser Flamingos in Southern Africa. It is one of the few places in the world where they have successfully bred on a man-made island.

18. Olive Schreiner (the famous South African author of The Story of an African Farm) lived in Kimberley for several years in the late 1890s.

19. The founder of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) lived in Kimberley under house arrest for many years, and his former home and law office are significant historical sites.

20. During the Siege of Kimberley, the De Beers engineers actually manufactured their own massive gun (named Long Cecil) in the mine workshops to fight back against Boer artillery. It is still on display today at the Honoured Dead Memorial.

21. Originally built as a sanatorium by Cecil Rhodes, the city’s McGregor Museum served as his residence during the siege. It now houses extensive history and natural science exhibits.

Well, there you have it, 21 interesting facts you might not have known about Kimberley. If you have any other facts that you want to share about Kimberley, leave a comment below.

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