This principal town of the Green Kalahari is 820km north of Cape Town and 875 west of Johannesburg. It is the commercial, educational and social center of the Green Kalahari, owing its prosperity to agriculture on its irrigated lands along the Orange River.Linked by air and road to most parts of the country, the town is accessible, offers excellent accommodation and has a well develop commercial infrastructure. It is a convenient stop over for travelers to the Augrabies Falls National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the Fish river Canyon, Namaqualand flowers and the Botswana and Namibian Borders.
Draft Tourism Plan- LED and Tourism
We hereby updated document on the DKM website so that additional feedback can be provided until 03 May 2024.
All inputs can be sent to: :tourism@dkm.gov.za For any further information, please contact the Tourism office at 054 338 7151/52
Click to Download: Destination Planning – Stakeholder Engagement Session.pptx V10 March 2024 (4)
LED and Tourism Events List for 2024
Name of Event | Contact Person | Contact Number | Date | Place |
In The Vines with Elvis Blue | Elmarie | 083 461 1724 | 24 FEB 2024 | African Vineyard, Kanoneiland |
Kalahari Desert Festival | Leanan snyders | 079 791 4027 | 01 – 02 March 2024 | Erin Farm Kalahari |
Upington Old School Music Festival | Anthanique | 078 568 5949 / 071 869 3437 | 09 March 2024 | Desert Palace Casino Resort |
Connel Mouers Easter Tournament | Reynald Isaacs | 073 221 2718 | 29 -31 March 2024 | Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs Stadium |
ZFM Champs of Champs soccer Tournament | SAFA ZFM | 073 221 2718 | April 2024– May 2024 | Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs Stadium |
Anything Arts Affair | Elcardo Chulu | 079 678 7096 | March/May 2024 | TBC |
Kalahari Kuierfees | Terry | 054 332 1100 | 26-28 Sep 2024 | Desert Palace Casino |
Arabic Horse Show | Elsie van niekerk | 082 920 0543 | 8,9,10 Aug 2024 | Show grounds |
Spinning & Drifting | Wannie Toll | 082 351 2345 | 30 Aug 2024 | Rose Park Upington |
Cycling for Charity | Sicelo Mbondezi | 0747349856 | 16 Dec 2024 | Brandvlei to Upington cycling |
The bustling town of Upington is home to several unique tourist attractions, including:
Built by Rev. Schroder and his congregation in 1875 as a church and mission station. Domestic items dating from that era and articles relating to the history of Upington and the Lower Orange River can be seen here. The museum is home to the life-sized monument of the donkey, sculptured in bronze by HenniePotgieter. It symbolizes the unselfish contribution made by the donkey in developing the Lower Orange River Valley during the pioneer days.
“George St Leger Gordon Lennox. Gone but not forgotten. Never will his memory fade”. As this inscription his gravestone predicts, George St Leger Gordon Lennox, alias Scotty Smith, will live forever. Legend has it that he was the Robin Hood of the region. Scotty Smith died in Upington during the 1918 flu epidemic and was buried in the local cemetery.
The main aim of this centre is to secure opportunities for persons with disabilities and youth. The life skills learned will enable them to be self-sufficient.
This winery is about 15km from Upington on the N14. Visitors will be treated to wine tasting and a tour of the cellar. Contact: (054) 491 1325
Unveiled on 26 March 2011 (Human Rights Day), this monument commemorates the roles the Upington 26 played in the fight against oppression & apartheid during the 80’s when they were sentenced to death row. It also pays tribute to sacrifices made by their families and celebrates the victorious campaign of the community of Pabalello.
There are quite a few plinthed locomotives in South Africa. A retired Steam locomotive named Grietjie is found at the Upington Railway station.
Your host Surené Bezuidenhout will treat you with her knowledge of herbs and you will be able to make your own herb bouquet and mess around in her garden. A light snack will also be served and wine tasting can also be arranged. Contact: 082 492 4669
LED – Local Economic Development
Where the Gariep River’s weaves a golden band through a barren Kalahari landscape lays the town of UPINGTON – a town in the Northern Cape that symbolizes growth and prosperity. The town is centrally located on the Namakwari Route between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Namibia and Botswana.
Upington is the economic hub and the regional capital of the Green Kalahari Tourism Region of the Northern Cape. The town, fondly known as “The River City”, is also the largest town after the Capital Kimberley.
Upington’s economy is mainly based on the tourism and agricultural sectors now moving to solar and manufacturing. The infrastructure is also ideally equipped to support demanding industrial activities. It is incomparable in terms of locality, facilities, viability and accessibility, and displays a proud tradition of hospitality. The town also offers excellent recreational, shopping and entertainment facilities. The River City is also hosting a international airport with freight forwarding and storing capabilities.
Dawid Kruiper Municipality is committed to the economic development of its residents, and is in the process of drafting a LED strategy with the responsibility of promoting economic growth, job creation, reducing poverty and monitoring inequalities. The LED section does this through a number of projects and programs with investment from the private sector, such as Solar Plants, Development of the SEZ (Special Economic Zone), Development of a Technology Innovation Hub, High Speed Testing Facility, Creation of two high density housing developments, Development of a Arts skills center (MINTEK)
The section”s work is guided by its LED Strategy(EDS), and aims to ensure a productive, globally competitive town and a vibrant economy that is able to provide the majority of its residents with a means to earn a reasonable living and benefit from its growth.
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