The Palace at the Lost City located in Sun City near Rustenburg
Rustenburg is found at the foothills of Magaliesberg mountains which is northwest of South Africa. It has a subtropical climate which means warm from December to February, and moderate winters from June up to August. However, being close to the mountains, the summer heat is tolerable.
Rustenburg burst into the international spotlight in 1995 as the host to the IRB Rubgy World Cup and again in 2010 when it played a significant role in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. For the British, Rustenburg is familiar because this is the home court of the England national football team.
The roots of Rustenburg started in 1851 as agricultural land and supplier of citrus, peanuts, tobacco, corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, and as grazing land for cattle. In South Africa, it is the third oldest town from the Transvaal province. There has been a German community in Rustenburg since 1857 and they are known as Kroondal.
Origin of Residents
Rustenburg is also a mix of different origins. One of the first residents were Indian in the 1870s although the Germans came ahead in 1857. Already there by that time were the Bafokeng people and Botswana tribe. The Bafokeng migrated from another tribe known as the Bakwena people and moved to Rustenburg more than 200 years ago. Translated Bafokeng means “people of the dew.”
The Dutch arrived in Rustenburg and were responsible for giving the place the name Rustenburg which means “place of rest.” This was one of the major contributions to the community.
Economy
Aside from a rich and fertile land, Rustenburg also is where two of the biggest platinum mines in the world are located. From here comes 70% of the world’s platinum, and considering that platinum is more difficult to find than gold and has more uses, it accounts for much of the progress Rustenburg enjoys. For many years, platinum sold higher than gold and a third of the auto industry uses platinum. This only dipped in the 1990s where gold became more valuable.
From these two industries, farming and mining, Rustenburg has developed into the ultimate community. It has game reserves, small to big businesses, sport stadiums, schools, resorts, and an airfield. For the more technologically inclined, good communications infrastructure means that Internet access is available for those who prefer online shopping and web browsing.
These industries do however support an ever growing population with Rustenburg property values increasing all the time.
Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation
With the economy steadily rising and progressing, the people of Rustenburg have managed to keep a strong community presence. There is an obvious attempt to focus on the social development aspect of the community. Foremost in this is the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF).
It was established in the year 2000 as a philanthropic effort of the people of Rustenburg. GRCF gives out grants and helps locals find their footing in the community through better services and an opportunity to improve their lives. They also focus their energies on assisting special needs of its residents, the youth and the elderly.
Home-Grown Talent
Rustenburg has produced some amazing talents to share with the rest of the world. These are opera singer Johan Botha, choreographer John Cranko, actress Esta TerBlanche, rugby player Frik du Preez, and painter Bettie Cilliers-Barnard.