So much to do in Rustenburg that residents are generally a happy bunch, and this is a good sign of how the city is being cared for by the government and the people who live and work in Rustenburg. Scattered throughout the city are landmarks that remind everyone of a colorful past at the time clusters of needs that have to be attended to. Some of activities one can enjoy in Rustenburg are:

The Rustenburg Town Hall

The Rustenburg Town Hall is the center of the city. Here one finds many landmarks and buildings that have special significance to the people of Rustenburg. In front of the town hall is the statue of the president, Paul Kruger. This is a reminder of Kruger’s last days while in exile. The statue was the work of a Frenchman, Archard.

Also found in the Town Hall is the Rustenburg Museum where there are mementos of Rustenburg’s history including the archeology of the city.

Rustenburg Nature Reserve

On the northern side of Rustenburg is the Rustenburg Nature Reserve. Here one can find over 320 animal species in their natural habitat. There’s a serenity to the reserve being beside a mountain range where it isn’t uncommon to find visitors wandering about.

There are hiking trails and natural pools where one can go swimming “in the wild” which is an incredible experience with the rustic sounds of wild animals and nature’s bounty. Some of the trails are the Magaliesberg Hiking Trails which the Mountain Club of South Africa partially oversees, and the Peglarae Trail, among several others. The Magaliesberg has resorts and camp sites along the trail, including a Hartebeespoort Dam complex. It was declared to be one of South Africa’s Natural Heritage sites in 1977 and has areas not yet visited by humans.

Sun City Resort

A world class resort where nature and the environment are respected completely. It’s actually a tourist destination but locals do find time to enjoy the amenities. Aside from the 4 hotels, there is a vacation club, 2 golf courses, water park, convention center and sports facilities.

The Paul Kruger Country Museum

Former president of South African Republic, Paul Kruger is known to have bought a house right outside Rustenburg in 1963. He called it Boekenhoutfontein and this has since been transformed into the Paul Kruger Country Museum. This is actually a group of buildings and shows images of how life was during the time of Paul Kruger.

Other landmarks in Rustenburg of special interest to the people of the city are the Lutheran Church which is a national monument; the Hervormende Church Square which is where a momentous reconciliation took place that was able to avert a civil war; the Dutch Reform Church which was once used as a military hospital; the Voortrekker Girl statue which is a significant landmark to honor Christianity in the area and Pilanesbergy Game Reserve with incredible geological formations that point upwards towards the sky.

The relatively recent dark years of Rustenburg began in the 1970s and up to the 1990s. These were times when pollution was killing the economy and healthy lifestyle as well as a decrease in farm produce, especially the citrus fruits.