Information on Mahikeng, North West, South Africa

Conference Venues South Africa brings you information on Mahikeng situated in the North West Province of South Africa including information on Facilities and Recreation, Climate, Founding, History Suburbs, Town Planning and Geography.

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Mahikeng History

Mahikeng was originally headquarters of the Barolong people. The town was founded in the 1880s by British mercenaries granted land by a Barolong chief. The settlement was named Mahikeng, a Setswana name meaning "place of stones". Later British settlers spelled the name as "Mafeking". It was from Pitsani Pothlugo (or Potlogo), north of Mafeking, that the Jameson Raid started, on December 29, 1895.

On the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899, the town was besieged. The Siege of Mafeking lasted 217 days from October 1899 to May 1900, and turned Robert Baden-Powell into a national hero. In September 1904, Lord Roberts unveiled an obelisk at Mafeking bearing the names of those who fell in defence of the town. In all, 212 people were killed during the siege, with more than 600 wounded. Boer losses were significantly higher.

Mahikeng served as capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, even though it was outside the protectorate's borders, from 1894 until 1965, when Gaborone was made the capital of what was to become Botswana.

Mafeking briefly served as capital of the pre-independence Bantustan of Bophuthatswana in the 1970s before the adjoining town of Mmabatho was established as capital. In 1980 the spelling Mahikeng was restored and following the end of apartheid in 1994, Mahikeng and Mmabatho were merged and made capital of the new North-West Province.

Towns and Suburbs of the North West province of South Africa

Beestekraal , Brits , Broederstroom , Christiana , Groot Marico , Hartbeespoort , Koster , Klerksdorp , Lichtenburg , Madikwe , Mahikeng , Mooinooi , Pilansberg , Potchefstroom, Rustenburg , Sun City , Swartruggens , Temba , Wolmeransstad