Kakamas

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Geography and History

Kakamas is a rather small town situated in the Northern Cape of South Africa. This interesting town was originally built by a church and named after the Khoi word for 'poor pasture'. Today, this name poorly reflects on a fertile valley in the lower Orange River, graced with vineyards, cotton and Lucerne fields.

In 1897, the Dutch Reformed Church started a “colony” on the farms Soetap and Kakamas on the banks of the Orange River for white people who had lost everything as a result of the drought.

The Commission that ran the “colony” planned ahead and in 1912 building operations on a hydro-electric power station and turbine in the northern canal were started. Ultimately the power station, built to look like an Egyptian temple, generated so much electricity that the Kakamas town management liased with Upington about the possibility of Kakamas supplying this neighbouring town with electricity too!

Thanks to irrigation from the Orange River farmers from the Kakamas area are now prime exporters of table grapes to Europe and England. The region also exports raisins, oranges and dates. The cultivation of grapes for raisins began in 1960 and table grapes in 1980. Today, they are exported worldwide

Activities

Irrigation Tunnels - Built by Cornish miners, they can be seen outside Kakamas, on the N14 to Kakamas.

Khamkirri Private Game Reserve - ‘Place of the Leopard’, the name given by the Nama for this part of the world.

Operating Waterwheels - Eleven waterwheels are still used on the canals. They can be seen in Voortrekker Street or on the many canals running through the vineyards, lucerne and cottonfields.

Riemvasmaak Hot Springs - 75 000 hectares of sheer mountain desert wilderness born from violent volcanic activity millions of years ago.

Rockery Route - Following the gravel road from Neilersdrift to Kakamas via the Neus Wier, you will be stunned by differing landscapes

Wine Tasting and Tours - Offered at the Orange River Wine Cellars Co-operative. Tel: 054 431 0830.