Upington

This principal town of the Green Kalahari is 820km north of Cape Town and 875km west of Johannesburg. By uniting Christian Schröder's 1871 mission station, Olyfenhoutsdrift and the Upington police station, the town of Upington, named after the first Attorney General of the Cape, Sir Thomas Upington, was formed. WIFI is available at the internet café. All banks are represented in town.

The Khoikhoi referred to Upington as Khara Hais, meaning "place of gravel." This name highlights the smooth stones shaped by the flowing waters of the Orange River.

Upington has its own airport - the Upington International airport. There are car rental facilities available at the airport. The rainy season in Upington is usually around October.

“The history of Upington, South Africa, is rooted in a mission station established in 1871, and the town's name comes from the first Attorney-General of the Cape, Sir Thomas Upington: In 1871, Reverend Christiaan Schröder established a mission station called Olyvenhoutsdrift, named after the farm where it was built. The mission station is now the Kalahari Orange Museum, which houses a famous donkey statue that recognizes the animal's contribution to the region's development. In 1884, Sir Thomas Upington visited the town and became the prime minister of Great Britain's Cape Colony. The town was renamed in his honor to Upington. Pioneer settlers, including Reverend Schröder, hand-dug the first irrigation canals along the Orange River in 1880. These canals are still in use today.The town grew rapidly from a small mission station to become the commercial, agricultural, and educational center of the Gordonia district.Upington is located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. It's 820 km north of Cape Town and 875 km west of Johannesburg.Upington is hot and dry, with an average summer temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius. It's an ideal winter holiday resort. Upington's economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the flowers of Namaqualand and the Richtersveld. It's also home to the Orange River. (Tsidi Mzansi Historian)” - Chris Smit, 2025/05/12

“The Khoikhoi name for Upington is Khara Hais, meaning ‘place of gravel’. This refers to the stones washed smoothe by the Orange River” - Chris Smit, 2024/11/16

“120 years ago, there were pirates operating along the Orange river, stealing and terrorising the local farmers Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General of the Cape, set up a policing organisation who defeated the pirates and caught the pirate captain, Klaas Lucas. In recognition the town Upington, was named after him.” - Chris Smit, 2024/06/30

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