NCTA Travel Guide 2012 - Northern Cape Tourism

Water lillies covering the “Eye of Kuruman” - one of the strongest
natural springs in the Southern hemisphere
Kuruman
On the Ghaap Plateau 1 131m above sea level, Kuruman is the
principal town on the Kalahari section of the Namakwari Route.
The origin of the town’s name is uncertain but it is generally
accepted as being a variation of the name of an 18th-century
San leader Kudumane.
Known as the ‘Oasis of the Kalahari’, Kuruman is blessed with
a permanent and abundant source of water. More densely
vegetated than most oases, its water flows from Gasegonyana,
commonly called The Eye. The spring delivers 20 million litres
of water daily to 71 000 inhabitants and even nurtures an
endangered species of cichlid fish.
Scottish missionary Robert Moffat, the first person to translate
the Bible into SeTswana, lived here for 50 years (1820-1870) and
built the famous Moffat Church, which was completed in 1838.
The Moffats baptised their first converts in 1829, taught them
to read, and, using their own printing press, printed the first
Bible in Africa.
To see and do:
• The abundant game bred and culled in the area is fast turning
it into a mecca for hunters.
• Visit the Wonderwerk Cave and Rock Paintings – archaeological
excavations of the 140m long cave dates back over a million
years and finds include Acheulean hand axes and cleavers from
the Stone Age and artefacts dating to the Later Stone Age.
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