Town History

Wolmaransstad is situated in the North West Province and to reach the town, visitors have to travel with the N12. It lies 250km south west of Johannesburg, 80 km from Klerksdorp and 300 km north east of Kimberley.

The town was founded in 1891 as a stopover along the old postal route between Johannesburg and Kimberley. Wolmaransstad lies in the valley of the Makwassie stream where diamond digging is one of the most important activities. The town is therefore an important diamond buying centre.

The hot summers (up to 40 degrees Celsius) and cold winters (below 0 degrees) are ideal for cattle farming, although planting of agricultural crops also takes place.

Because of the town’s long history, it still has beautiful sand stone buildings erected during the early years of the previous millennium. Of these, the Broadbent Mission Station and the Thomas Leask House is well-known.

Thomas Leask, from Orkney in England, was an elephant hunter who became a trader and opened a trading store here. When the town was established later, it was named after J. Wolmarans, an executive member of Council for the Zuid Afrikaansche Republic. Paul Kruger, president of the ZAR, was a regular visitor at the house of Thomas Leask.

Major attractions in the area

For the Nature Lover, a variety of recreation options exist. Just outside town is the Makwassierante Conservation Area which hosts a variety of game species and has hiking trails for visitors. Situated south of Leeudoringstad on the banks of the Vaal River, Wolwespruit Dam Nature Reserve conserves riverine vegetation in very natural surroundings. For those who love fishing, there is the Yellow fish angling sites along the water’s edge.

The Digger’s Diamond Tour is an opportunity to learn about the beginning of alluvial diamond digging in the area up to the selling of diamonds. Booking for the tour can be done at 018 596 2404.