Christiana is an agricultural town of about 3,000 inhabitants on the banks of the

Vaal River The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...

North West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The town is located on the N12 national route between

Bloemhof Bloemhof is an agricultural town of about 2,000 inhabitants situated on the banks of the Vaal River in North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. History It was founded in August 1864 when diamonds were discovered i ...

and Warrenton, on the way to Kimberley ( Northern Cape). It is the administrative centre and seat of

Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality is a local municipality in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, North West Province, South Africa. The Seat of local municipality is Christiana. Main places The 2001 census divided the municipalit ...

.Municipal Demarcation Board : ''Municipal Profiles 2003 : Contacts''
Retrieved 15 April 2010

History

When diamonds were discovered in the

in the 1870s (By Former Mayor MR Katlego Dabampe) the former Transvaal Government established a settlement on the banks of the river in 1870, in an attempt to control and alleviate land disputes over diamond discoveries further down the

. This town was established on the farm Zoutpansdrift ("salt pan drift") and named Christiana, after the only daughter of President Pretorius of the old Transvaal. The first residential stands were sold in 1870. Two years later diamonds were discovered close by in the gravel bed of the Vaal River, and the inevitable manic rush followed. As usual the initial rush petered with the diamonds. In 1997, diamonds were rediscovered along the banks of a farm on the Free State side of Christiana. This led to a new

diamond rush A diamond rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area where diamonds were newly discovered. Major diamond rushes took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in South Africa and South-West Africa. Diamond rushes by chrono ...

and diggings that continue to this day.

Economy

The town contains one of the biggest diggers' bells ever to exist in the world. The bell is currently under water in the Vaal River as it once sank and ended in the drowning of several diggers. There were a few attempts to get the diggers' bell out, as it is said that there are diamonds still in it, but it was in vain as it is surrounded by too much mud. Christiana is one of the corners of the "Maize Rectangle", with the mainstay of the economy being the production of maize, potatoes, onions, sorghum, groundnuts and beef. The main farmers in the area are the de Beer's and Callender-Easby's. South Africa's top horse stud, Callaho Warmblood Sport Horses, can be found near Christiana. Christiana is well known for its water sports along the Vaal River, as well as the Diamond Diggers Festival (Delwers Fees) that occurs annually. Other tourist attractions include the Diggers' Diamond Museum (authentic digging equipment and old photographs pay tribute to the town's diamond industry) and San Bushman rock art (excellent examples can be viewed 6 km out of town on the Farm Stowlands) and Stows Kopje (prehistoric rock engravings which are a provincial heritage site).

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality Populated places established in 1870 1870 establishments in the Cape Colony