Mmabatho

Mmabatho
Mmabatho is located in North West (South African province)
Mmabatho
Mmabatho
Mmabatho is located in South Africa
Mmabatho
Mmabatho
Mmabatho is located in Africa
Mmabatho
Mmabatho
Coordinates: 25°51′S 25°38′E / 25.850°S 25.633°E / -25.850; 25.633
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceNorth West
DistrictNgaka Modiri Molema
MunicipalityMahikeng
Area
 • Total18.47 km2 (7.13 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total38,297
 • Density2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African95.9%
 • Coloured2.0%
 • Indian/Asian1.0%
 • White1.0%
 • Other0.1%
First languages (2011)
 • Tswana89.6%
 • English1%
 • Sotho3.6%
 • Xhosa2.8%
 • Other2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
2735
PO box
2790
Area code018

Mmabatho (Tswana for "Mother of the People") is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. During the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana, separated from the adjacent Mafeking which temporarily remained outside Bophuthatswana.

Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was proclaimed the provincial capital. However, Mmabatho's status as the provincial capital was short-lived. Later in 1994, the North West provincial legislature voted to rename the capital to Mahikeng (the town of Mafikeng having been merged with Mmabatho in 1980 and treated as a suburb of Mmabatho between 1980 and 1994[2][3]), reducing Mmabatho to a suburb of Mafikeng. The city is an enclave within the latter.

Mmabatho contains many provincial government buildings, a shopping complex called Mega City and a Sports Stadium formerly called the Independence Stadium. The North-West University, formerly the University of Bophuthatswana, is located in Mmabatho.

Situated just south of the Botswana border, the town is connected by main roads to South Africa's national capital of Pretoria in the east and to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, in the north. A railway runs north and south from the neighbouring town of Mafikeng. The city is served by Mmabatho International Airport, handling flights to and from Johannesburg.

  1. ^ a b c d "Mmabatho". census2011.adrianfrith.com. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. ^ Stander, John (April 2010). "North West High Court, Mafikeng (Or What's in a Name?)" (PDF). Advocate. Vol. 23, no. 1. p. 53. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Mahikeng Local Municipality (NW383)". Municipalities of South Africa. Retrieved 23 August 2022.