List of Towns, Villages and Cities in Thabazimbi Local Municipality

Thabazimbi Local Municipality sits in the Waterberg District of Limpopo, home to 65,047 people in the 2022 census across 11,190 km². The seat is Thabazimbi town, in the western Waterberg near the North West provincial border.

The name means “mountain of iron” in a Sotho-Nguni blend, a direct reference to the iron-ore deposits mined here since the early 20th century.

Towns and Villages in Thabazimbi

Smaller settlements recorded across the municipality:

• Adriaanshoop
• Bobbejaanstert
• Breedpan
• Doornfontein
• Dwaalboom
• Dwarsfontein
• Groenvlei
• Gwarriehoek
• Hartbeesbult
• Hartbeestfontein
• Honingvley
• Kiesel
• Laastepoort
• Maraheki
• Matlabas
• Pony
• Rhenosterkraal
• Rooibosbult
• Sentrum
• Two Rivers Estate
• Voortrekkerspos
• Zwartkop

Geography

Thabazimbi covers the western Waterberg, from the Kransberg escarpment down onto flatter bushveld toward the North West border. Iron-ore hills run through the district’s centre, while the Pilanesberg-linked platinum belt around Northam and Amandelbult extends into the municipality’s south. It borders Lephalale, Mogalakwena, Modimolle–Mookgophong and Bela-Bela within Waterberg District, and North West province to the south-west.

Demographics

The population fell from 85,234 in the 2011 census to 65,047 in 2022, one of the sharper declines among Waterberg’s local municipalities, reflecting mine downsizing and worker movement toward Northam and Rustenburg. Sepedi and Afrikaans are the most common home languages, with English also spoken in the mining and resort towns and a growing number of residents commuting to jobs across the North West border at Rustenburg.

Economy and Local Life

Mining anchors the local economy: iron ore around Thabazimbi town itself, platinum group metals at Northam and Amandelbult in the south, and historic tin workings at Rooiberg. Cattle and game farming cover much of the remaining bushveld, with hunting and safari tourism a growing part of the district’s income. Leeupoort functions as a resort and retirement village drawing weekend visitors from Gauteng.

Northam and Amandelbult, in the municipality’s south, sit on the western limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, one of the world’s richest platinum group metal reserves, and mine employment there draws workers from across Thabazimbi and neighbouring North West towns. Thabazimbi town itself grew up around its iron-ore deposit, still worked today, while Rooiberg’s tin mine, one of the oldest in the country, is now largely a historic site rather than an active operation.

History

Thabazimbi grew up in the early 20th century around an iron-ore deposit that became one of South Africa’s most important sources of the mineral, feeding the country’s steel industry for decades. Rooiberg’s tin workings, further south in the municipality, date back even earlier and rank among the oldest documented mine sites in the region. The current municipal boundaries were set in 2000, uniting the mining towns with the surrounding farming and traditional communities under one council within Waterberg District.

Getting There

Thabazimbi town lies on the R510, about 150 km north-west of Pretoria via Northam and Rustenburg, or reached from the N1 via the R516 through the Waterberg. OR Tambo International Airport is the nearest major air link, roughly three hours’ drive away.

FAQ

What is the seat of Thabazimbi Local Municipality?
Thabazimbi town, in Limpopo’s Waterberg District.

What is Thabazimbi’s main industry?
Mining — iron ore at Thabazimbi, platinum at Northam and Amandelbult.

What is the population of Thabazimbi?
65,047 people (2022 census), down from 85,234 in 2011.

Which district and province is Thabazimbi in?
Waterberg District, Limpopo province.

What does the name Thabazimbi mean?
“Mountain of iron,” from a Sotho-Nguni term reflecting the local iron-ore deposits.