Gauteng Province


Gauteng is the smallest of the nine provinces of South Africa and was formed from part of the original Transvaal province. In April 1994 after the first all race elections took place and the province was divided up, after this division, the area that is now Gauteng was originally called Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (PWV) but in December of that year was officially changed to Gauteng.

Although Gauteng is the smallest province it contains the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Soweto resulting in it being very highly urbanized and known as the economic Powerhouse of South Africa with a population of approximately 10.5 million as of 2007.

The name Gauteng is Sotho for “Place of Gold” referring to the thriving gold industry that followed the discovery of gold in 1886 in the Johannesburg area; however Gauteng’s wealth can be attributed just as much to the people as to the gold. The area is a multicultural melting pot, unique and vibrant. This can be found in the wealth of museums, galleries, cultural activities, theatres and craft markets.

Gauteng is a landlocked province without any foreign borders. Its southern border is the Vaal River separating it from the Free State, its other borders are Limpopo in the north, Mpumalanga in the east and North West Province in the west.

The places to see in the area of Gauteng are endless. The area itself is believed to have one of the world’s best climates with warm summer days with occasional afternoon thunderstorms, dry mild winters with early morning frost on the Highveld which means that tourists can visit throughout the year in comfortable conditions.

Within easy reach of both Johannesburg and Pretoria (Tshwane) is the Hartebeestpoort Dam area, the Cradle of Humankind which is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Sterkfontein valley, numerous game parks, The Lesedi cultural village and outstanding and interesting market places to stroll through and view the variety of handcrafted articles on display.

Every type of accommodation is available.  Luxury Hotel accommodation, Guest Houses, Self catering and B&B’s can be found throughout the province.