History

The town was established in 1851 as an administrative centre for a fertile farming area producing citrus fruit, tobacco, peanuts, sunflower seeds, maize, wheat and cattle. On 10 February 1859, the local Dutch Reformed Church community was established. In 1863 Paul Kruger, who was later to become the President of the South African Republic, bought a 5 square kilometre farm to the north-west of the town.

Among the first residents of Rustenburg were settlers of Indian origin. One of the first families of Indian origin was the Bhyat family, whose contribution to the City's history was marked by the renaming of a major streetname to "Fatima Bhayat Street"[1] in honour of Fatima Bhyat who arrived in Rustenburg with her husband in 1877.

Rustenburg's population is primarily Batswana. Many belong to the Royal Bafokeng Nation, extensive landowners earning royalties from mining operations. The Royal Bafokeng also own the stadium selected as a World Cup 2010 venue.

Rustenburg is prominent in Afrikaner history. One of the oldest Boer settlements in the north, it was the home of Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic. The homestead on his farm, Boekenhoutfontein, is now the Paul Kruger Country Museum.

When Boer and British came to blows in the Second Boer War (1899), the territory around Rustenburg became a battlefield. The two sides clashed famously at nearby Mafikeng, where the British garrison found itself under siege for months. These battle sites can be explored from Rustenburg.