Danielskuil

Danielskuil Tourism Information Bureau

Danielskuil Business Directory

The quiet town of Daniëlskuil in the Northern Cape is situated at the foot of the Kuruman Hills (Also known as Rooiberg) that is part of the Cape Plateau, 160 kilometers North West of Kimberley and 90 kilometers south of Kuruman.  According to tradition the name Daniëlskuil is derived from a natural pit in the dolomite structure, translated to Afrikaans – “kuil”. According to legend, perpetrators were imprisoned under appalling conditions in the pit. Therefore a link was made with the biblical figure of Daniël; who ended up in a pit with lions.  Hence the name Daniëlskuil existed.

This small town boasts the first documented case of cigarette smoking in South Africa. In June 1823, the traveler; George Thomas; made a law to pass on the tradition peace pipe with tobacco wrapped in paper, Korana and San Leaders were shocked about this new law.

Daniëlskuil obtained official status in 1892 after diamonds were discovered in Kimberley, which led to the colonization of Griqualand by the English authorities in Cape Town; that resulted in Griqua people subsequently scattered. For the next eighty years, Daniëlskuil mainly provided support for the farming community. Electricity was first supplied by the Dutch Reformed Church, but this function was transferred tot the town management in 1949

In 1942, asbestos related diseases were reported in Daniëlskuil, the first town in the area where this disease was reported and ignored. Due to the good soil and large quantity of water resources, prove of prehistoric human beings, dated back 800 000 years, can be found in the “Wonderwerk Cave”, 40 kilometers outside Daniëlskuil. Large scale mining of line at Daniëlskuil has led to growth and development. The population of Daniëlskuil doubled at a stage when surrounding towns depopulated due to an economic recession.

Today there are several attraction sites and different activities to do in this evolving town. Such as the Wonderwerk Cave that runs horizontally for 193 meters into the base of a low conical foothill on the eastern flank of the Kuruman hills; the Boesmansgat – A unique natural sinkhole, renowned as the second deepest and largest of its kind in the world on the farm Mount Carmel. This is also the place where a few divers lost their lives going down this cave. It also holds the world record for cave diving depths when in 1996, Nuno Gomes dived to a depth of 282 meters.

A British Fort overlooks the village and the kuil or “gaol” limestone sinkhole which some believed was used as an early prison. The Martha Vermeulen grave site dates back to the Anglo Boer War where a young girl was shot by English soldiers on 16 June 1900. The Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1896 and the old town Hall was built as part of a job creation project in 1933. The Lime Mine started in 1974 and is the main source of job creation in this area.

Danielskuil Accommodation & Leisure Activities

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