Jansenville

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Geography and History

Jansenville lies in the Eastern Cape's nature and conservation region northwest of the upper reaches of the Addo Elephant National Park in the plains of the Mohair route, just north of the Klein Winterhoek mountains.

Situated in the plains of the Camdeboo just north of the Klein Winterhoek mountains lie the small Karoo towns of Jansenville and Klipplaat. Together with the hamlet of Waterford, these combine to form the Ikwezi Municipal Area.

Jansenville lies in the heart of the Noorsveld with its distinctive spiky plants while Klipplaat lies in an area of typical Karoo vegetation. Angora goats thrive in these conditions and Jansenville has for long been the heart of South Africa's mohair production.

In the heyday of railways in South Africa, Klipplaat was an important railway junction being the point at which the main Cape Town to Port Elizabeth line branched off towards Graaff-Reinet. Sadly those days have passed and Klipplaat has become a quiet little place with the station in a derelict state.

Activities

The Jansenville area offers visitors a typical Karoo experience - clear skies with the brightest stars at night, clean air, wide open spaces, a rich history, comfortable guest houses, succulent Karoo cuisine, prehistoric fossils, guest farm activities, hunting opportunities for local and foreign hunters. Jansenville also offers several small town events worth attending.

Jansenville's Museum, better known as Sid Fourie House, stands on Brug (Bridge) Street, the main north-south road through town.Sid Fourie, a true son of Jansenville, was born in 1896 of an Afrikaans father of Huguenot descent and an English mother.