Mokopane
A further 50 km north of Naboomspruit, also just off the N1, lies Potgietersrus, named after the Voortrekker hero Piet Potgieter, who died during a famous siege at Makapan's Cave in the hills to the north of town. The N1 formerly ran right through the center of town, but the new highway smoothly by-passes it, an act you should have few qualms about following, unless you are bound for parts of the northern Waterberg or have a perverse attraction to check out one of the country's racist hot-spots.
In the mid-Nineties, the town attracted worldwide publicity when white locals tried to prevent black children entering what had been all-white schools during the apartheid years. This displays of dogged racism earned the town the unenviable title of racist capital of South Africa. There's a little doubt that the old thinking still dies hard in the town and its agricultural hinterland - something you'll still pick up from such things as 'Club Members Only' signs over white filled bars and intolerant squabbling over local services and amenities. On the other hand, blacks crowd the main streets with stalls and, despite the continual crawl of traffic, give the place a bustling, lively feel.
The one place worth stopping at is the Arend Dieperink Museum, located in an old schoolhouse set back from Voortrekker Road, behind the tourist information office. It has a substantial collection of ploughs, tractors, wagons and farm implements outside. The inside is more interesting, with well-labeled displays on the significant archeological discoveries made at Makapan's Cave, 19 km north of Potgietersrus, including that of three-million-year-old fossils.
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