Warrenton

Warrenton is an agricultural town of approximately 18,000 people in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated 70km north of Kimberley on the Vaal River.HistoryIn 1880, a syndicate bought the western portion of the farm Grasbult to irrigate the fertile land and produce vegetables for the diamond fields. The town which grew here was named after Sir Charles Warren. Diamonds were discovered here in 1888 and mining continued to 1926.GeographyWarrenton is situated in the north-eastern part of the Northern Cape province, on the south bank of the Vaal River, approximately 70km north of Kimberley, the provincial capital.The town lies just downstream of the Vaalharts Dam, which supplies water to the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme.The N12 national road, the main route from Kimberley to Gauteng, passes through Warrenton, and the N18 national road to Mafikeng and Botswana begins there.The main Cape Town–Kimberley–Johannesburg railway line also passes through the town, and the line to Mafikeng and Botswana branches off at Fourteen Streams, on the north bank of the Vaal opposite Warrenton.