About our Town
Barkly West began in 1869 when diamonds were discovered at Klipdrift on the Vaal River, leading to a major diamond rush and the town’s initial name. It was temporarily the Klipdrift Diggers’ Republic before being renamed Barkly West in 1873 when it became part of the Crown Colony of Griqualand West.
During the Anglo-Boer War, it was occupied by Boer forces and temporarily renamed Nieuw Boshof.
The town was first known as Klipdrift, a name meaning “stony ford“. In 1873, it was renamed Barkly West after Henry Barkly, the Governor of the Cape, and the region’s incorporation into the Crown Colony of Griqualand West.
Today, Barkly West is part of the Dikgatlong local municipality. Its economy is based on stock and irrigation farming, mining, and dairy production.
The town lies just off the N12, north west of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
About Prof. ZK Matthews Hospital
The Professor ZK Matthews Hospital in Barkly West, part of the Dikgatlong Local Municipality, opened in 2008. It was named in honor of Z. K. Matthews (1901–1968), a prominent academic and African National Congress (ANC) president who was born in the area. When it opened in 2008, the facility was built at a cost of R68 million and had a bed capacity of 45, though it was later gazetted to operate with 50 beds. It was intended to serve patients from several surrounding clinics. The hospital serves as a district hospital, providing healthcare to the residents of the Dikgatlong municipality, which includes the towns of Barkly West, Delportshoop, and Windsorton.
About Prof. ZK Matthews
Zachariah Keodirelang Matthews was born in Winters Rush, a settlement just outside Barkly West. He was a prominent leader in the ANC and played a key role in drafting the Freedom Charter, a document outlining the vision for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.
He was the son of a Bamangwato. Z.K. grew up in urban Kimberley. He went to Mission high school in the eastern Cape where he attended Lovedale. After Lovedale he studied at South African Native College in Fort Hare. In 1923 he wrote the external examination of the University of South Africa.
In 1924, he was appointed head of the high school at Adams College in Natal. Albert Luthuli was also a teacher by then. The two men attended meetings of the Durban Joint Council and held office in the Natal Teacher’s Association, of which Matthews eventually was elected president. He passed away in 1968.
About the Tallhouse
Opened 1983-02-18 by Hernus Kriel Esquire (M.E.C)
This is the tollhouse, where users paid to cross the bridge, it was restored in 2000 and now houses the Barkly West Museum.