Upington

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title: "Upington" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["orange-river", "populated-places-in-the-dawid-kruiper-local-municipality", "populated-places-established-in-1873", "1884-establishments-in-the-cape-colony"] topic_path: "general/orange-river" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upington" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Upington
settlement_type	Town
image_skyline	Upington.jpg
image_caption	Aerial view of Upington's Central Business District
pushpin_map	South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa#Africa
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	South Africa
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Northern Cape
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	ZF Mgcawu
subdivision_type3	Municipality
subdivision_name3	Dawid Kruiper
subdivision_type4	Main Place
established_title	Established
established_date	1873
government_type	Local Municipality
leader_party	ANC
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Limakatso Koloi
area_footnotes
elevation_m	835
area_total_km2	580.8
population_footnotes
population_total	74834
population_as_of	2011
population_density_km2	auto
	demographics_type1
demographics1_footnotes
demographics1_title1	Black African
demographics1_info1	25.6%
demographics1_title2	Coloured
demographics1_info2	62.6%
demographics1_title3	Indian/Asian
demographics1_info3	0.6%
demographics1_title4	White
demographics1_info4	10.1%
demographics1_title5	Other
demographics1_info5	1.1%
	demographics_type2
demographics2_footnotes
demographics2_title1	Afrikaans
demographics2_info1	85.5%
demographics2_title2	Xhosa
demographics2_info2	6.1%
demographics2_title3	Tswana
demographics2_info3	3.2%
demographics2_title4	English
demographics2_info4	2.1%
demographics2_title5	Other
demographics2_info5	3.1%
	timezone1
utc_offset1	+2
postal_code_type	Postal code (street)
postal_code	8800
postal2_code_type	PO box
postal2_code	8800
area_code_type	Area code
area_code	+27 (0)54
website

| | native_name | ǁKhara hais (Khoekhoe) | ::

| native_name = ǁKhara hais (Khoekhoe) Olyvenhoutsdrift (Afrikaans) Upington () is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olyvenhoutsdrift ('Olive wood drift'), due to the abundance of olive wood trees in the area, but later renamed after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General and then Prime Minister of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established in 1871 and run by Reverend Christiaan Schröder. The mission station now houses the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognises the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th century.

The elevation of Upington is 2,742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls (arguably the greatest of South African waterfalls) and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange River.

The Upington 26

On 13 November 1985, a black policeman was killed following a disturbance at a political meeting in Paballelo, a black township on the outskirts of Upington. Twenty-six people were charged with the killing, of whom twenty-five were convicted of murder on the basis of common purpose, and one convicted of attempted murder. Fourteen were sentenced to death, although the death sentences were later overturned on appeal. In 2011, a memorial in honour of the Upington 26 was unveiled in Upington by Hazel Jenkins, the Premier of the Northern Cape. In 2014, the Australian film A Common Purpose was made about the case.

Wine industry

Upington's most famous wines are produced by an organisation known as Orange River Cellars. The organisation has six depots in the area (all of them on the banks of the Orange River) at Upington, Kanoneiland, Grootdrink, Kakamas, Keimoes and Groblershoop. Their wines are exported, inter alia, to Europe and the USA.

Transportation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Station_Upington_W2.JPG" caption="Passenger train in Upington station"] ::

Upington Airport has scheduled flights provided by SA Airlink. Due to the combination of high elevation and temperature, one of the airport's runways is 4,900 m long (the fourth longest in the world), and thus allows Boeing 747 and other heavy aircraft to use the airport without limitations on take-off weight. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Nelson_Mandela_drive_in_the_upington_cbd_(cropped).jpg" caption="Nelson Mandela Drive in the Upington CBD"] ::

In the first half of the 20th century, there was a passenger train service from Cape Town to Upington. Until the 1950s, a narrow-gauge railway line (two-foot gauge) ran from Upington to Kakamas and Keimoes, two nearby towns. The trains carried passengers and freight, being mainly dried fruit. The line to Kakamas was still in use during the November 2010 grape harvest season.

Public institutions

There are four libraries that serve the community in Upington, viz, Rosedale Library, Upington Library, Korrektiewe and Forum Library.

Geography and climate

|Upington |20 |36 |24 |20 |34 |35 |18 |32 |37 |13 |28 |26 |8 |24 |10 |5 |21 |4 |4 |21 |2 |6 |23 |4 |9 |27 |4 |13 |30 |9 |16 |33 |17 |19 |35 |17 |float = right |clear = right |source = SAWS Upington is located on the northern banks of the Orange River and is surrounded by irrigated vineyards. The hottest month of the year is January, with average daily temperatures swinging from 36 C to 20 C, while in the coolest month of July temperatures range between 21 C and 4 C. Also the driest month of the year, July sees an average rainfall of only 2 mm, while the wettest month of March sees 37 mm. Upington has been noted as being the sunniest location on the planet for three months of the year, from November through January.

Upington has a hot desert climate (BWh) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Precipitation peaks during late summertime.

|location = Upington (1991−2020, extremes 1951–1990) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 42.3 |Feb record high C = 44.1 |Mar record high C = 42.3 |Apr record high C = 38.1 |May record high C = 33.7 |Jun record high C = 30.4 |Jul record high C = 29.5 |Aug record high C = 33.6 |Sep record high C = 39.3 |Oct record high C = 40.5 |Nov record high C = 42.0 |Dec record high C = 44.4 |year record high C = | Jan high C = 36.4 | Feb high C = 35.7 | Mar high C = 33.6 | Apr high C = 29.3 | May high C = 25.6 | Jun high C = 21.8 | Jul high C = 21.7 | Aug high C = 23.9 | Sep high C = 28.0 | Oct high C = 31.2 | Nov high C = 33.4 | Dec high C = 35.7 | year high C = 29.7 | Jan mean C = 28.3 | Feb mean C = 27.9 | Mar mean C = 25.8 | Apr mean C = 21.4 | May mean C = 17.1 | Jun mean C = 13.1 | Jul mean C = 12.9 | Aug mean C = 14.7 | Sep mean C = 18.6 | Oct mean C = 22.4 | Nov mean C = 24.7 | Dec mean C = 27.2 | year mean C = 21.2 | Jan low C = 20.2 | Feb low C = 20.0 | Mar low C = 17.9 | Apr low C = 13.4 | May low C = 8.6 | Jun low C = 4.3 | Jul low C = 4.1 | Aug low C = 5.4 | Sep low C = 9.2 | Oct low C = 13.5 | Nov low C = 16.0 | Dec low C = 18.6 | year low C = 12.6 |Jan record low C = 6.7 |Feb record low C = 7.6 |Mar record low C = 4.7 |Apr record low C = -1.7 |May record low C = -5.2 |Jun record low C = -7.9 |Jul record low C = -7.8 |Aug record low C = -7.0 |Sep record low C = -3.5 |Oct record low C = -1.7 |Nov record low C = 4.4 |Dec record low C = 5.7 |year record low C = -7.9 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 39.5 | Feb precipitation mm = 38.8 | Mar precipitation mm = 44.7 | Apr precipitation mm = 18.5 | May precipitation mm = 10.1 | Jun precipitation mm = 5.1 | Jul precipitation mm = 3.3 | Aug precipitation mm = 1.2 | Sep precipitation mm = 3.5 | Oct precipitation mm = 15.1 | Nov precipitation mm = 13.9 | Dec precipitation mm = 21.9 | year precipitation mm = 215.6 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 4.1 | Feb precipitation days = 4.0 | Mar precipitation days = 4.4 | Apr precipitation days = 2.6 | May precipitation days = 1.2 | Jun precipitation days = 0.6 | Jul precipitation days = 0.6 | Aug precipitation days = 0.4 | Sep precipitation days = 0.6 | Oct precipitation days = 1.8 | Nov precipitation days = 2.2 | Dec precipitation days = 2.6 | year precipitation days = 25.0 |Jan humidity = 33 |Feb humidity = 39 |Mar humidity = 44 |Apr humidity = 49 |May humidity = 49 |Jun humidity = 50 |Jul humidity = 45 |Aug humidity = 39 |Sep humidity = 35 |Oct humidity = 33 |Nov humidity = 31 |Dec humidity = 30 |year humidity = 40 | Jan sun = 344.3 | Feb sun = 292.3 | Mar sun = 302.3 | Apr sun = 285.4 | May sun = 285.7 | Jun sun = 268.6 | Jul sun = 285.7 | Aug sun = 298.6 | Sep sun = 299.5 | Oct sun = 326.5 | Nov sun = 332.1 | Dec sun = 351.8 | year sun = 3672.9 |source 1= NOAA (humidity 1961-1990),{{cite web | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/SouthAfrica/CSV/UpingtonWO_68424.csv | title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate = March 30, 2023 | url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68424.TXT| title=Upington Climate Normals 1961−1990| publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818211729/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68424.TXT| archive-date=2020-08-18| url-status=dead| access-date=21 November 2013}} Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes)

Notable natives and residents

Chris Brink – mathematician, vice-chancellor of Newcastle University in England, vice-chancellor and rector of Stellenbosch University
Ruben Cloete – footballer for the South Africa national soccer team
Alice Krige – actress
Tiaan Strauss - rugby union player for Western Province and for the South African and for Australian national rugby union teams
Shaleen Surtie-Richards - actress
Christo Wiese - businessman
Cobus Wiese - rugby union player
Jasper Wiese – rugby union player for the South Africa national rugby union team

Gallery

Image:upingtonrunw.jpg|4900 m airport runway Image:golfcourseupt.jpg|Golf course Image:Upingtonriver.jpg|View from "Die Eiland" holiday resort

Sport

Upington has a professional football club named Upington City F.C.

References

"Upington".
"Dawid Kruiper Municipality website".
Sum of the Main Places [http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/379002 Upington] and [http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/379003 Paballelo] from Census 2011.
(27 May 1989). "Judge Condemns 14 South Africa Blacks". [[The New York Times]].
(23 June 1989). "South African Justice". [[The Christian Science Monitor]].
(4 December 2004). "Justice served". [[The Independent]].
"Upington 26". [[SABC]].
(18 March 2011). "Premier Hazel Jenkins and MEC Pauline Williams to unveil the Memorial in honour of the Upington 26".
"A Common Purpose".
(2013). "A Common Purpose - Study Guide". [[Australian Teachers of Media]].
"flyairlink".
"Upington". Aviation Networks, Inc..
"FLOOD AT UPINGTON {{!".
"Library Directory". [[National Library of South Africa]].
"Climate data for Upington". South African Weather Service.
(July 2002). "Rough guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland". Rough Guides.
Osborn, Liz. "Sunniest Places and Countries in the World". Current Results.
"Climate Normals 1991-2020".
"Klimatafel von Upington/Oranjefluß, Kapland / Südafrika". Deutscher Wetterdienst.

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