Rustenburg

{{unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}

Before European settlers arrived, the area had been settled by agrarian Setswana-speaking tribes.

Rustenburg's population is primarily Tswana people. Partially belonging to the Royal Bafokeng Nation, extensive landowners earning royalties from mining operations. The Royal Bafokeng are descendants of Sotho settlers who displaced the local tribes from the region, which they came to call 'place of dew' (Phokeng). In the early 1800s, the Bafokeng and other Tswana communities were conquered in a series of devastating wars launched by an offshoot of the Zulu kingdom, called the Matebele. The Boers had also fought the Zulu and Matebele, and so the Boers and Tswana found in the Matebele a common enemy. The Tswana and Boers planned together and worked toward defeating the Matebele from a Sotho-Tswana kingdom to the south, and together, they defeated the Matebele. As the Boers settled in the area, called their settlement Rustenburg because they had relatively friendly relations with their Bafokeng allies in the area, and after the many violent military conflicts with other African chiefdoms, such as the Matebele, they believed they could rest ("rusten" in Dutch) in this settlement, whose name literally means "Resting Town."{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Although had already long lived in the area when the Boers arrived, the Bafokeng bought land rights from the Boers, and they purchased their first tracts of land in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century from the colonial rulers, some in exchange for serving in the Boer Wars. Although these land purchases were technically illegal,{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} Paul Kruger, who would become a president of the Transvaal Boer Republic, but was then a veld kornet, was friendly to the Bafokeng and helped arrange many of these purchases. A public hospital has been named after Paul Kruger.

{{unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}

Rustenburg was established in 1851 as an administrative centre for an Afrikaner farming area that produced citrus fruit, tobacco, peanuts, sunflower seeds, maize, wheat and cattle. On 10 February 1859, the Reformed Churches in South Africa was founded under a Syringa tree, now commemorated with a memorial. Rustenburg was the home of Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic, who bought a 5 square kilometer farm to the north-west of the town in 1863. The homestead on his farm, Boekenhoutfontein, is now the Paul Kruger Country Museum. When the Boer and the British came to blows in the Second Boer War (1899), the territory around Rustenburg became a battlefield. The two sides clashed at nearby Mafikeng, where the British garrison found itself under siege for months.

Among the early residents of Rustenburg were settlers of Indian origin. One of the first families of Indian origin was the Bhyat family, whose contribution to the city's history was marked by the renaming of a major street name to Fatima Bhayat Street in honour of Fatima Bhyat who arrived in Rustenburg with her husband in 1877.

Platinum mining in Rustenburg began in 1929, shortly after the discovery of the Platinum Reef by Hans Merensky, later named the Merensky Reef. The mine is located about 3 km from the town centre and owned and managed by the Anglo American plc. According to legend, the farmer that owned the land sold the mineral rights to Anglo American for R10 000.

The city was known for its conservative character during the apartheid era, and attracted large campaign rallies by the National Party.Lelyveld, Joseph (19 April 1981). [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/19/magazine/anxiety-over-apartheid.html?searchResultPosition=29 Anxiety Over Apartheid] The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved on 9 February 2025Leylyveld, Joseph (30 April 1981). [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/30/theater/in-south-africa-sometimes-the-sound-of-laughter.html?searchResultPosition=33 In South Africa, sometimes the Sound of Laughter] The New York Times. Retrieved on 9 February 2025

The township of Boitekong on the northeast side of Rustenburg has one of the highest incidences of AIDS orphans in South Africa{{cite web|url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/72-000-new-infections-in-6-months-20101201 |title=72 000 new infections in 6 months |publisher=News24 |date=1 December 2010 |access-date=7 May 2012}} Rustenburg was the venue for World AIDS Day commemoration in December 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction?pageid=461&sid=14998&tid=25252 |title=M Masike: World AIDS Day (English) |publisher=Info.gov.za |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328122236/http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction?pageid=461&sid=14998&tid=25252 |archive-date=28 March 2012 }} The township is in a geographical area which bears the brunt of the catchment area of the toxic effects of the mining industry coupled with a very poor quality of water supply from the local Bospoort Dam, the water from which was for decades considered too toxic for human consumption until water shortages in the nineties compelled the purification and supply to Boitekong. Life for the majority under the rule of the 'Royal Bafokeng' has parallels to the apartheid era. In the Apartheid era, forced removals of old settlements were on the basis of racial divide whereas now it is done for installation of massive mining operations sometimes engulfing entire villages.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

The Royal Bafokeng company own the stadium selected as a World Cup 2010 venue, the only 'private' stadium that hosted games in the 2010 World cup. The Royal Bafokeng regard themselves as a 'separate nation' which is in contradiction to the Rainbow nation espoused by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. This 'nationhood' is regarded by many today{{who|date=October 2018}} as a divide and rule tactic orchestrated by the mining conglomerates which has subsequently led to the calls for nationalization of the mining industry by the ANC Youth League. The majority of people in the region 20 years after the fall of apartheid still live in abject poverty despite the massive profits yielded by the platinum royalties. This has led in recent years to claims of kleptocracy against the 'royal' family and land claim disputes.{{Original research inline|date=October 2018}}

Agriculture in the region has been in constant decline since the decimation of the vast citrus estates of Rustenburg in the 1970s and 1980s due to pollution from increased smelting and beneficiating processes by mines. There are only a fraction of the original citrus farms remaining.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

In 1990, the first post-Apartheid conference between the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa) and the South African churches was held in Rustenburg. During this conference, professor Willie Jonker of the University of Stellenbosch made this confession on behalf of the entire DRC:

"[I] confess before you and before the Lord, not only my own sin and guilt,

and my personal responsibility for the political, social, economic and structural wrongs that have been done to many of you and the results [from] which you and our whole country are still suffering, but vicariously I dare also to do that in the name of the NGK [the white DRC], of which I am a member, and for the Afrikaans people as a whole."{{Cite book

| last1 = Tutu

| first1 = Desmond

| first2 = John

| last2 = Allen

| title = The Rainbow People of God:The Making of a Peaceful Revolution

| publisher = Doubleday

| year = 1994

| location = New York

| pages = [https://archive.org/details/rainbowpeopleofg00tutu/page/221 221–225]

| isbn = 0-385-47546-2

| url-access = registration

| url = https://archive.org/details/rainbowpeopleofg00tutu/page/221

}}

The conference finally resulted in the signing of the Rustenburg Declaration, which moved strongly toward complete confession, forgiveness, and restitution.{{cite web

|title = The Rustenburg Declaration

|year = 1990

|url = http://www.ngkerk.org.za/abid/dokumente/amptelikkestukke/Rustenburg%20Declaration%201990.pdf

|access-date = 13 December 2010

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721042956/http://www.ngkerk.org.za/abid/dokumente/amptelikkestukke/Rustenburg%20Declaration%201990.pdf

|archive-date = 21 July 2011

}}

Rustenburg has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with a relatively high degree of diurnal temperature variation due to the high elevation. It has very warm summers (from December to February) and mild winters (from June to August). Due to the altitude, summers are not quite as hot as one might expect. Precipitation occurs mainly in summer. There is occasional frost at night in winter.

{{Weather box

|location = Rustenburg

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan high C = 30.3

|Feb high C = 29.4

|Mar high C = 28.3

|Apr high C = 25.5

|May high C = 21.6

|Jun high C = 20.4

|Jul high C = 20.9

|Aug high C = 23.7

|Sep high C = 27.3

|Oct high C = 28.7

|Nov high C = 29.4

|Dec high C = 30.1

|year high C = 26.5

|Jan mean C = 23.8

|Feb mean C = 23.1

|Mar mean C = 21.7

|Apr mean C = 18.3

|May mean C = 14.9

|Jun mean C = 11.8

|Jul mean C = 11.8

|Aug mean C = 14.4

|Sep mean C = 18.5

|Oct mean C = 20.8

|Nov mean C = 22.1

|Dec mean C = 23.1

|year mean C = 18.7

|Jan low C = 17.1

|Feb low C = 16.8

|Mar low C = 15.0

|Apr low C = 11.2

|May low C = 6.5

|Jun low C = 3.2

|Jul low C = 2.8

|Aug low C = 5.1

|Sep low C = 9.6

|Oct low C = 12.9

|Nov low C = 14.9

|Dec low C = 16.1

|year low C = 10.9

|Jan precipitation mm = 115

|Feb precipitation mm = 100

|Mar precipitation mm = 95

|Apr precipitation mm = 37

|May precipitation mm = 18

|Jun precipitation mm = 9

|Jul precipitation mm = 7

|Aug precipitation mm = 8

|Sep precipitation mm = 18

|Oct precipitation mm = 55

|Nov precipitation mm = 86

|Dec precipitation mm = 113

|source 1 = Rustenburg Local Municipality{{cite web|url=http://www.rustenburg.gov.za/uploads/Environment%20Website/SOE.htm|title=Rustenburg State of Environment|access-date=13 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614041419/http://rustenburg.gov.za/uploads/Environment%20Website/SOE.htm|archive-date=14 June 2010}}

|date=August 2010

}}

• Area: {{convert|3423.23|sqkm}}
• Population: 549,575
• Households: 335,776
• 3.5% growth

{{unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}

The city is located on major highway routes and close to 2 major centres, making it a hub for tourist activities. Within the city are some historic churches and Mosque, including the Anglican Church (1871), the Dutch Reformed Church (1898–1903) and the Zinniaville Jamme Mosque in Zinniaville, the historic statue of the Voortrekker girl and the Rustenburg Museum. There are many Shopping centers which bring in an influx of people from around Rustenburg such as Waterfall mall, Rustenburg mall, Sun Central, Greystone Crossing and Platinum square where one can go shopping and dining. Rustenburg has much to entertain which include Golf Courses, hot Air ballooning, mountain climbing, hiking, the famous Ten Flags Theme park and much more. Rustenburg is also close to Magaliesburg which offers a number of restaurants and outdoor activities.

There are several sites of cultural and historical significance in and around Rustenburg. Some of these related to the indigenous Bafokeng, Bakgatla and Botswana tribes, whose totemic tribal traditions are of interest.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} There is also the German community of Kroondal that traces its origins back to 1857.

A number of Anglo-Boer and ethnic war battles took place in the area with the districts of Koster, Swartruggens and Rustenburg featuring battlefields, memorial graves and ruined forts. The area also has archaeological remains from the Iron Age and Stone Age.

Key attractions in this area include the nature reserves around Rustenburg. This includes:

• Kgaswane Nature Reserve is situated above the town of Rustenburg, In Waterfall Park, Cashan across a varied habitat of quartzite mountain peaks, it is open to hikers as well as vehicle visitors. It is a 4,257 ha reserve.
• Madikwe Game Reserve and Groot Marico Park are large reserves north of the Pilanesberg, almost half the size of Belgium. They are conservation and transition zone between the Kalahari sandveld and the thornveld. Madikwe hosts all the major plains species, including the Big Five and has the second largest concentration of elephants in South Africa.
• Pilanesberg National Park is one of the most accessible South African game reserves. It is located a 1.5-hour drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, outside Rustenburg. It is the fourth largest National Park in South Africa and is set in the Pilanesberg range, traversing the floor of a long-extinct volcano. Pilanesberg conserves all the major mammal species including lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.

Sun City and the Lost City resorts located within the crater of the dormant volcano which the Pilanesberg Game Reserve lies above. The complex is set on the slopes of a valley in the Pilanesberg Mountains. Sun City is a world renown destination by Sun International and remains one of the best resorts in Southern Africa. Tourist amenities include a shopping mall, casinos, the 'Valley of the Waves' and two championship golf courses.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

Protea hotel hunters rest borders the Kgaswane Nature reserve. Just 5 km from Waterfall mall. There are many amenities at this resort including, hiking, swimming, golf, horse riding, and game drives.

File:FIFA World Cup 2010 USA Ghana.jpg]]

• Rustenburg was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the 42,000-seat Royal Bafokeng Stadium.{{cite web |url=http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/facts.htm |title=South Africa: fast facts |publisher=SouthAfrica.info |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219162512/http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/facts.htm |archive-date=19 February 2012 }}
• Professional Football Clubs: Platinum Stars
• Rustenburg is home to another world-class stadium, Olympia Park. It hosted some of the 1995 Rugby World Cup games.
• Rustenburg Judo Club is one of the strongest clubs in South Africa, dominating the provincial team of North West Province and winning the most medals of any single club in South Africa in SA National Championships over the last 15 years.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}
• Rustenburg Skydiving Club – a popular skydiving facility for sports skydiving and parachuting, tandem skydiving, Accelerated Freefall (AFF) and static line courses.SkyDive Rustenburg, [http://www.SkyDiveRustenburg.co.za SkyDive Rustenburg website] link retrieved 14 March 2010{{cite web|url=http://www.para.co.za/ |title=Parachute Association of South Africa |publisher=Para.co.za |access-date=7 May 2012}}
• The Gary Player Country Club, located in nearby Sun City, hosts the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge, a round of the European Tour.
• Rustenburg Golf Club which is located in the heart of the city has had a major renovation since it was leased to MH Tayob in 2017. The golf club has improved its revenue tremendously by improving its Courses and adding many other amenities such as, Park run, Put Put, Indoor trampoline park, many restaurants and a 4 star event and conference centre.
• Rustenburg is home to 2 swimming clubs, Otters Rustenburg and Rustenburg Swimming Club.
• Impala Cricket Club is a Cricket sports ground located next to Olympia Park Stadion

Rustenburg is home to the two largest platinum mines in the world and the world's largest platinum refinery, PMR (Precious Metal Refiners), which processes around 70% of the world's platinum. As a result of the mining activity in this mineral-rich area, there is also an increased focus on social development.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Rustenburg has been highly dependent on mining which is responsible for more than 65% of local GDP and 50% of all direct jobs.{{cite web |title=Economic Dependence on a Single Industry |url=https://e.huawei.com/topic/leading-new-ict-en/rustenburg-smartcity-case.html#:~:text=Rustenburg%20is%20highly%20dependent%20on,population%20engaged%20in%20the%20industry. |website=e.huawei.com |publisher=e.huawei.com}} The secondary GDP contributors are, by a considerable margin, finance (9%) and retail (8%).{{cite web |title=The Impact of Platinum Mining in Rustenburg - A High-level Analysis |url=https://eunomix.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/eunomix-research_-the-impact-of-platinum-mining-in-rustenburg_march2016_001.pdf |website=eunomix.com/ |publisher=Eunomix Research}} Since Platinum mining is projected to decline after 2040, the Rustenburg Local Municipality formulated the Rustenburg Vision 2040 in 2014, with the goal of becoming a world-class green, efficient, sustainable and intricately interconnected Smart City where all communities enjoy a high quality of life. This includes the redevelopment and rejuvenation of existing CBD areas to new world-class commercial centres with a conspicuous signature skyline incorporating a plethora of high-rise landmark buildings and skyscrapers as part of the smart space planning and smart maximization of land usage that sustainably creates breathing room for people to move, live, work and play.{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Master Plan |url=http://www.rustenburg.gov.za/Docs/Part3_Draft_RLM_Land_Use_and_Zoning_Plan.pdf |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}}{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Smart City Case - World Platinum Capital Deploys Smart City 'Gold Mine' of Intelligence |url=https://e.huawei.com/topic/leading-new-ict-en/rustenburg-smartcity-case.html |website=e.huawei.com/ |publisher=Huawei |access-date=25 June 2020}}{{cite web |title=Rustenburg - Smart City: World Platinum Capital Deploys Smart City 'Gold Mine' of Intelligence |url=https://www.cio.com/article/3365078/rustenburg-world-platinum-capital-deploys-smart-city-gold-mine.html |website=cio.com |date=14 March 2019 |publisher=IDG Communications, Inc.}}{{cite web |title=Live smart: Invest in this smart city of the future |url=https://www.century21.co.za/news/live-smart-invest-in-this-smart-city-of-the-future/ |website=century21.co.za |publisher=century21.co.za}}{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Master Plan Official Page|url=https://www.rustenburg.gov.za/rustenburg-vision-2040/ |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}}

As at the end of the 2017/18 financial year, the Rustenburg Metropolitan had spent about R2.7 billion on the upgrading of old and the construction of new public transport infrastructure in and around the city. The infrastructure includes {{cvt|20|km}} of bi-directional Transitway Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) Bus rapid transit lanes, walk ways and 17 Sub-stations.{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) |url=https://www.rustenburg.gov.za/update-on-the-rustenburg-rapid-transport-rrt-as-part-of-transport-month/ |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality |access-date=25 June 2020}}{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Rapid Transport project, South Africa |url=https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/print-version/rustenburg-rapid-transport-project-south-africa-2014-10-17 |website=engineeringnews.co.za |publisher=engineeringnews.co.za |access-date=25 July 2016}}{{cite web |title=RUSTENBURG RAPID TRANSPORT SYSTEM |url=https://www.concretetrends.co.za/news/rustenburg-rapid-transport-system-nears-completion/ |website=concretetrends.co.za |publisher=concretetrends.co.za/ |access-date=25 July 2016}} After completion, 37 safe and clean enclosed stations on the trunk lines stations will be fully operational along {{cvt|40|km}} of road using at least 100 articulated buses to transport passengers along the main corridors. On completion of Phase 1 of the 4 phase project, the RRT is projected to deliver 225 000 passenger trips a day through 13 routes, 240 bus stops and 15 BRT stations using around 268 buses.{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Rapid Transport project, South Africa: Project Description |url=https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/ |website=engineeringnews.co.za |publisher=engineeringnews.co.za/ |access-date=25 June 2020}} While Bus rapid transit is one of the components of the RRT system design, it will not be an exclusively BRT driven operation. The routes have been planned to integrate with bus routes servicing townships, suburbs and outlying village areas as well as long-distance bus services, which will work in unison to move people around the city and region.{{cite web |title=Ya Rona Bus Service Launch |url=https://www.rustenburg.gov.za/events/ya-rona-launch/ |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=rustenburg.gov.za |access-date=11 November 2019}}

Rustenburg Airfield (FARG), situated in the middle part of the city, is the Rustenburg Local Municipality Airfield, licensed according to Civil Aviation Authority standards.South African Civil Aviation Authority, [http://www.caa.co.za CAA website] link retrieved 14 March 2010 Rustenburg SkyDiving Club operates every weekend year round from the airfield.SkyDive Rustenburg, [http://www.SkyDiveRustenburg.co.za SkyDive Rustenburg website] link retrieved 25 June 2010 It currently has a 1225m long and 15m runway and serves small planes for skydiving and parachuting. As part of Rustenburg's Aerodrome Master Plan, the Airfield will receive an upgrade.{{cite web |title=Part1 RLM Visioning & Programme Report |url=http://www.rustenburg.gov.za/Docs/Part1_Draft_RLM_Visioning_and_Programme_Report.pdf |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}}

Pilanesberg International Airport (NTY), located at {{cvt|50|km}} to the North of RLM, is an airport serving Sun City in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located close to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and mainly serves tourists visiting the Sun City resort. It has a 2750m long and 30m wide runway and handles about 8000 passengers per year.{{cite web |title=Airports |url=http://www.rustenburg.gov.za/Docs/Part1_Draft_RLM_Visioning_and_Programme_Report.pdf |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}}

The other nearest international airport to Rustenburg situated {{cvt|140|km}} south-easterly is the O. R. Tambo International Airport which is located to the east of Johannesburg. Currently, international travelers to Rustenburg come predominantly via the O.R. Tambo International Airport.

Two interprovincial rail lines traverse Rustenburg. One is in the middle part of Rustenburg connecting Rustenburg eastwards to Brits and northwards to Thabazimbi, the other rail line runs through the eastern part of Rustenburg connecting it south-easterly to Krugersdorp and south-westerly to Koster. There is a possibility of upgrading the existing Rustenburg Railway network to better cater to passengers as part of the city's revitalization.{{cite web |title=Rail Network|url=http://www.rustenburg.gov.za/Docs/Part1_Draft_RLM_Visioning_and_Programme_Report.pdf |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}} Previously, the railway lines served long-distance passengers, but are now only used for transporting platinum and chrome concentrates to smelters.

The Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) Bus rapid transit network will incorporate {{cvt|40|km}} (half bi-directional) transport networks, walk ways and 17 sub-stations with and over 260 buses.{{cite web |title=Rustenburg Rapid Transport System |url=https://www.rustenburg.gov.za/update-on-the-rustenburg-rapid-transport-rrt-as-part-of-transport-month/ |website=rustenburg.gov.za |publisher=Rustenburg Local Municipality}}{{cite web |title=RUSTENBURG RAPID TRANSPORT |url=https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/print-version/rustenburg-rapid-transport-project-south-africa-2014-10-17 |website=engineeringnews.co.za |publisher=engineeringnews.co.za |access-date=25 July 2019}}

Schools in Rustenburg include:

• Boikagong Secondary School
• Tlhabane West Primary School
• Abana primary school
• Bergsig Akademie/Academy{{cite web|title=Bergsig Academy/Akademie|url=http://hsbergsig.co.za/|access-date=10 April 2012}}
• Die Hoërskool Rustenburg{{cite web|title=Rustenburg HS|url=http://www.hsrtb.co.za/|access-date=10 April 2012}}
• HS Grenswag{{cite web |url=http://www.grenswag.co.za/index.html |title=HS Grenswag ~ Die Skool wat Omgee! |publisher=Grenswag.co.za |date=16 April 2012 |access-date=7 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525075255/http://grenswag.co.za/index.html |archive-date=25 May 2012 }}
• Zinniaville Secondary School{{cite web|url=http://www.zss.co.za|title=Zinniaville Secondary School|access-date=6 June 2012}}
• Rustenburg Technical High School{{cite web|url=http://www.brabys.com/business/4755140/south-africa/north-west/rustenburg/zendeling-st/secondary-school/schools/technical-high-school/|access-date=7 April 2015|title=TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL, Rustenburg | Powered by Brabys}}
• Grenville High School{{cite web |title=Grenville High School |url=https://grenvillehigh.co.za/ |website=grenvillehigh.co.za |publisher=grenvillehigh.co.za}}
• Rauwane Sepeng
• Fields College{{cite web |title=Fields College |url=https://www.fieldscollege.co.za |website=fieldscollege.co.za |publisher=fieldscollege.co.za}}
• Selly Park Convent Primary School{{cite web |title=Selly Park Primary |url=https://sellypark.co.za/ |website=sellypark.co.za |publisher=sellypark.co.za}}
• Selly Park Secondary School{{cite web |title=Selly Park Secondary |url=http://spss.org.za/about-us/ |website=spss.org.za |publisher=spss.org.za}}
• Geelhout Park High School{{cite web |title=Geelhoutpark High |url=https://studentportal.org.za/north-west-province/geelhoutpark-secondary-school-north-west-province-geelhout-park-rustenburg-information/ |website=studentportal.org.za |publisher=studentportal.org.za}}
• H.F Tlou High School
• President Mangope Technical and Commercial High School
• Tlhabane Technical and Commercial High School
• Bafokeng High School
• Grenswag HS
• Lebone II College
• Rustenburg Educational College{{cite web |title=REC |url=https://www.rec.co.za/ |website=rec.co.za |publisher=rec.co.za}}
• Kele Secondary School{{cite web |title=Schooldirect.org - Kele Info |url=https://schooldirect.org/north-west-2/kele-2020-2021/ |website=schooldirect.org |publisher=schooldirect.org}}
• Meridian Private School{{cite web |title=Meridian Rustenburg |url=https://www.curro.co.za/north-west-province/meridian-rustenburg-north-west-province/ |website=curro.co.za |publisher=curro.co.za}}
• J M Ntsime High School
• Keledi High School
• Vastrap primary
• Proteapark primary{{cite web |title=Laerskool Proteapark |url=https://www.lsproteapark.co.za |website=lsproteapark.co.za |publisher=lsproteapark.co.za}}
• Deo Gloria Christian Academy
• Karlienpark Primary School
• Khayalethu Secondary School
• Bothibello Primary School
• Nur-ul-Iman Muslim School
• Itumeleng Secondary School
• Tswaidi High School
• Mmanape High School
• Motladi Kgoadi Goadi Primary School
• Bosabosele Primary School
• Nkukise Primary School
• Matale Secondary School

Higher education & further education colleges include:

• University of South Africa Rustenburg Hub (UNISA){{cite web |title=UNISA |url=https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Regional-Centres/Midlands-Region |website=unisa.ac.za |publisher=UNISA}}
• Platinum College
• Rock of Springs Technical College{{cite web |title=Rock of Springs - SA College |url=http://www.rockofspringscollege.co.za/Default.aspx |website=rockofspringscollege.co.za |publisher=rockofspringscollege.co.za}}
• Boston City Campus{{cite web |title=Boston City Campus |url=https://www.boston.co.za/# |website=boston.co.za |publisher=boston.co.za}}
• Global Tech College{{cite web |title=Global Tech College |url=https://www.globaltechfetcollege.com/ |website=globaltechfetcollege.com |publisher=globaltechfetcollege.com}}
• Multi-Tech College
• Keobakile Nursing Academy
• MSC Business College{{cite web |title=MSC College |url=http://www.msccollege.co.za/ |website=msccollege.co.za |publisher=msccollege.co.za}}
• Damelin Rustenburg
• ORBIT College Rustenburg{{cite web |title=ORBIT |url=http://www.orbitcollege.co.za/ |website=orbitcollege.co.za |publisher=orbitcollege.co.za}}
• Centurion Akademie
• Brooklyn City College Rustenburg
• Advisor Progressive College Rustenburg

Other Tertiary Education Institutions close to Rustenburg:

• North-West University
• University of Pretoria
• University of the Witwatersrand
• Tshwane University of Technology
• University of South Africa Main Campus
• Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
• University of Johannesburg

Rustenburg is twinned with:

• {{flagicon|Germany}} Marsberg, Germany

Famous people with roots in Rustenburg include:

• Rory Alec – Christian broadcaster
• Johan Botha – opera singer
• Pik Botha – politician and foreign minister (1977–1994)
• Bettie Cilliers-Barnard – painter
• John Cranko – ballet choreographer
• Koos du Plessis – singer-songwriter
• Frik du Preez – rugby union player
• John Smit – Springbok rugby captain
• Andre Stander – bank robber
• Esta TerBlanche – actress
• Sunette Viljoen – javelin thrower
• Denise Zimba – television presenter (V Entertainment)
• Renske Stoltz – netball player (for South Africa since 2015)
• Dwaine Pretorius – cricket player (for South Africa since 2016)
• Gerhard Mostert – former Springbok player. He is Wessel's Mostert's older brother

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Rustenburg, South Africa|Rustenburg}}

{{Portal|South Africa}}

• [http://www.rustenburg.gov.za Rustenburg Local Municipality]
• [https://www.rustenburg.biz Rusties - Businesses, Events, Jobs, Specials, etc.]

{{Bojanala Platinum District Municipality}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Rustenburg

Category:Populated places in the Rustenburg Local Municipality

Category:Populated places established in 1851

Category:1851 establishments in Africa

Category:Smart cities