Dibeng is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated on the banks of the dry Gamagara River. The name is Tswana in origin, from deben, and means “first drinking place”. Deben is a variant spelling. The town has very strong Dutch Reformed roots, the congregations at Kuruman, Kathu and Olifantshoek have withdrawn from the original congregation in Dibeng. Dibeng is part of the Green Kalahari Region.

Dibeng is located in Gamagara local municipality, within the province of Northern Cape. The municipal area owns an endemic camel thorn tree forest that enjoys a National Heritage status and gave Kathu its name. The area boasts the largest single pit, open cast iron ore mine in the world, and is the starting point of the Sisheng—Saldanha railway line.

Cities/Towns close to Deben are Kathu and Olifantshoek. The main economic sectors are: Mining, game farming and business services.

Activities

Shoe Factory
Manufacturing of handmade leather shoes and belts. Tel 053 791 0202.
Tshono Leather Craft
Manufacturing of handmade leather goods such as handbags, belts, rugs and key-rings. Tel 053 791 0206.

Key Statistics 2011

Total population 7,848
Young (0-14) 32,9%
Working Age (15-64) 63,8%
Elderly (65+) 3,3%
Dependency ratio 56,7
Sex ratio 100,3
Population density 864 persons/km2
No schooling aged 20+ 26,6%
Higher education aged 20+ 1%
Matric aged 20+ 13,9%
Number of households 1,438
Average household size 4,7
Female headed households 33,2%
Formal dwellings 66,2%
Housing owned/paying off 17,1%
Flush toilet connected to sewerage 54,5%
Weekly refuse removal 96,9%
Piped water inside dwelling 42,5%
Electricity for lighting 97,2%

 

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