Steinkopf is a town some 45 km north-north-west of Springbok, in the Namaqualand district. Formerly known as Kookfontein, it was established as a mission station of the London Missionary Society, but was later taken over by the Rhenish Mission. Named after the Reverend Dr Steinkopf, who visited England in 1842.

Steinkopf was founded in 1819 by the Rhenish Mission Society as a mission station for the Nama people in the area. Steinkopf was known as Kookfontein or the town of the rondehuise (Nama huts). The town is marked by its Nama, German, Dutch and English history, which is clearly recognized by the various churches and surnames in the area. Steinkopf was once an administrative capital for the coloured community in the Namakwa region, with a council’s office where communal farming and ground surveying matters were addressed. Today Steinkopf serves a large communal stock farming area and many inhabitants work on the outlying mines in Namaqualand. Steinkopf has one of the oldest and most prestigious high schools in the area: learners from all over the region enroll here for their high school education. A gateway to the Richtersveld, Steinkopf has good infrastructure, a number of general grocery stores, petrol stations, schools, a clinic, an old-age home, and a home for disabled persons. It is in close proximity to the Vioolsdrift border post and also has the last petrol stations before the border at Vioolsdrift.

Tourist Information
Kookfontein Rondavels and Tourist Information Centre: tel: (027) 721 8841

Steinkopf is part of the Nama Khoi Local Municipality which is a Category B municipality situated on the north-western side of the Northern Cape Province in the Namakwa District. It is one of the six municipalities that make up the district. Nama and Khoisan people occupied this area for hundreds of years. The town of Springbok is the administrative centre. Springbok is the most densely populated area, is close to the N1, and functions as the sub-regional centre for administrative, commercial and higher-order social facilities. Mining used to form the backbone of the economy, with tourism being seen as the new frontier for economic development.

Cities/Towns close to Steinkopf are Bulletrap, Carolusberg, Concordia, Kleinzee, Komaggas, Nababeep, O’Kiep and Springbok.

Key Statistics 2011

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