Property

The small town voted the best in South Africa in 2026

Daily Investor • 2 August 2026

Afrikaans magazine show Kwêla on kykNET has announced that Hartbeespoort is this year’s winner of its annual Town of the Year award.

The award is based on a competition for towns in South Africa and Namibia with a population under 500,000.

The initiative celebrates small-town charm, community resilience, local hospitality, and civic pride across South Africa and Namibia.

This year, the finalists were Gansbaai, Secunda, Hopetown, Mokopane, Keimond, Bethlehem, Howick, Hartbeespoort, and Gobabis.

Hartbeespoort was named Town of the Year, and won a R1 million investment from Lottoland and another R1 million in airtime from kykNET.

Hartbeespoort is a resort town in the North West Province, nestled along the slopes of the Magaliesberg mountains and surrounding the shores of the Hartbeespoort Dam.

The heart of the area is the Hartbeespoort Dam. It was constructed 100 years ago and was renovated in 1969. It can store 195 million cubic metres of water.

It is built across a gorge cutting through the Magaliesberg, and the Crocodile and Magalies Rivers feed the dam.

The dam covers approximately 18.83 square kilometres, with a mean depth of 9.6 metres and a maximum depth of 45.1 metres

It supplies water through a network of canals to farms which grow tobacco, wheat, lucerne, fruit, and flowers.

It is also a popular holiday and weekend destination for people in Johannesburg and Pretoria, thanks to its proximity to both cities.

For decades, water sports enthusiasts have used the dam. The TYC Yacht Club has operated at the dam since its construction in 1923.

Hartbeespoort a popular tourist town

Hartbeespoort, which includes smaller towns situated around the Hartbeespoort Dam, has been a popular tourist destination for decades.

Its proximity to Pretoria and Johannesburg makes it one of the region’s primary weekend getaways, day-trip hubs, and commuter residential nodes.

Some of the tourist attractions in or around the town include the Hartbeespoort Dam wall and tunnel, as well as a snake park.

Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway is particularly popular, taking visitors to the top of the Magaliesberg for panoramic views across the dam and surrounding valley.

The town is also home to several nearby animal sanctuaries, including the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, the Elephant Sanctuary, and Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary.

There are numerous restaurants in and around Hartbeespoort to serve the influx of people over the weekends.

These include the Silver Orange Bistro, De Vette Mossel Harties, The Boat House Restaurant at Pecanwood, The Windmill Restaurant, and V8 Roadhouse.

There are also well-known franchises in the town, including Mozambik Harties, Hennie’s Hartbeespoort, Spur, RocoMamas, and Vovo Telo.

Over the last two decades, many people from Johannesburg and Pretoria have moved to Hartbeespoort due to its small-town charm and relaxed lifestyle.

Many residents describe Hartbeespoort as trading city congestion for a slower pace without giving up access to work.

A large number of the town’s residents still commute to Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, or Johannesburg a few days a week.

This saw strong growth in security estates, including the Pecanwood Golf & Country Estate, Islands Estate, Caribbean Beach Club, and Xanadu Nature Estate.

The Proudly Harties Organisation said that the Kwêla Town of the Year 2026 award is an incredible achievement.

“The award belongs to every person who took the time to vote, share our posts, encourage others, and proudly stand behind and believe in our beautiful town,” it said.

“This is a victory for our businesses, our tourism industry, our residents, and everyone who calls Harties home.”