| Jan Kempdorp | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -27.9194°N 24.8361°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Frances Baard |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Phokwane |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 19.07 |
| Population Total: | 24220 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 79.4% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 12.9% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.4% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 6.8% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.6% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Tswana |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 63.7% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 19.8% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 9.7% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Sotho |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.9% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 4.9% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 8550 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 8550 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 053 |
Jan Kempdorp is an agricultural town situated in the centre of the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated north of Kimberley, the provincial capital, and west of Christiana in North West province.
Jan Kempdorp was laid out on the farm Andalusia and at first bore that name. During the Second World War it was the site of a concentration camp housing German men regarded as potentially dangerous by the authorities. The first settlers bought plots in 1938, and the town was proclaimed in 1953 and named after General Jan Kemp, a former Minister of Lands. Municipal status was attained in 1967. Originally, the border between the Cape and Transvaal provinces ran through the town, making it the only town in South Africa that was in two provinces. This also led to confusion about the administration until in 1964 it was decided by Parliament that the town would be deemed to fall in the Cape for legal purposes.[2]
When new provincial boundaries were drawn in 1994, Jan Kempdorp was still divided, now between the Northern Cape and North West provinces. The whole of the town was, however, included in the cross-border Phokwane Local Municipality. In 2006 cross-border municipalities were eliminated and the whole of the town was included in the Northern Cape.
During South Africa's Border War Jan Kempdorp was the location of a munitions store, guarded 24 hours a day by National Servicemen who were first required to be of a lowered medical classification.
According to the census of 2011, the population of Jan Kempdorp is 24,220 people, of whom 79% described themselves as "Black African", 13% as "Coloured", and 7% as "White". 64% spoke Tswana as their first language, 20% spoke Afrikaans, 10% spoke Xhosa, 2% spoke Sotho and 2% spoke English.
Jan Kempdorp is located on the N18 national road, which branches from the N12 Kimberley–Johannesburg road at Warrenton and runs through Jan Kempdorp to Vryburg, Mahikeng and the Botswana border. It is also situated on a railway line that branches from the Kimberley–Johannesburg main line at Fourteen Streams and runs parallel to the N18 to Mahikeng and Botswana.