| Schmidtsdrift | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -28.7°N 24.0581°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Pixley ka Seme |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Siyancuma |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.39 |
| Population Total: | 1163 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 89.1% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 9.5% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.8% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.7% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Tswana |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 69.2% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 22.9% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | S. Ndebele |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 2.2% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | English |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.9% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 053 |
Schmidtsdrift is a town in Pixley ka Seme District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Situated 80 km west of Kimberley, it was originally a ford across the Vaal River which is now bridged on the N8 National Route from Kimberley to Campbell and Griquatown.
The history of Schmidtsdrift has been traced back to 1827 when it was declared Crown Trust Land, occupied by the Tswana-speaking Batlhaping and Griqua people. It was scheduled as the Schmidtsdrift Native Reserve in terms of the 1913 Natives Land Act. The threat of relocation in the 1950s forced some of the Griqua families to identify as Batlhaping, becoming known as the Kleinfonteintjie community. The Griqua families who did not align themselves with the Batlhaping were forcibly removed, subsequently. Ultimately the ‘black spot’ removal policy saw more than 1000 Tswana (Batlhaping) households removed in 1968, forced onto military trucks at gunpoint.[2]
The former Schmidtsdrift farms continued to be state land. The South African Defence Force (SADF) Infantry Battalion acquired use of it in 1974, establishing a military training base.[3]
After Namibia's independence in 1990 members of the 31 Battalion (the so-called Bushman Battalion) consisting of !Xun (also known as Vasekele) and Khwe (known also as Mbarakwengo), were settled in a tent town near to Schmidtsdrift.[4] [5] They had been recruited by the South African Army in northern Namibia to fight against SWAPO.[6] In 2003 most of the !Xun and Khwe community relocated to Platfontein outside Kimberley following the successful landclaim on Schmidtsdrift by the erstwhile Batlhaping inhabitants.[7]
The town hosts an eponymous diamond mine, 80% owned by Lonrho Mining and 20% by the Schmidtsdrift Communal Property Association. In June 2008 an 18.39 carat diamond was discovered at the mine.[8]