Askham is a village situated in the southern Kalahari wilderness in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, at the intersection of the R31 Provincial Route and R360 Regional Route, approximately 181 km north of Upington and 13 km east of Andriesvale.
Askham falls within the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality and the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality.
Askham lies not far from the confluence of the mostly dry Kuruman and Molopo rivers in the red Kalahari Desert.
The village is situated in the belt of irrigated green land that surrounds the Orange River, as it flows northwest through the Kalahari toward the Namibian border and the Richtersveld area of Namaqualand.
Askham is situated in the southern Kalahari wilderness area on the Red Dune Route, where the dunes rise to approximately 35m in height. The area was once home to the San Bushmen, Koranna, and Nama people.
When travelling from Upington and proceeding to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, you will come across the quiet little town of Askham. Being only 73 km from the park entrance at Twee Rivieren, Askham has become a necessary refuel point in the Kalahari before continuing on the journey to one of the world’s largest conservation areas.
History
The village of Askham developed around a school boarding house, built in 1931, and the Dutch Reformed Church of Askam, which serves the entire Kalahari region.
Scottish land surveyor, Roger Jackson, gave Askham its name when he surveyed farms in the Kuruman River in 1919.
There are numerous varying explanations given for Roger Jackson’s choice in naming the settlement ‘Askham’. It is believed that Jackson named the town after a town on the Irish coast. Many others believe that Jackson derived the name from a farmer’s words: “Ask him”, or from the message he sent to request ingredients for his breakfast: “Ask ham!”.
The Askham police station was built in 1931 and was a breeding station for camels used for police patrols in the Kalahari. At one stage, the police station kept over 400 camels and supplied them to police stations in Rietfontein, Obobogorag, Kuruman, Van Zylsrus, Dibeng, and Olifantshoek.