Britstown is a small farming town situated in the heart of the Central Karoo in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, at the intersection of the N10 and N12 National Routes .
Britstown is located exactly halfway between Cape Town (via Three Sisters) and Johannesburg (via Kimberley) on the N12 national highway, and thus is about 700 km from both cities.
The closest big town to Britstown is De Aar, which lies 50 km to the east along the N10 National highway.
Britstown falls within the Emthanjeni Local Municipality and the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality.
The town is named after Hans Brits who settled here after he accompanied David Livingstone on a venture into the interior.
The railway line from De Aar to Upington and Namibia passes through the town.
Britstown should not be confused with the town of Brits in the North West Province of South Africa.
History
In 1877, a community centre and a church was built on a section of Brits’s farm. A private irrigation scheme was started by the Smartt Syndicate in 1885 and liquidated in 1954. The concern built two dams, planted lucerne and wheat. They grazed karakul sheep and Clydesdale horses.
In 1961, floods destroyed the Smartt Irrigation Board Dam and it was rebuilt by the government in 1964.