Christiana is an agricultural town situated on the banks of the Vaal River and the N12 highway in the North West Province of South Africa.
The town is located along the N12 National Route between Bloemhof and Warrenton, on the way to Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province.
Christiana falls under Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province. The town is the administrative centre and seat of Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality.
Christiana is also lies close to the Geluksoord and Utlwanang townships.
History
When diamonds were discovered in the Vaal River in the 1870’s Transvaal Government established a settlement on the banks of the river in 1870, in an attempt to control and alleviate land disputes over diamond discoveries further down the Vaal River. This town was established on the farm Zoutpansdrift (“salt pan drift”) and named Christiana, after Christina Meyer, only daughter of the Transvaal President Andries Pretorius. The first residential stands were sold in 1870.
Two years later diamonds were discovered close by in the gravel bed of the Vaal River, and the inevitable manic rush followed. As usual, the initial rush petered with the diamonds.
In 1997, diamonds were rediscovered along the banks of a farm on the Free State side of Christiana. This led to a new diamond rush and diggings that continue to this day.