The best small town in South Africa in 2026

Afrikaans magazine show Kwêla on kykNET has announced that Hartbeespoort is this year’s winner of its annual Town of the Year award.

The award is limited to towns in South Africa and Namibia with a population of under 500,000, and the winner is selected through a public vote.

Waldimar Pelser, the Channel Director for Premium Channels at MultiChoice, said the competition aims to give people in South Africa hope.

It showed that, despite the challenges South Africa’s rural areas face, residents in many towns join forces to fix their problems.

“Showcasing these top towns shows that there is a future in small towns and that people don’t have to move to a large city for a better life,” he said.

“This competition highlights that not all towns are the same. There are nicer, more pleasant towns where it is better to live.”

This year, the finalists were Gansbaai, Secunda, Hopetown, Mokopane, Keimond, Bethlehem, Howick, Hartbeespoort, and Gobabis.

Hartbeespoort was named Town of the Year, and won a R1 million investment from Lottoland and another R1 million in airtime from kykNET.

The Proudly Harties Organisation said that the Kwêla Town of the Year 2026 award is an incredible achievement.

“The award belongs to every person who took the time to vote, share our posts, encourage others, and proudly stand behind and believe in our beautiful town,” it said.

“This is a victory for our businesses, our tourism industry, our residents, and everyone who calls Harties home.”

Hartbeespoort community leader Adri Louw explained that the community worked closely together to win this competition.

Mauritz du Preez said they rallied the churches, schools, and the rest of the community to ensure they would win this competition.

“It was fantastic how all the Hartbeespoort residents came together and voted to ensure we came out top,” he said.

Details about Hartbeespoort

Hartbeespoort is a resort town in the North West Province, nestled along the slopes of the Magaliesberg mountains and surrounding the shores of the Hartbeespoort Dam.

The heart of the area is the Hartbeespoort Dam. It was constructed 100 years ago and was renovated in 1969. It can store 195 million cubic metres of water.

It is built across a gorge cutting through the Magaliesberg, and the Crocodile and Magalies Rivers feed the dam.

The town is a popular holiday and weekend destination for people in Johannesburg and Pretoria, thanks to its proximity to both cities.

For decades, water sports enthusiasts have used the dam. The TYC Yacht Club has operated at the dam since its construction in 1923.

Hartbeespoort, which includes smaller towns situated around the Hartbeespoort Dam, has been a popular tourist destination for decades.

Its proximity to Pretoria and Johannesburg makes it one of the region’s primary weekend getaways, day-trip hubs, and commuter residential nodes.

Some of the tourist attractions in or around the town include the Hartbeespoort Dam wall and tunnel, as well as a snake park.

Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway is particularly popular, taking visitors to the top of the Magaliesberg for panoramic views across the dam and surrounding valley.

The town is also home to several nearby animal sanctuaries, including the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, the Elephant Sanctuary, and Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary.

There are numerous restaurants in and around Hartbeespoort to serve the influx of people over the weekends.

These include the Silver Orange Bistro, De Vette Mossel Harties, The Boat House Restaurant at Pecanwood, The Windmill Restaurant, and V8 Roadhouse.

There are also well-known franchises in the town, including Mozambik Harties, Hennie’s Hartbeespoort, Spur, RocoMamas, and Vovo Telo.

Over the last two decades, many people from Johannesburg and Pretoria have moved to Hartbeespoort due to its small-town charm and relaxed lifestyle.

Many residents describe Hartbeespoort as trading city congestion for a slower pace without giving up access to work.

A large number of the town’s residents still commute to Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, or Johannesburg a few days a week.

This saw strong growth in security estates, including the Pecanwood Golf & Country Estate, Islands Estate, Caribbean Beach Club, and Xanadu Nature Estate.

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Hartbeespoort photos

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