Van Zylsrus

Van Zylsrus is a settlement in John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Van Zylsrus
Van Zylsrus
Van Zylsrus Show map of Northern Cape Van Zylsrus Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 26.867°S 22.050°E / -26.867; 22.050
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	John Taolo Gaetsewe
Municipality	Joe Morolong
Area [1]
• Total	0.90 km2 (0.35 sq mi)
Population  (2001)[1]
• Total	848
• Density	940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2001) [1]
• Black African	86.6%
• Coloured	9.2%
• White	4.2%
First languages (2001) [1]
• Tswana	52.5%
• Afrikaans	45.3%
• Southern Ndebele	1.1%
• Sotho	1.1%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	8467
Area code	053

It is also the nearest settlement to The Kalahari Meerkat Project, the filming of nature TV shows such as Meerkat Manor.

The settlement was founded by 6 Trekboer families in 1832, led by the former Heemrad of Calvinia, Petrus van Zyl.

Between 1971 and 2001 it was the location of a Ballistic Missile Battery of the SADF, colocated with an Infantry Company plus a Heavy Mortar Platoon, an Armoured Squadron less one troop, and an advance Radar and Signals Squadron of the SAAF. The settlement also had its own Commando platoon of 21 Riflemen reinforced by the local SAP helicopter flight and Askari detachment. On October 24, 2020, a maximum temperature of 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) was registered.[2]