Rustenburg's population is primarily Batswana. Many belong to the Royal Bafokeng Nation, extensive landowners earning royalties from mining operations. The Royal Bafokeng also own the stadium selected as a World Cup 2010 venue. Rustenburg is prominent in Afrikaner history. One of the oldest Boer settlements in the north, it was the home of Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic. The homestead on his farm, Boekenhoutfontein, is now the Paul Kruger Country Museum. When Boer and British came to blows in the Second Boer War (1899), the territory around Rustenburg became a battlefield. The two sides clashed famously at nearby Mafikeng, where the British garrison found itself under siege for months. These battle sites can be explored from Rustenburg.
