More than two million tonnes of ore are mined every year and hauled by train to Mittal's iron and steel works.

The railway line from Rustenburg reached the area in the 1930s and full scale iron and steel production began.

Marakele National Park is also the home of some of the Tuli elephants that were caught up in controversy in 1999 involving animal cruelty in South Africa.

[clarification needed] In the post-apartheid era, the town made headlines in 2003 as the site of Kamp Staaldraad, the Springboks' infamous training camp prior to the Rugby World Cup.

The excesses of Kamp Staaldraad helped lead to an almost complete housecleaning of the upper administrative levels of South African rugby union.