It was opened to the public in 1987 as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens,[1] on the occasion of the handing over of some 120 ha of farm Roodekrans by the Krugersdorp Town Council for inclusion in the reserve.

Though one of the youngest of South Africa's National Botanical Gardens, the site has been popular with visitors for many decades before its proclamation.

The garden has a restaurant, gift shop and bird hide overlooking a small dam.

[2] The Roodekrans, marked by alternating layers of quartz and shale, forms a backdrop to the gardens, beyond which natural bankenveld vegetation is conserved.

In June 2023 Makatsa and Mahlori started raising their fourth chick in four years, and being a young pair, are expected to continue breeding for another three decades or so.