Photo: Facebook
Photo: Facebook
If we are going to get our own ‘Area 51’ in South Africa, then the Northern Cape is our perfect location. It’s dry, remote, and as many believe is the case over at the corresponding base in Nevada, it’s now home to a UFO.
‘UFO’ spotted in Northern Cape – or something like that…
Or at least, that’s what it is meant to look like. The flying saucer currently sticking out the ground and looming over the R355 is actually a manmade structure, but from where we’re sitting, it certainly looks the part.
So, why exactly is there a fake UFO just protruding from the soil?
- You can find the Northern Cape UFO near the border with the Western Cape, near Tankwa Karoo.
- The art installation started as a project by a local business owner, but then became community-funded.
- Local engineers Kershoff, based in Ceres, constructed the 1.6 ton structure inside 21 days.
- The goal of this so-called UFO is to entice more people to pass through the area, boosting local revenue.
- It’s 10 metres tall, wind-resistant, and contains more than 300 screws to maintain that ‘crash-landing look’.
- South Africans have been travelling to view the site since it was launched back in June…
On our way to the Tankwa Padstal. We want to look at the new 'alien spaceship' installation. Listening to David Kramer. #mood.
— Willien Wagener (@WillienSch) June 20, 2021
Area 51 ‘relocates to the Karoo’
If we were to ever have an encounter of the third kind, then the Northern Cape probably would see the bulk of the action. The powerful MeerKAT telescope is based in this part of South Africa, and monitors the skies diligently. Earlier this year, it was responsible for the discovery of a new cluster of galaxies.
Nonetheless, this particular UFO project has generated a buzz around the Tankwa Karoo, and the comparisons to Area 51 are something that the community will welcome with open arms – even if it means treading on Pelindaba’s toes.
