Kathu is a town in South Africa, located in the Northern Cape, in the district John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) in the Gamagara Municipality. The town is regarded as the iron ore capital of the Northern Cape province. Kathu has one of five of the largest iron ore mines in the world, Kumba Sishen Iron Ore mine.

In terms of location, Kathu lies in the Kalahari desert in the Northern Cape. It’s a mining town that lies alongside the N14 between Kuruman and Upington, and three hours’ drive away from Kimberley. Kathu is situated in the middle of between Upington and Vryburg with about a 2-hour drive to each.