Mokopane was officially renamed from Potgietersrus to Mokopane in 2003.

The town was established by the Voortrekkers and named Potgietersrus after the Voortrekker leader Piet Potgieter. It is home to the Northern Ndebele speaking tribes, English, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, and XiTsonga speakers.

Five kingdoms in the vicinity of the town are Kekana (Moshate), Langa (Mapela), Gegana (Mshade), Lebelo (Garasvlei) and Langa (Bakenburg). The town was supposed to be called Mngombane as the original name of the King was Mngombane but not Mokopane. Two hours from Gauteng, the town acts as a getaway destination and as a stop-over for travelers en route to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park.

The area is typical bushveld with many acacia trees and aloes, which are at their best in June and July. The Mokopane area is one of South Africa's richest agricultural areas producing wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef, maize, peanuts and citrus. The Zebediela Citrus Estate, 55 km to the southeast, is one of the largest citrus farms in the southern hemisphere.

The Cave of Hearths, once the site of bloody confrontations between the Voortrekkers and BaTlou people, has a sequence of artifacts dating from the Early Stone Age throught to the Late Stone Age.The area is rich in minerals with the mining of platinum, diamonds and granite as chief mineral resources. Mokopane also offers a wonderful selection of outdoor activities ranging from hiking, camping and 4x4 trails, to birding, angling and game viewing.