Those are vehicle tracks associated with a variety of modern human activities including using the flats for land speed records by Sir Malcolm Campbell and others, kiting, and more.
Sure they are, and the thousands of crop circles throughout the world were made by two old men with a stick and a long piece of string...don't worry, be happy.
Vehicle tracks on Verneukpan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verneukpan
Activities
Some campers on Verneukpan.
The pan is undoubtedly the ultimate kiting destination in South Africa. The widespread open spaces offer ideal opportunities for parasailing. The pan is also used by kite-surfers, an extreme sport using wind buggies. These are bicycle-like vehicles with a sail attached to them. With wind buggies speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) can be reached. There are also many viewpoints that are ideal for birdwatching.[8][9]
The Verneukpan speedtrack with a DAF truck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQeQGVVGUI
Verneukpan is a short drive of 115km south from the town of Kenhardt on the way to Cape Town. This is a vast dry salt pan which is ideal for aerotow operations as you can launch and land in any direction you choose. It was used in 1929 by Malcolm Campbell to set the then land speed record of 350km/h in his Bluebird. The track that he compacted on the pan is still visible today. The surface is pretty rough with rocks and brush over a great portion of the pan.
Verneukpan is the undisputed ultimate kiting destinations in South Africa. Verneukpan is a 100% flat surface claimed to be a dried up lake estimated 57 km long and 11 km wide.
Verneukpan is the place where South African landspeed record holder and former fighter pilot Johan Jacobs died tragically on 27 June 2006 when his jet car, Edge, went out of control and flipped while travelling at close to 500km/h during a practice run for an attempt to break the 24-second world record for the standing mile over 1,64km.
The vast salt plain, back in the late 1920s, saw Malcolm Campbell fail to break the world land speed record when the coarse surface damaged his tyres and in the early 1950s Cape Town’s Vic Proctor try for the world motorcycle record on a Vincent HRD Black Lightning but crash at around 160km/h.
The wide-open spaces of Verneukpan offer ideal opportunities for parasailing and the many outlook posts is ideal for birdwatching.
http://www.greenkalahari.com/attract.html
What do you think of the thought I believe I saw elsewhere in these comments that these were intended as a way to conserve water? Is there any sign that the center of each circle is lower than the edges? Is there any sign of planting occurring in the center? Also, would this just be a good way to prevent rapid runoff if this area is subject to rare but intense rains?
I once read of agricultural practices in a place (I think the Azores or Canaries) where somewhat funnel shaped pits were made, perhaps 8 to 10 feet in diameter so that a plant could be set at the bottom to grow with maximum water and minimum wind exposure.