Tshiame

Tshiame is a settlement 12 km west of Harrismith in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality in the Free State province of South Africa. It is named after Tshiame Kenneth Mopeli, Chief Minister of the defunct QwaQwa homeland.^[2]

Tshiame
Tshiame Show map of Free State (South African province) Tshiame Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 28°17′53″S 29°00′32″E / 28.2981°S 29.0090°E / -28.2981; 29.0090
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Thabo Mofutsanyane
Municipality	Maluti-a-Phofung
• Councillor	(ANC)
Area ^[1]
• Total	26.05 km^2 (10.06 sq mi)
Population  (2011)^[1]
• Total	14,856
• Density	570/km^2 (1,500/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) ^[1]
• Black African	99.4%
• Coloured	0.2%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	0.1%
• Other	0.2%
First languages (2011) ^[1]
• Sotho	55.9%
• Zulu	36.1%
• English	3.1%
• Sign language	1.3%
• Other	3.5%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Area code	058

The census area includes the QwaQwa industrial sites. The full perimeter of the industrial area is fenced in by modern technology, creating a "see-through wall" of wire mesh standing three metres tall. The fencing-in was done as a security measure, to keep unwanted elements out as a means to curb crime perpetrated in the area.

The settlement borders the N5 national road leading to Durban and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal, and is situated just north of the Sterkfontein Dam, a major water reservoir and the second largest dam by volume in South Africa. The large town of Phuthaditjhaba in the former QwaQwa lies further south of Tshiame.

References

1. "Main Place Tshiame". Census 2011.
2. Raper, Peter E.; Möller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, L. Theodorus (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (4th ed.). Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball. p. 505. ISBN 9781868425495.