Phuthaditjhaba (originally Witsieshoek), is a town in the Free State province of South Africa. It is located in a section of the Drakensberg mountains (Maloti in the Sesotho language). It borders the province of KwaZulu-Natal to the south east and the independent country of Lesotho to the south west. The town was capital of the bantustan, or homeland, of QwaQwa. When apartheid ended, the town became part of the Free State province.
The frequent snow on the Drakensberg mountain peaks surrounding the town led the San to call the region Qwa-Qwa (whiter than white). The Afrikaners named the town Witsieshoek in honour of Oetse (also spelled Witsie and Wetsi), a Makholokoe chief who lived there from 1839 to 1856.[2] The name Phuthaditjhaba is a seSotho name that means meeting place of the tribes. It is located on the banks of the Elands River.[3]
The area was historically inhabited by bantu clans of the South Sotho, namely the Makholokoe, Bataung, Bakoena and the Batlokoa. The Orange Free State government settled these people there in the 1870s after concluding a peace settlement with their leaders. In 1926 the Orange Free State government placed the Batlokoa under the authority of the Bakoena but gave each group its own regional authority in 1930. In 1969 they were combined into a single territorial authority, which was replaced two years later by a legislative assembly. Qwaqwa was granted self-government in 1974.
In 1974 it became capital of the bantustan (or "homeland") of QwaQwa. When the apartheid system was abolished in South Africa in 1994, it became part of the Free State province.
The town is the formal gateway to rural Qwa-Qwa. Service provision in the area is difficult - the land is mountainous and homes in remote areas lack access to basic services. It is the poorest area in the Free State Province. It is home to the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital.
View of the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Hospital
Since the year 2000 Qwaqwa is improving with shopping centres, Setsing being on the top and located at the heart of Phuthaditjhaba
Sportsedit
The town is the birthplace of the Premier Soccer League side club Free State Stars. Although the club has since relocated to Bethlehem, it still plays its important games at the much larger Charles Mopeli Stadium. The town has two other professional soccer teams, namely Maluti FET College FC and African Warriors FC who both use the Charles Mopeli Stadium as their homeground. The teams both participate in the National First Division, with Maluti FET College FC making their debut in the division.
phuthaditjhaba, originally, witsieshoek, town, free, state, province, south, africa, located, section, drakensberg, mountains, maloti, sesotho, language, borders, province, kwazulu, natal, south, east, independent, country, lesotho, south, west, town, capital,. Phuthaditjhaba originally Witsieshoek is a town in the Free State province of South Africa It is located in a section of the Drakensberg mountains Maloti in the Sesotho language It borders the province of KwaZulu Natal to the south east and the independent country of Lesotho to the south west The town was capital of the bantustan or homeland of QwaQwa When apartheid ended the town became part of the Free State province PhuthaditjhabaMandela Park shopping centrePhuthaditjhabaLocation of Phuthaditjhabain Free State provinceShow map of Free State South African province PhuthaditjhabaLocation of Phuthaditjhabain South AfricaShow map of South AfricaCoordinates 28 32 00 S 28 49 00 E 28 53333 S 28 81667 E 28 53333 28 81667CountrySouth AfricaProvinceFree StateDistrictThabo MofutsanyanaMunicipalityMaluti a PhofungEstablished1974 Councillor ANC Area 1 Total23 83 km2 9 20 sq mi Elevation1 646 m 5 400 ft Population 2011 1 Total54 661 Density2 300 km2 5 900 sq mi Racial makeup 2011 1 Black African99 0 Coloured0 2 Indian Asian0 5 White0 1 Other0 2 First languages 2011 1 Sotho88 8 Zulu4 4 English2 0 Sign language1 5 Other3 3 Time zoneUTC 2 SAST Postal code street 9866PO box9869Area code058 Contents 1 History 2 Sports 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editThe frequent snow on the Drakensberg mountain peaks surrounding the town led the San to call the region Qwa Qwa whiter than white The Afrikaners named the town Witsieshoek in honour of Oetse also spelled Witsie and Wetsi a Makholokoe chief who lived there from 1839 to 1856 2 The name Phuthaditjhaba is a seSotho name that means meeting place of the tribes It is located on the banks of the Elands River 3 The area was historically inhabited by bantu clans of the South Sotho namely the Makholokoe Bataung Bakoena and the Batlokoa The Orange Free State government settled these people there in the 1870s after concluding a peace settlement with their leaders In 1926 the Orange Free State government placed the Batlokoa under the authority of the Bakoena but gave each group its own regional authority in 1930 In 1969 they were combined into a single territorial authority which was replaced two years later by a legislative assembly Qwaqwa was granted self government in 1974 In 1974 it became capital of the bantustan or homeland of QwaQwa When the apartheid system was abolished in South Africa in 1994 it became part of the Free State province The town is the formal gateway to rural Qwa Qwa Service provision in the area is difficult the land is mountainous and homes in remote areas lack access to basic services It is the poorest area in the Free State Province It is home to the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital nbsp View of the Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Hospital Since the year 2000 Qwaqwa is improving with shopping centres Setsing being on the top and located at the heart of PhuthaditjhabaSports editThe town is the birthplace of the Premier Soccer League side club Free State Stars Although the club has since relocated to Bethlehem it still plays its important games at the much larger Charles Mopeli Stadium The town has two other professional soccer teams namely Maluti FET College FC and African Warriors FC who both use the Charles Mopeli Stadium as their homeground The teams both participate in the National First Division with Maluti FET College FC making their debut in the division See also editBolata Witzieshoek Revolt Makwane QwaQwa Tseki Tshiame HarrismithReferences edit a b c d Main Place Phuthaditjhaba Census 2011 Dictionary of Southern African Place Names Public Domain Human Science Research Council p 478 Retrieved 9 January 2014 Free State Phuthaditjhaba Archived 2012 04 19 at the Wayback Machine nbsp This Free State location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Phuthaditjhaba amp oldid 1223847667, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
