|
 |
MOTHEO REGION
|
|
|
|
|
Motheo Region, Free State: Officially,
Motheo is one of the five districts of the Free State in South Africa. The term
‘Motheo’ comes from the Sesotho for “foundation” or
“cornerstone” and was consciously chosen to represent the heartbeat of the
province, regarded as an area of entrepreneurial and investment opportunities and the
centre of the economic and industrial development of the Free State.
The three municipalities of Mangaung, Mantsopa and Naledi fall within Motheo and include
the city of Bloemfontein and other towns like Ladybrand, Hobhouse, Tweespruit,
Wepener, Dewetsdorp, Thaba Phatswa. Motheo incorporates the highlands of the Maluti Route,
the R26, which winds through Naledi, and the township of Botshabelo, 55 kilometres from
Bloemfontein - the largest township in the province and the second largest in the country
after Soweto.
Bloemfontein is without doubt the main attraction of Motheo. Marketed as an “outdoor
mecca” by the city’s tourism, Bloemfontein is filled with history and myriad
outdoor activities. From President Brand Street in the middle of town where the statue of
President Brand stands in front of the National Afrikaans Literature Museum, along a
street lined with stone building that date back to the 1800s, to the Botanical Gardens and
Oliewenhuis Art Museum, there is plenty to do in the city.
The other attraction included in Motheo, just 60 kilometres east of Bloemfontein, is Thaba
‘Nchu, a town established as early as 1873 that was granted independence in 1979 and
then reincorporated in 1994, but not before it become the site of a casino complex - one
of the main reasons that Bloemfontein residents regularly visit the largely Tswana and
Sotho dominated town. |
|
|
|
|
|
MOTHEO DESTINATIONS
|
|
|
|
  Bloemfontein: Bloemfontein has a busy cultural and social
events calendar. One of the annual events not to be missed, is the Macufe Festival in
September, a cultural eisteddfod of storytelling, poetry, art, music and dance. In terms
of arts and entertainment, Bloemfontein offers the world-class ... More » Bloemfontein
Info
|
|
BOTSHABELO |
|
 About 45km from the city of Bloemfontein on the N8 road to Lesotho,
Botshabelo is the largest township settlement in the Free State and the second largest
after Soweto (in Johannesburg). Botshabelo contains a massive industrial complex
comprising 240 000 m² of floor space, currently 100% occupied by a total of 154
factories. |
|
HOBHOUSE |
|
 On the southernmost tip of the Eastern Free State region lies Hobhouse,
named after the British girl who became a Boer heroine. Emily Hobhouse visited the
war-torn South Africa during the Anglo Boer War and was appalled at the conditions in the
concentration camps. She promptly started nursing ... More »
Hobhouse |
|
Thaba' Nchu |
|
| Thaba Nchu, one of the oldest settlements in
the Free State is situated below the famous Thaba Nchu mountain (place of execution) 65 km
east of Bloemfontein. The neighbouring area Selosesha has grown considerably after the
region was declared an industrial growth point in the 1980's. With an estimated urban
population of 30 000, Thaba Nchu has a strategic location adjacent to the road between
Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Ladybrand and Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. |
|
Wepener |
|
| Wepener is named after Lourens Wepener who
died during a war in 1867 between Dutch-Afrikaans settlers and Sothos. The nearby Caledon
Nature Reserve offers viewing of antelope such as blesbok, springbok, black wildebeest and
zebra. |
|
|
MOTHEO ATTRACTIONS
|
|
NATIONAL MUSEUM |
|
 Notable for its
large collection of fossils, cultural historical exhibits and archaeological displays,
including the Florisbad skull which was discovered in the 1930s at the Florisbad Spring
some 50 km north of Bloemfontein. (Florisbad Man is estimated to have lived between 50 000
and 35 000 years ... more » National
Museum Bloemfontein |
|
|
|
 On the north
western fringes of Bloemfontein lie 70 hectares of botanical garden, in a valley peppered
with dolerite koppies, tall grassland and woodland; some magnificent examples of wild
olive and karee trees, an orange blossom arbour and a petrified tree, thought to be over
150 ... More » Free State
Botanical Garden
|
|
|
|
 Macufe Festival: Macufe, the 10-day Mangaung African Cultural
Festival, showcases the cream of African and international talent. It features jazz,
gospel, kwaito, hip-hop, R&B, rock and classical music, as well as dance, drama,
cabaret, musical theatre, poetry, fine art and traditional arts and crafts. First held ...
More » Macufe
Festival
|
|
SAND DU PLESSIS THEATRE |
|
 Completed in 1985 at a cost of over R60 million, the Sand du Plessis complex
is one of the most modern theatres in the world. The facade features massive glass panels;
and works of art form part of the decor. Throughout the year, the theatre is the venue for
opera, ballet, drama and music performances. |
|
« Free State Game Reserves | South
Africa Game Reserves » |
|
|
|
;)
;)
;)
