Towns

Frankfort / Namahadi

Location

Frankfort is situated 55km east of Heilbron and approximately 120km south east of Sasolburg. The R34 provincial road from Kroonstad to the Natal Province extends adjacent to the town. The Wilge River stretches adjacent to the town from south to the Vaal Dam in the north.

History

The town was originally laid out on the farm Roodepoort and named Frankfurt after the German town by Albert van Gordon in 1869. In 1896, the town received municipality status & is now the capital town to Villiers, Cornelia & Tweeling; better known as the Mafube Municipality. An interesting cultural site is the old clock in the facade of the Dutch Reformed Church, which survived when the church was burnt down by the British troops during the Anglo-Boer War in 1901. After the war it was rebuilt & inaugurated in 1918.

Economic profile

The town remains the growth point in Mafube and plays a major role in the terms of a regional service provider and industrial and commercial development. Frankfort is a typically developed small town, serving the predominant surrounding agricultural community. The town lies in the heart of the country’s maize growing area. Other farming that takes place in the area includes dairy, beef, wool and mutton. The town does provide certain industrial growth potential. The industrial growth potential is mainly agricultural orientated. A dairy industry of regional importance is located in the town.

Cornelia / Ntswanatsatsi

Location

The Greater Cornelia is situated 40km east of Frankfort, 160km east of Sasolburg and 32km south east of Villiers. The town is situated adjacent the R103 secondary road between Warden and Villiers.

History

Cornelia is renowned for the fossil discoveries of pre-historic creatures found in 1955 which are presently still being safe-guared in the National Museum in Bloemfontein.

Economic profile

Cornelia typically developed as a small town serving the predominant surrounding agricultural community. There are many initiatives by the Cornelia community aimed at reducing unemployment and uplifting the community at large.

Tweeling

Location

The small community of Tweeling is situated alongside the R51 route between Reitz and Frankfort. Other larger centres such as Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark are all within 160km from Tweeling.

History

Although a typical Free State Province rural settlement, the historical significance of this town dates back to the days of the Anglo-Boer War. The name of the town was derived from the two farms Tweelingspruit and Tweelingkop on which Tweeling was established in 1920. The village was declared a municipality in 1938. This untouched rural town has a rich historical background from the Anglo-Boer war.

Economic profile

Primary agricultural activities include sheep and cattle farming, maize and sunflower seed production.Geese farming, in the area provides down for the manufacturing of eiderdowns, which is locally made.

Villiers / Qalabotjha

Location

The Villiers town area is situated on the banks of the Vaal River, adjacent to the N3 National Road between Gauteng and Durban. In relation to other major centres, the town is located 120km from Johannesburg, 80km from Vereeniging and 117km from Sasolburg.

History

Villiers was laid out in 1882 on portions of the farms Grootdraai and Pearson Valley, owned by Lourens de Villiers. Being the first town when entering the Free State from Gauteng, Villiers has become a popular stop for visitors travelling to Durban on the N3. This small town also won the Masakhane Award for being South Africa’s most progressive rural town (in terms of development projects to make a better living for all its citizens) in 2001.

Economic profile

The town is predominantly agricultural orientated where products such as maize, sunflower, wheat, grain, sorghum, meat and dairy products are produced. Villiers functions as the main concentration point for products in the district from where it is directly exported. The grain silos in Villiers, together with other grain silos in the district have a storage capacity of 273 000 tons. Due to the location of the town adjacent the Vaal River, it subsequently developed a recreational character. The latter is evident since a prominent holiday resort was developed adjacent the Vaal River. The Qalabotjha residential area experienced dramatic growth the past 10 years.