About Us
“To achieve an accessible, integrated, sustainable, equitable social and economic development of the community.”
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Responsiveness
- Self-Reliance
- Partnership
Coat of Arms
The Mantsopa Local Municipality was established on 5 December 2000 and comprises the previous areas of jurisdiction of Tweespruit Transitional Local Council (TLC), Ladybrand TLC, Hobhouse TLC, Excelsior TLC, Thaba Patchoa TLC and Maluti Transitional Rural Council. Following the 2011 local government elections, the Mantsopa Municipality became part of the Thabo Mofutsanyane District.
The municipality covers an area of 429058.8ha of which 66.6 % has remained as natural habitat. There are no protected areas or RAMSAR sites in the municipality. There is only one biome in the municipality, namely Grassland. Six vegetation types, covering 429058.6ha are found in the Mantsopa Municipality. There are two vulnerable ecosystems, namely Eastern Free State Clay Grassland and Eastern Temperate Freshwater Wetlands. The Freshwater Ecosystems in the municipality are characterized by three water management areas which include the Middle Vaal and Upper Orange. Six rivers run through the municipality. Wetlands cover approximately 6936.8ha of the municipal area.
Spatial Description
Mantsopa Local Municipality was established on 5 December 2000 and comprises the previous areas of jurisdiction of Tweespruit Transitional Local Council (TLC), Ladybrand TLC, Hobhouse TLC, Excelsior TLC, ThabaPatchoa TLC and Maluti Transitional Rural Council. Following the 2011 local government elections which resulted in the establishment of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and the disestablishment of the Motheo District Municipality, the Mantsopa Local Municipality was incorporated into the Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality.
The municipality borders the Kingdom of Lesotho in the east, Mangaung Local Municipality to the west, Naledi Local Municipality to the south and Masilonyana and Setsoto to the north. The area is accessible via the N8 and R26 roads which transverse the area. A railway line that runs along these routes services the area. It incorporates 5 small towns which serve the surrounding rural community.
Mantsopa was the sister to King Moshoeshoe. She was banished from the Kingdom of King Moshoeshoe when he suspected that her powers were greater than his. When she arrived at Modderpoort there were no houses and she stayed in a cave. She was a great prophetess and everything that she predicted happened. In 1886 a group of men called “The Brotherhood of St Augustine” arrived at Modderpoort on their way to Durban. Mantsopa accommodated them in her cave. She later left them in this cave and settled at Spitskop Mountain and built a small house for herself. This cave was later known as “Lehaha la Mantsopa”.
The missionaries decided to stay and not go to Durban anymore and they turned the cave into a chapel. Mantsopa also had a fountain (this fountain still exists to date) that does not dry up at a mountain called “Verve”. She used the water from the fountain to cure sick people. Mantsopa believed in God but did not know modern religion. She later joined the church and was baptised and given the name Anna. Mantsopa’s grave continues to be visited and offerings are still placed on or near it. The entire area mentioned above was later known as “Lekgalong la Mantsopa” (Mantsopa’s Pass).
Towns of Mantsopa Local Muncipality
Ladybrand is situated on the R26 between Ficksburg and Hobhouse. It is also situated on the N8 linking Bloemfontein with Maseru in Lesotho. It was established in 1867 on land conquered from the Basotho and was named after the mother of the then President Brand of the Free State. The town of Ladybrand is the most progressive of all towns and is the most eastern node in the municipal area. Ladybrand municipal area includes Manyatseng, Mauersnek and the surrounding municipal commonages that covered an area of 4 682 ha in size. The town accommodates 34% of the total population of Mantsopa.
Excelsior is located 40 km north of Tweespruit along the R709 and forms the northern boundary of Mantsopa. This small town, about 110 km north-east of Bloemfontein, owes its existence to travellers who became tired of travelling the long distance between Ladybrand and Winburg and subsequently decided in 1910 to erect their own “Halfway House. The first sandstone dam was built in 1924 and is today used to store water for cattle.The town is also directly linked to Thaba ‘Nchu and Winburg via untarred roads.It is about 1 298 ha in extent of which 243 ha was designed as an urban area, the rest were rented out to commercial farmers while some land was utilised for grazing purposes. It includes Mahlatswetsa and municipal commonages. Excelsior accommodates 10.6% of the total population of Mantsopa.
Hobhouse is a smaller rural town that is located southwest of Ladybrand and east of the Leeu River along the Lesotho border. Hobhouse is the most southern node in the municipal area. It is about 2 089 ha in extent which includes Dipelaneng and municipal commonages. The town accommodates 4.6% of the total population of Mantsopa.Hobhouse, founded in 1912, was named after the Welsh heroine Emily Hobhouse who irrespective of heavy criticism from her own people, worked tirelessly to improve conditions in the concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War. She was so dedicated to her cause that she cancelled her engagement and wedding to help Boer women establish a livelihood after the Anglo-Boer War. After her death her ashes were brought to South Africa and were interred at the foot of the “Vrouemonument” (National Women’s Monument) in Bloemfontein.
Tweespruit is the most centrally located node along the N8 route between Bloemfontein and Ladybrand. It is about 1 534 ha in extent and included Borwa, Dawiesville and municipal commonages. The town accommodates 10.2% of the total population of Mantsopa. Tweespruit serves as a service centre in support of the predominant agricultural surrounding area. This area is one of the highest sunflower production regions in the Free State and in response a large silo complex has been developed in the town. In combination with the station, with its capacity for mass transport of agricultural produce, it forms a positive asset for the town.
The town is located between Tweespruit and Hobhouse and is a small agricultural residence for approximately 1100 families. It is about 3 864 ha in extent and consisted of the farms ThabaPatchoa 105, Segogoana’s Valley 665 and Sweet Home 667. Agricultural activities are the main focus of the community and include livestock and dry land cultivation of crops such as maize, sunflower and lucern.