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Capital: Bloemfontein
Principal Languages: Sesotho (64.4%) Afrikaans (11.9%) isiXhosa
(9.1%)
Population: 2,958,800 (Mid-year Populations Estimates, 2006)
Area (km2): 129,480
The Free State lies
in the heart of South Africa, with Lesotho nestling in the hollow of
its bean-like shape. Between the Vaal River in the north and the
Orange River in the south, this immense rolling prairie stretches as
far as the eye can see.
The capital,
Bloemfontein, has a well-established institutional, educational and
administrative infrastructure, and houses the Supreme Court of
Appeal. The city, also referred to as the City of Roses, is home to
some of the province’s many tertiary educational institutions,
including the University of the Free State and the Central
University of Technology.
Important towns
include Welkom, the heart of the goldfields and one of the few
completely preplanned cities in the world; Odendaalsrus, another
gold-mining town; Sasolburg, which owes its existence to the
petrol-from-coal installation established there; Kroonstad, an
important agricultural, administrative and educational centre;
Parys, on the banks of the Vaal River; Phuthaditjhaba, well-known
for the beautiful handcrafted items produced by the local people;
and Bethlehem, gateway to the Eastern Highlands of the Free State.
Nestled in the
rolling foothills of the Maluti mountains in the north-eastern Free
State, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is the province’s
prime tourist attraction. The park derives its name from the
brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the spectacular
sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag rock, which keeps
vigil over the park.
The national road,
which is the artery between Gauteng and the Western and Eastern
Cape, passes through the middle of the Free State.
The
People
The Free State houses
more than 2.9 million people on about 129,480 km2 of land
(Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2006). The main languages spoken are
Sesotho and Afrikaans. Some 16% of the population aged 20 years or
older have received no schooling (Census 2001).
According to the
Labor Force Survey of March 2006, the official unemployment
rate is 28.3%.
Many of the towns
display a cultural mix that is clearly evident in street names,
public buildings, monuments and museums. Dressed-sandstone buildings
abound on the Eastern Highlands, while beautifully decorated Sotho
houses dot the grasslands. Some of South Africa’s most valued San
rock art is found in the Free State. The districts of Bethlehem,
Ficksburg, Ladybrand and Wepener have remarkable collections of this
art form.
Agriculture
This summer-rainfall
region can be extremely cold during the winter months, especially
towards the eastern mountainous regions. The western and southern
areas are semi-desert.
Known as the "Granary
of the Country", the Free State has cultivated land covering 3.2
million hectares, while natural veld and grazing cover 8.7 million
hectares.
Field crops yield
almost two-thirds of the gross agricultural income of the province.
Animal products contribute a further 30%, with the balance generated
by horticulture.
Ninety percent of the
country’s cherry crop is produced in the Ficksburg district, while
the two largest asparagus-canning factories are also situated in
this district. Soya, sorghum, sunflowers and wheat are cultivated,
especially in the eastern Free State, where farmers specialize in
seed production. About 40% of the country’s potato yield comes from
the high-lying areas of the Free State.
The province produces
about 100,000 tons of vegetables and 40,000 tons of fruit each year.
The main vegetable crop is asparagus, both white and green
varieties. The industry is expanding and becoming increasingly
export-orientated.
In terms of
floriculture, the Free State has an advantage due to the opposing
seasons of the southern and northern hemispheres. The province
exports some 1.2 million tons of cut flowers per year.
Mining
The mining industry
is the major employer in the Free State. Investment opportunities
are substantial in productivity-improvement areas for mining and
related products and services.
South Africa is the
world’s largest producer of gold. A gold reef of over 400 km. long,
known as Lejweleputswa (formerly known as the Goldfields), stretches
across Gauteng and the Free State; the largest gold-mining complex
being Free State Consolidated Goldfields, with a mining area of
32,918 hectares.
Some 82% of the
region’s mineral production value is derived from this activity,
primarily in the goldfields region, which comprises the districts of
Odendaalsrus, Virginia and Welkom. Twelve gold mines operate in the
province. Roughly 30% of South Africa’s gold is obtained from this
region, and the province qualifies for fifth position as a global
producer.
Harmony Gold Refinery
and Rand Refinery are the only two gold refineries in South Africa.
Gold mines in the
Free State also supply a substantial portion of the total silver
produced in the country, while considerable concentrations of
uranium occurring in the gold-bearing conglomerates of the
goldfields are extracted as a by-product.
Bituminous coal is
mined in the province and converted to petrochemicals at Sasolburg.
Diamonds from this
region, extracted from kimberlite pipes and fissures, are of a high
quality. The largest deposit of bentonite in the country occurs in
the Koppies district.
Manufacturing and Industry
Since 1989, the Free
State economy has changed from being dependent on the primary sector
to being a manufacturing, export-orientated economy. The Free State
GDPR amounted to about R75,827 million in 2004, representing a 5.5%
contribution to the South African economy.
In 2004, the
manufacturing industry contributed 12.6% at current prices to the
total value added at basic prices (GDPR, 2003). Some 14% of the
province’s manufacturing is classified as being in high-technology
industries, which is the highest percentage of all the provincial
economies.
An important
manufacturing industry in the province can be found in the northern
Free State, which is one of the most important chemical hubs in the
southern hemisphere. The province has competitive advantages in the
production of certain fuels, waxes, chemicals and low-cost feedstock
from coal.
The growth in
high-tech industries is significant in the context of the changing
contribution of the goldmining industry to gross geographic product
(GGP).
The province’s
development strategy centers on competitiveness, empowerment,
capacity-building and beneficiation.
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