Ficksburg
Encyclopedia
Ficksburg is a town situated at the foot of the 450m high Imperani Mountain in Free State
province, South Africa
. The town was set up by General Johan Fick who won the territory in the Basotho
Wars. The last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
and the first State President of South Africa
, Charles Robberts Swart
was imprisoned here by the British
in 1914 and released one day before his scheduled execution.
The flights depart from Ficksburg Airport, 3 km north of the town. Hiking tours into the mountains surrounding the town are also available, where you can see San rock art and various species of indigenous plants and animals. Numerous adventure and B&B guest farms surround the countryside where you can stay when you visit Ficksburg. The town also has a wide variety of well established upmarket and luxurious guesthouses and B&Bs and an exclusive 3-star hotel serves as luxurious accommodation for tourists visiting the town. The hotel has an exclusive French-style restaurant which serves world class cuisine. The Bottling Company Restaurant on the corner of Voortrekker and Piet Retief streets serves world class cuisine and has a rustic and comfortable atmosphere in which to dine while admiring historical photos of Ficksburg and its origins.
Ficksburg is known as 'The Gateway to the Mountain Kingdom Of Lesotho'. Lesotho
is an enclaved country in the eastern part of South Africa. From Ficksburg you can depart to the Katse Dam in Lesotho. This dam is important to South Africa, because it annually provides hundreds of millions of litres of water to the industrial and commercial Gauteng Province. The dam is also a very scenic area and is situated 3000 m (9842 ft) high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. The dam is very popular for boating and fishing and is visited by thousands of tourists to Lesotho every year which have to pass through Ficksburg.
The region is also known as the asparagus region of South Africa. Hundreds of tons of asparagus are harvested from September. Other kinds of fruit like peaches, apricots, cherries and apples are also grown in the region. Livestock is also an important industry in the region. There are numerous dairy farms in the countryside.
, Marquard
and Senekal
. The total population of the county is 125,751.
, were born in Ficksburg. In addition some claim the likes of former South African soccer stars Augustine Makalakalane (i.e. current Banyana coach) were born in Ficksburg.
Andries Tatane
( 22 February in 1978 - 13 April 2011), 33 year-old mathematics teacher and community activist, brutally murdered by police officers during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg.
A rarity and treat for French tourists ever visiting Ficksburg is that it has a repeater for Radio France International (RFI) in the case of Ficksburg that would be because of the multitude of French missionaries in the neighbournig country of Lesotho. Radiomonde Français International broadcasts 24 hour per day in French and English on 96.5 FM Stereo exclusively to Ficksburg and nowhere else in South Africa. The BBC World Service radio station broadcasts from London 24 hour per day on 90.2 FM Stereo.
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The town was set up by General Johan Fick who won the territory in the Basotho
Basotho
The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...
Wars. The last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
The Governor-General of the Union of South Africa was the representative of the British and later South African Crown in the Union of South Africa between 31 May 1910 and 31 May 1961...
and the first State President of South Africa
State President of South Africa
State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was the title of South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
, Charles Robberts Swart
Charles Robberts Swart
Charles Robberts Swart served as the last Governor-General of Union of South Africa from 1960 to 1961 and the first State President of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967.-Early life:...
was imprisoned here by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1914 and released one day before his scheduled execution.
Profile
Ficksburg, after Bethlehem, South Africa (the chief administrative town) is the second busiest and important town in the Eastern Free State region of the Freestate province. Its an important agricultural region of the Free State where crops like corn and mealies (maize) are grown. The most important part of the annual crop of Ficksburg is the harvesting of the cherries on the numerous cherry farms surrounding the town. The cherries are harvested from October to December. Annually in November the Cherry Festival is held. The festival stretches over 3 days and attracts up to 30,000 people. The festival presents quality family shows and activities like the herding of sheep, horse rides, camel rides, helicopter flips, steam train rides at Sandstone Estate, tours through town to see the beautiful sandstone building architecture which Ficksburg is also very well known for. There are also tours of the surrounding countryside, tours to the cherry and asparagus farms where people are shown everything about the industry, and airplane trips to the Katsedam in Lesotho.The flights depart from Ficksburg Airport, 3 km north of the town. Hiking tours into the mountains surrounding the town are also available, where you can see San rock art and various species of indigenous plants and animals. Numerous adventure and B&B guest farms surround the countryside where you can stay when you visit Ficksburg. The town also has a wide variety of well established upmarket and luxurious guesthouses and B&Bs and an exclusive 3-star hotel serves as luxurious accommodation for tourists visiting the town. The hotel has an exclusive French-style restaurant which serves world class cuisine. The Bottling Company Restaurant on the corner of Voortrekker and Piet Retief streets serves world class cuisine and has a rustic and comfortable atmosphere in which to dine while admiring historical photos of Ficksburg and its origins.
Ficksburg is known as 'The Gateway to the Mountain Kingdom Of Lesotho'. Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
is an enclaved country in the eastern part of South Africa. From Ficksburg you can depart to the Katse Dam in Lesotho. This dam is important to South Africa, because it annually provides hundreds of millions of litres of water to the industrial and commercial Gauteng Province. The dam is also a very scenic area and is situated 3000 m (9842 ft) high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. The dam is very popular for boating and fishing and is visited by thousands of tourists to Lesotho every year which have to pass through Ficksburg.
The region is also known as the asparagus region of South Africa. Hundreds of tons of asparagus are harvested from September. Other kinds of fruit like peaches, apricots, cherries and apples are also grown in the region. Livestock is also an important industry in the region. There are numerous dairy farms in the countryside.
Population
Ficksburg is also the capital of the Setsoto Municipal county which includes the towns of ClocolanClocolan
Clocolan, established in 1906, is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. The Basotho called the place Hlohlolwane . New inhabitants mispronounced the name and called it Clocolan....
, Marquard
Marquard
Marquard is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa that serves Winburg in the northwest. The town was set up by an influential Dutch Reform minister, JJ Marquard with the help of Christoffel Cornelis Froneman, the commandant of the Orange Free State in 1905....
and Senekal
Senekal
Senekal is a town situated on the banks of the Klipspruit River in the eastern part of the Free State province of South Africa. It was named after Commodant-General FP Senekal. Senekal lies on the N5 national...
. The total population of the county is 125,751.
Notable residents
Many South African greats, for instance acclaimed author Marie WarderMarie Warder
Marie Warder is a journalist, novelist and activist best known for her activities raising awareness about hemochromatosis...
, were born in Ficksburg. In addition some claim the likes of former South African soccer stars Augustine Makalakalane (i.e. current Banyana coach) were born in Ficksburg.
Andries Tatane
Andries Tatane
Andries Tatane was a 33 year old South African citizen who died during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg. Six officers were arrested on 16 April 2011 in connection with his death and are currently still in police custody...
( 22 February in 1978 - 13 April 2011), 33 year-old mathematics teacher and community activist, brutally murdered by police officers during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg.
Media
The Ficksburg News began publication as a community newspaper in the early 1900s and, after a hiatus in the 1970s, resumed in its present form in 1979. The town also has a community radio station that broadcasts to the surrounding towns of Fouriesburg, Clocolan and Ladybrand. Setsoto FM broadcast 24 hour per day in Sesotho, Afrikaans and English and can be heard on 93.7 FM Stereo.A rarity and treat for French tourists ever visiting Ficksburg is that it has a repeater for Radio France International (RFI) in the case of Ficksburg that would be because of the multitude of French missionaries in the neighbournig country of Lesotho. Radiomonde Français International broadcasts 24 hour per day in French and English on 96.5 FM Stereo exclusively to Ficksburg and nowhere else in South Africa. The BBC World Service radio station broadcasts from London 24 hour per day on 90.2 FM Stereo.
External links
- http://www.ficksburg.org.za
- Map of Ficksburg showing landmarks
