Wepener
Encyclopedia
Wepener is a village in the Free State
, South Africa
, located on the border with Lesotho
. The town is named after Louw Wepener
, the leader of the Boers in their war with the Basotho
chief Moshoeshoe I
in 1865. It was founded in 1867 on the banks of Jammersbergspruit, a tributary of the Caledon River
. The Jammerberg (Mountain of Sorrow) towers over the village. Louw Wepener was killed in 1865 while trying to storm Moshoeshoe's stronghold of Thaba Bosiu
.One of the local schools is also named after him.
Today the town is a commercial center for a 1,725 square km district where mixed farming is practised. Farming activities include cattle and sheep ranching, dairy farming and the cultivation of wheat and maize.
The district of Wepener was the scene of many battles, raids and skirmishes during the 19th century. Many graves, mostly without identification, still exist as reminders of the events in the valley of Jammerbergspruit during this stormy period.
Wepener was the southernmost of several settlements founded by the Free Staters in the "conquered territories" to prevent the Basotho from resettling the land taken from them during the war of 1865. The Dutch Reformed parish was established in 1870 and the town was granted its first management board in 1875. The beautiful sandstone Dutch Reformed church was designed by a Welsh architect. The design of the church reflected his heritage - the Prince of Wales's feathers adorn the steeple.
During the Anglo-Boer War
, a British garrison of 2000 men under Colonel E. H. Dalgety was besieged by the Boer commandos under the command of General Christiaan de Wet
at Jammersdrift on the Caledon River. The siege
lasted 17 days, until reinforcements arrived on April 25, 1900 to end the battle in favour of the British.
There are two hotels in Wepener, The Wepener Hotel and the Lord Fraser's Guest House. Lord Fraser's was the summer residence of Lord Ian Fraser of Lonsdale
. He was the chairman of the board of the once powerful retail business, Frasers, in Lesotho. The Fleetwood Country Inn is situated about 5 miles outside the town.There are leisure facilities at the nearby Knelpoort and Welbedacht dams.
Other facilities in the village include various general stores, builders merchant, sports club, furniture stores, butchery, 2 banks, doctors surgeries, post office, fuel stations, police station and Magistrate's Court.
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...
, 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...
, located on the border with 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...
. The town is named after Louw Wepener
Louw Wepener
Louw Wepener was a military leader in the Orange Free State who was killed during the Second Orange Free State-Basuto War at Thaba Bosiu, while trying to storm the mountain stronghold of Moshoeshoe I, founder of the Basotho nation. Wepener was killed in what was to be the last attack on Thaba...
, the leader of the Boers in their war with 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...
chief Moshoeshoe I
Moshoeshoe I
Moshoeshoe was born at Menkhoaneng in the Northern part of present-day Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage- a branch of the Koena clan. In his early childhood, he helped his father gain power over some other smaller clans. At the age of 34...
in 1865. It was founded in 1867 on the banks of Jammersbergspruit, a tributary of the Caledon River
Caledon River
The Caledon River is located in south-east Africa, rising in the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho. Origin in the former bantustan of QwaQwa, near the border with Lesotho, southwest of Witsieshoek. It then flows south-west, marking the border with South Africa and Lesotho before entering South...
. The Jammerberg (Mountain of Sorrow) towers over the village. Louw Wepener was killed in 1865 while trying to storm Moshoeshoe's stronghold of Thaba Bosiu
Thaba Bosiu
Thaba Bosiu is a sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km2 and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru....
.One of the local schools is also named after him.
Today the town is a commercial center for a 1,725 square km district where mixed farming is practised. Farming activities include cattle and sheep ranching, dairy farming and the cultivation of wheat and maize.
The district of Wepener was the scene of many battles, raids and skirmishes during the 19th century. Many graves, mostly without identification, still exist as reminders of the events in the valley of Jammerbergspruit during this stormy period.
Wepener was the southernmost of several settlements founded by the Free Staters in the "conquered territories" to prevent the Basotho from resettling the land taken from them during the war of 1865. The Dutch Reformed parish was established in 1870 and the town was granted its first management board in 1875. The beautiful sandstone Dutch Reformed church was designed by a Welsh architect. The design of the church reflected his heritage - the Prince of Wales's feathers adorn the steeple.
During the Anglo-Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, a British garrison of 2000 men under Colonel E. H. Dalgety was besieged by the Boer commandos under the command of General Christiaan de Wet
Christiaan De Wet
Christiaan Rudolf de Wet was a Boer general, rebel leader and politician.He was born on the Leeuwkop farm, in the district of Smithfield in the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State...
at Jammersdrift on the Caledon River. The siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
lasted 17 days, until reinforcements arrived on April 25, 1900 to end the battle in favour of the British.
There are two hotels in Wepener, The Wepener Hotel and the Lord Fraser's Guest House. Lord Fraser's was the summer residence of Lord Ian Fraser of Lonsdale
Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale
William Jocelyn Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale CH CBE, , known as Ian Fraser, was a British Conservative Party politician, a Governor of the BBC, a successful businessman and the first person to be awarded a life peerage under the Life Peerages Act 1958.Fraser was blinded in World War I and...
. He was the chairman of the board of the once powerful retail business, Frasers, in Lesotho. The Fleetwood Country Inn is situated about 5 miles outside the town.There are leisure facilities at the nearby Knelpoort and Welbedacht dams.
Other facilities in the village include various general stores, builders merchant, sports club, furniture stores, butchery, 2 banks, doctors surgeries, post office, fuel stations, police station and Magistrate's Court.