Bethlehem, Free State

Bethlehem is a town in the eastern Free State province of South Africa that is situated on the Liebenbergs river (also called Liebenbergs Vlei) along a fertile valley just north of the Rooiberg Mountains on the N5 road. It is the fastest growing town in the Free state province, with its target of being the third largest city after Bloemfontein and Welkom.

It is a wheat growing area and named after the biblical Bethlehem, from he, בֵּית לֶחֶם ("Beit Lechem"), meaning "house of bread".

The town lies at an altitude of and this contributes to its cool climate with frosty winters and mild summers. The average annual temperature is around .

Bethlehem is situated approximately north-east of Bloemfontein, east of Kroonstad and west of Harrismith. The town is strategically situated in the heart of the picturesque north-eastern Free State and originally developed as a service centre. Bethlehem is the seat of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality (this municipality is situated within the boundaries of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality in the Eastern Free State).

The township associated with Bethlehem is called ''Bohlokong,'' named after the hloko/bohloko grass '' Diheteropogon filifolius''.

History

Bethlehem was founded by local residents Henco Cronje with his three slaves Ruandi Steinmann, Tea van de Merve and Kristiaan Klopper who first founded Bethlehem in 1874 and saved the area from a frog plague.

Society and culture

Museums, provincial heritage sites and memorials

A number of heritage sites are located in Bethlehem:
* 14 President Burgers Street
* A B Baartman Wagon House
* Loch Athlone Dam Wall
* Main Building of the Bethlehem Technical College
* Nederduitse Gereformeerde Mother Church
* Old Magistrates Court
* Old Nederduitse Gereformeerde Mission Church parsonage
* Old Nederduitse Gereformeerde Mission Church
* St Andrews Presbyterian Church
* St Augustine Anglican Church
* Strapps Shop
* The Seminary
* Town Hall
* Wooden Spoon Restaurant

Schools

*Villiers Combined High School
*Tiisetsang High School
*Ntsu Secondary School
*Thabo-Thokoza Secondary School
*L.K Ntlabathi Secondary School
*Jordania Primary School
*Truida Kestell Primary School
*Graanveld Primary School
*Bethlehem Comprehensive School
*Bodikela intermediate School
*Bethlehem Voortrekker High School
*Bohlokong Primary School
*Nthute Primary School
*Motshepuwa Primary School
*Rehopotswe Primary School
*New Horizon College
*Impumelelo Primary School
*Impucuko Primary School
*Khanyeng Intermediate School
*Witteberg High School

Climate

Shopping

Bethlehem has many shopping centres like any other town in the Free State. Bethlehem is the main center of the eastern Free State where people from other towns do their shopping, the main shopping malls are:
*Bethlehem mall
*''Dihlabeng'' mall
* ''Maluti'' square.
Others are:
*Village square
*Metropolitan life Centre known as Sechaba Mall (since February 2021)
*Shoprite Centre.
With the shopping in this town also characterized by typical high street shopping with majority of shops situated along the Muller, Cambridge, Louw, Church, High and other surrounding streets.

Sport

Premier Soccer League and National First Division clubs Free State Stars and Super Eagles F.C are based in Bethlehem and plays its home games at Goble Park. Bethlehem is also the birthplace of notable rugby union players including Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis and Frans Steyn. One of the greatest rugby players in history, Tom van Vollenhoven who played rugby union for South Africa and rugby league for St Helens in England was born in Bethlehem. 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup winning team player of Springboks, Bongi Mbonambi was born in ''Bohlokong''.

Economy

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Bethlehem is a retail, medical, and educational hub for the Eastern Free State. It has three private hospitals and four star Frontier hotel, Casino and Entertainment Centre located near the beautiful Dihlabeng Mall and Bethlehem Aerodrome.

Industry

Bethlehem hosts several industries including Coca-Cola, South African Breweries and Nestlé, as well as petroleum and engineering companies.

Health

* ''Dihlabeng'' Regional Hospital (public)
* ''Phekolong'' Hospital (Public)
* Hoogland Medi-Clinic (Private)
* Bethlehem Medical Centre (Semi-Private)
* Nurture Corona Hospital (Semi-private)
* Bethlehem Diere Hospital (Private)
* Du Pisani Biokineticists (Private)
* Several government clinics also in the townships of ''Bohlokong, Thorisong,'' ''Vuka, Phumlamqasha'', Old Location, ''Giyani'' and Bakenpark.

Transportation

Road

Bethlehem is located on the N5 road to the provincial capital Bloemfontein via Senekal and Winburg to the N1. Other regional roads in the town are R76 road to Kroonstad (north), the R26 road to Reitz and Fouriesburg (north east and south) respectively.

Rail

Bethlehem is located on the main railway line between Bloemfontein and Durban. This railway line transports passengers and freight.

Air

Bethlehem is served by a small airport ( Bethlehem Airport) with chartered daily flights to Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.

Coats of arms

Municipal (1)

By 1931, the municipal council had assumed a coat of arms.The arms were depicted on
cigarette card
issued in 1931. The arms were registered with the Orange Free State Provincial Administration in October 1958.Orange Free State ''Official Gazette'' 41 (10 October 1958).

The arms were: ''Party per chevron Azure and Gules, a chevron Or, in chief between two springboks couped at the neck respecting each other, proper, a mullet of the third, and in base three maize cobs, the outer ones pilewise, all proper''. In layman's terms, the shield depicted a golden chevron between a gold star and two springboks' head on a blue background, and three maize cobs on a red background.

Municipal (2)

A new coat of arms was designed in the 1980s. It was registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in June 1989.http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za

The arms were: ''Per chevron, Azure and Gules, a chevron Or between in chief a mullet and in base two bars wavy, Argent'' (i.e. a golden chevron between a silver star on a blue background and two wavy silver stripes on a red background).

The crest was three golden ears of wheat with blue stalks and leaves, tied together with a red band; the motto was ''Conjuncti prosperamus''.

Notable people

* Faan Fourie (born 1982), cricketer

References

External links

Bethlehem InformationDihlabeng Local Municipality

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Populated places in the Dihlabeng Local Municipality
Bethlehem, South Africa
Populated places established in 1859
1859 establishments in the Orange Free State