Clocolan, established in 1906, is a small town in the Free State Province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. The

Basotho The Sotho () people, also known as the Basuto or Basotho (), are a Bantu nation native to southern Africa. They split into different ethnic groups over time, due to regional conflicts and colonialism, which resulted in the modern Basotho, who ...

called the place Hlohlolwane (Hlohla-o-lwane, "get up and fight"). New inhabitants mispronounced the name and called it Clocolan.

History

The first to inhabit the area were the ancient Kwena people from Botswana. Soon the Basotho followed. The town developed as surrounding communities needed a school, a church and business facilities . The Bakwena, a Sotho tribe, gave Clocolan its name in 1800. The Bakwena Chief Motebang lived in the Northern part of Clocolan, in an area known as ‘Betang’, today a private farm. Motebang invited the neighbouring Baphuthi Zulu clan to assist his people stacking corn baskets after a successful harvest. An argument erupted when one Bakwenaelder charged at the Baphuti's. The argument brought forth the slogan ‘Hlohla-o-loane’ or ‘Hlohloloane’, that translates as “Get/stand up and fight” and this may explain how the town earned its name. Settlers in the early 1800s drove the Basotho out of town, forming a township still known as Hlolholoane.

Geography

The town is in the Thabo Mofutsanyana region of the Free State Province in South Africa. It is located along the Maloti route main road, 20 kilometers from the

Caledon river The Caledon River ( st, Mohokare) is a major river located in central South Africa. Its total length is , rising in the Drakensberg Mountains on the Lesotho border, flowing southwestward and then westward before joining the Orange River near Beth ...

, alongside the Lesotho border. Due to its location, the town trades with

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a population ...

, Southern parts of the Free State,

Kwa-Zulu Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

and the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

Location

Clocolan is situated along the R26 about 34 km from Ficksburg to the northeast and just under 70 km from

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...

to the south over the

border. The name is derived from the Hlohlolwane mountain which stands 1 820 km above sea level. Hlohlolwane means “stand-up-and-fight” which refers to an altercation between the Koena tribe and Baphuthini over a maize harvest. The town was established in 1906 on the farms of Reinzi and Herold. The town grew out of the need for schools, churches and business services for the surrounding farming community. It obtained municipal status on 18 July 1910. The eastern Free State cherry industry originated in the Clocolan district where the first trees were planted by Henry Pickstone in 1904 on the farm Platkop. Besides cherry orchards, farming in the area predominantly consists of asparagus, wheat, maize, potatoes and cattle. Clocolan has one industrial area, situated in the eastern side of the town close to the railway line.

Farming

The area is known for the cultivation of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus '' Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The ...

, large cattle and sheep herds.

Tourism

Tourists can visit the following places: *Deemsters Asparagus Factory to learn about the history of this local crop *Nebo and Die Hoek where visitors can view San rock art paintings * Tandjiesberg rock shelter has rock paintings and was declared a National Monument on 30 October 1992. It was one of 12 rock art National Monuments in South Africa at the time and is now a Provincial Heritage Site. The rock art painting includes one of an elephant with a small human figure on its trunk. There are also paintings of animals associated with rainmaking and images of a medicine dance. Archaeological excavations established that

Bushmen The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe languages, Khoe, Tuu languages, Tuu, or Kxʼa languages, Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the Indigenous peoples of Africa, first cultures of Sout ...

lived here for at least 1 000 years. It is believed that the mountain above the rock shelter was a place of spiritual significance. *Lethoteng Weavers – a community project involving the weaving of articles by local craftswomen including jerseys, scarves, carpets and other items from Angora Rabbit, Mohair and wool.

Vintage Tractor and Engine Fair

The Vintage Tractor and Engine Fair is an annual fair that has taken place in Clocolan since 1989. The fair started with only 29 tractors and has grown in recent years to 153 . Tractors are paraded through the small farming community. Some of its attractions are a 1902 threshold machine, the Annual National Ploughing Championships and a hand plowing with magnificent Nguni bulls.

In popular culture

The name is used by recording artist clocolan—South African-born composer Emlyn Ellis Addison.

References

External links

*http://www.free-state-info.co.za/provinces/town/452/clocolan *https://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsfs/clocolan.php *http://www2.setsoto.info/town-history * https://showme.co.za/south-africa/free-state/eastern-free-state/clocolan/ * http://www.nasmus.co.za/departments/rock-art/public-rock-art-sites * http://www.sahra.org.za/sahris/sites/923080001 *https://web.archive.org/web/20180817070727/http://prynnsberg.co.za/history-1881/ *http://www.savtec.co.za/ {{Authority control Populated places in the Setsoto Local Municipality Populated places established in 1906 Lesotho–South Africa border crossings Populated places established in 1891

Sotho-Tswana peoples in South Africa 1906 establishments in South Africa