Bethlehem, a town set in the fertile valley at the foot of the Maluti Mountains in the eastern Free State Province of South Africa, has grown from strength to strength. Agriculture still plays a vital role in the economy of the area, as it did in Bethlehem's infancy, and the main centre for wheat research in the country is situated 10km north of the town. Other crops being farmed in the area include maize, asparagus, peaches, cherries and apples. But Bethlehem has grown into a major commercial, administrative, agricultural and educational centre in the Free State, and is still growing.
Bethlehem is the principal town of the eastern Free State, falling under the Dihlabeng Municipality and Local Council, which incorporates the towns of Bethlehem, Clarens, Fouriesburg, Paul Roux and Rosendal in the eastern Free State Province, South Africa. Bethlehem also falls under the Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality.
The N5 route between Bloemfontein and Durban passes through the town of Bethlehem. The town has a technical college, a number of primary schools, two private schools and an occupational oriented school. An interesting mix of old and new buildings, well-tended parks and gardens, a mild climate and invigoratingly fresh air makes Bethlehem an ideal town to call home.
The early settlers used the warm-coloured local sandstone, hewn from nearby cliffs, for most of their buildings. Many of these fine buildings that visualise a proud legacy have been proclaimed national monuments, including buildings such as the Dutch Reformed Mother Church, Strapp Building, Town Hall I Civic Centre & St Augustine's Anglican Church.
The Gerrand Dam, Athlone Dam and Saulspoort Dam provide water to the farms in the region, while water from the Axle River comes to Bethlehem on an on-going basis through the Lesotho Highlands Water project, ensuring the town of a constant supply.
Bethlehem History
The Bethlehem area in the eastern Free State, as most of southern Africa, was at first the roaming grounds of the indigenous groups of San and Khoi people, who marked their unity with the land in numerous caches of rock art that remain preserved and protected from the elements in secret and sheltered places. Being hunter-gatherers, they lived in harmony with the multitude of game on the vast grass plains of the eastern Free State.
Groups of black refugees first arrived in this area during the early 1800's, and settled mainly in the Witteberge Mountains, south of Bethlehem. They were fleeing from the great warlords Shaka, Dingaan and Mtsilikatse, according to the explorer Dr. Andrew Smith who travelled through this region prior to the Great Trek.
White hunters and adventurers, such as Dr. Andrew Smith, travelled through the Bethlehem area since the 1820's. But European settlers only came to the Bethlehem area during the Great Trek. Voortrekkers under leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter first occupied the Bethlehem region in July 1837.
When more Voortrekkers under leadership of Piet Retief arrived, they decided at a public meeting to make Natal the destination of the Trek and to establish a Boer Republic there. This decision was a contentious one, but when the settlement of Pietermaritzburg was founded in October 1838, the Bethlehem region became mainly a through station for a number of years. Those Voortrekkers who chose to settle and farm in the eastern Free State, came into contact with two large groups of black people in the south.
Sekonyela, a notorious cattle thief, lived in the Southern parts of the Witteberge Mountain Range with almost 10 000 followers. Sekonyela stole cattle from the Boers in the Free State and the Zulus in Natal at regular intervals.
King Moshoeshoe was meanwhile busy building a proud Basotho nation from the little groups of uprooted refugees fleeing from the bloodthirsty Zulu and Matabele raiding parties.
The settlement of Bethlehem was eventually founded on the farm Pretoriuskloof, strategically situated in the north of the Eastern Free State. F.P. Naude, one of the original owners of Pretoriuskloof farm, gave the settlement the Biblical name Bethlehem (from 'Beit Lechem'). The name means "House of Bread" in Hebrew, which turns out to be a very fitting name, because Bethlehem forms the centre of a very fertile wheat-growing region of South Africa, which produces 65% of the country's wheat crop.
One more Biblical name F.P. Naude bestowed was that of "Jordan River", for the river running through the settlement of Bethlehem. The Voortrekkers were very religious people, trusting in the guidance and protection of the God of Israel, and Jesus Christ as their saviour. It is therefore not surprising that F.P. Naude chose these names from Biblical Israel.
After the British annexation of Natal in 1843, a lot of the Boers who had gone there had loaded the ox wagons again, saddled up and continued the Trek, returning to the Free State and continuing to Transvaal. Many of these Boers established themselves at Bethlehem, Winburg and Potchefstroom.
A town was officially proclaimed on 27 February 1864, although it had already been occupied for 30 years, and Bethlehem became a municipality in 1902. The railway between Bloemfontein and Harrismith reached Bethlehem in 1905.
Interesting Places
Gracia Art Gallery
A collection of uniquely eastern Free State art, from a variety of local artists, is on display at the Gracia Art Gallery.
Wolhuterskop Game Reserve
An abundance of wildlife, including herds of zebras, rooihartebees, eland, springbok. impala, black wildebeest and many other antelope species, graze wide-open spaces of the rolling hills in the Wolhuterskop Game and Nature Reserve outside Bethlehem, on the way to Fouriesburg.
The game and natural beauty of the Wolhuterskop Game and Nature Reserve can be appreciated from the comfort of a car, or on foot. The scenic hiking trail through the reserve offers a very close encounter with the veld and the game, and a stay in an overnight hut lets hikers drink in the peace of the Free State evenings. Game viewing on horseback is an added attraction.
Hunting packages are available from the Parks and Recreation Department during the hunting season.
Pretoriuskloof Nature Reserve
Pretoriuskloof Nature Reserve offers peaceful walks below towering krantzes and weeping Willows along the banks of the Jordan River in Pretoriuskloof.
Pretorius Bird Sanctuary
Many local bird species can be viewed in the Pretorius Bird Sanctuary.
Loch Athlone Dam
Collecting the waters of the Jordan River, which flows through Bethlehem, the Loch Athlone Dam is an important water source for the surrounding area, while offering local residents and visitors the chance to relax and take part in a variety of recreational activities. Loch Athlone is a well-equipped leisure resort, which hosts regular regattas and offers boating and angling. The charming Athlone Castir restaurant at the Loch Athlone Dam recalls the atmosphere of the Union Castle liner, with many original items and furnishings.
A variety of water sports can be enjoyed on any one of the four dams situated in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem Museum
The history of the town is well documented in the displays of the Bethlehem Museum. Restored collections of horse and ox wagons, horse drawn carriages, antique furniture, farming implements and an old steam locomotive preserves the lifestyle of the original residents of Bethlehem for future generations.
Baartman House
Baartman House displays an impressive collection of antique farming implements, tools, woodcarvings, old leather and kitchen utensils from Bethlehem's past.
Nazareth Mission Church
The Nazareth Mission Church Museum is a noble church building in Bethlehem, proudly displaying delicate local costumes, needlework, porcelain, antique kitchen utensils, well-worn leather and wood furniture, and farming implements, and other antiques in its Cultural History Museum, as if patiently waiting to be used.
Sandstone Buildings
Many buildings in Bethlemem are superb examples of the Free State sandstone architecture, and have been declared National Monuments.
Sotho Cairn
Basotho labourers, leaving for the Witwatersrand gold mines, would place a stone on this spot. The stones were a physical symbol of their prayers to the ancestors for protection against the horrible mining accidents they would be facing. Every time one of these labourers would return unharmed, another stone would be added to the cairn in thanks for the ancestral protection.
Having grown to a sizeable mound, the Sotho Cairn today bears testimony to the huge workforce, consisting of individuals, who manually fought the riches, a little at a time, from the gold-bearing reef, and contributed to South Africa's wealth.
Bethlehem Events
Bethlehem annually hosts the OFM Radio Station Maluti Classic Cycle Tour during October and the National Hot Air Balloon Championships and Air Show during late May/Jun.
Bethlehem Tourism
The Bethlehem Tourism Bureau is located at 22 Muller St, Bethlehem, and can be reached at telephone number 058-303-5732 or fax number 058-303-5076. The official website for Bethlehem has recently moved from http://www.bethlehem.org.za to http://www.dihlabeng.org.za
