Picturesque Fouriesburg is a typical small eastern Free State town in the Maluti Mountains. Fouriesburg is situated in the Brandwater Basin, on the R26 in the Free State Province of South Africa, just 9km from the Caledonspoort border post to Lesotho and 30 kilometers from Butha-Buthe. The Witteberge in the west and north and the Rooiberge in the east form the Brandwater Basin.
Fouriesburg Economy
The Fouriesburg economy has always relied heavily on agriculture. In recent years, eco-tourism has contributed greatly to the income of the region. But the single biggest injection of investment in the eastern Free State, including Fouriesburg, came from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project
Lesotho Highlands Water Project
By the mid-l970s, South African authorities realised the dire need for water in the arid industrial heartland South Africa, in Gauteng and Mpumalanga. The possibility of diverting water from Lesotho to South Africa was investigated, and Lesotho Highlands Water Project eventually achieved this goal.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project meant a large investment and development for the northeastern Free State and Lesotho, and the royalty payable by South Africa to Lesotho, based on the actual volume of water in the Katse Dam or in transfer, has been a welcome source of foreign income to the land-locked country of Lesotho since 6 September 1996.
An infrastructure to house workers, employed on the tunnel works of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in South Africa, was provided by the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) at Kgubetswana near Fouriesburg and at Larola in Clarens. Other infrastructural development in the eastern Free State and Lesotho, as a result of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, included electricity supply, training and education facilities, medical services, water supply, offices, workshops, and telecommunications.
The economy of the eastern Free State has benefited from the cross-border trade and transport. But the local income in towns like Clarens and Fouriesburg slumped considerably, following the completion of the TCTA's construction activities. Tourism has thankfully taken up much of the slack. The TCTA has transferred the infrastructure developed during the construction phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project to the local district council and the Free State Department of Education. Today, the Fouriesburg community benefits from some of the sporting and recreational facilities, the health and education infrastructure, as well as water storage and water purification works that were developed by the TCTA. Housing created for workers during the construction phase has been sold to the private sector.
Fouriesburg Crime
A negative, and less publicised reality of life in Fouriesburg and the northeast Free State Province, are the numerous farm murders that occur along the South African border with Lesotho. The South African Police attributes farm murders to criminal elements that steal and smuggle various things across the Lesotho border. These farm attacks impact heavily on the morale, demographics and economy in the border region.
Transport Hub
The town of Fouriesburg has a population of approximately 10 000 residents. Tourists, truckers and migrant labourers pass through Fouriesburg on their way to different destinations in South Africa and Lesotho. Many tourists use Fouriesburg as a base location for exploring the treasures of the eastern Free State.
The town's informal traders do booming business every month, as the crowds of pensioners from rural Lesotho get their pension money and cross the border to buy groceries in South Africa, forming queues in front of the formal businesses in Fouriesburg.
Fouriesburg is close to well-known hiking trails, historic Anglo-Boer War and Basotho War battle sites, some of the best fly fishing in Africa, as well as the Golden Gate National Park and Clarens, the artist's hideaway. The Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and the Lesotho ski slopes are just a short drive away.
Fouriesburg Tourism
The Fouriesburg Tourism Bureau is located at 22 Robertson St, Fouriesburg, and can be contacted at telephone number (058) 223 0280 or fax number (058) 223 0289.
Visit the sandstone church in Fouriesburg (built in 1893), the blockhouse (one of only two of this type in South Africa), President Steyn House (the humble dwelling of the former Free State President), the museum and Anglo-Boer War memorials and monuments.
The Fouriesburg Country Inn is also steeped in history. The facades are taken from historical railway buildings and the underground wine cellar is also a unique feature.
The "Little Caledon" River, flowing from Golden Gate National Park near Clarens past Fouriesburg, is stocked with Trout. Numerous farm dams in the Fouriesburg area are also well stocked with Black Bass and Carp.
Tourist activities in the area include horse riding, hiking, trout/bass fishing and scenic drives to historical sites. 4 x 4 Safaris allows visitors to explore the rugged Fouriesburg countryside. Visit Angora rabbit farms, asparagus farms, cherry farms (cherry wine tasting) and various other farms in the Fouriesburg area.
Don't miss the Fouriesburg Carnival, which takes place on the last Saturday in February each year. This is the occasion for the well-known annual Surrender Hill Marathon and Surrender Hill Cycle Race. The Surrender Hill Marathon is a qualifying race for Two Oceans Marathon in the Eastern Cape and the Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal. The Surrender Hill Cycle Race is also seen as the ultimate training race for the Argus Cycle Tour in the Eastern Cape.
The Fouriesburg Asparagus Festival and Asparagus Agriculture Show takes place every year on the last weekend of September.
Hunt Club takes place in March in Fouriesburg. It is apparently, "an event where the skills of man, horse and hound are combined".
Hiking Trails
The Fouriesburg area is home to some spectacularly beautiful and interesting hiking trails.
Boesmanskrans Hiking Trail
Boesmanskrans Hiking Trail near Fouriesburg in the eastern Free State is one of several remarkably beautiful hiking trails in the area around Fouriesburg and Clarens. Offering two one-day hiking trails, The Boesmanskrans accommodation is comfortable and ideal for the smaller groups, but may be a little cramped for groups of more than twelve people. The facilities are well maintained and equipped, and quality oak wood, supplied from their own plantation, makes excellent coals for braai-ing your Free State "skaap"-choppies.
Even in winter there is a surprising amount of greenery in the Boesmanskrans Hiking Trail area. Tire ladders, constructed of old car tires that are anchored to one another and to chains on both sides, have become a part of many recently developed trails. Boesmanskrans has one of the best, rising almost vertically up a rock face.
Boesmanskrans Hiking Trail descends to stunning views of the lower valleys, taking hikers underneath the krantz, to lush vegetation full of surprises.
Bushmans Cave Hiking Trail
The Bushmans Cave Hiking Trail near Fouriesburg leads hikers to breathtaking mountain scenery and past a large number of some very well preserved San (Bushman) rock art. The natural amphitheatre above the Bushmans Cave base camp has been turned into a 'church' with some seating and a pulpit. There are three different hiking trails at Bushmans Cave, ranging from 3 to 16 km in length.
The Hoenderkop Hiking Trail is named after a prominent hill on the route, and leads across a plateau, through valleys and along ridges to the dream castle of a certain Mr. Hill. The unfinished Normandy-style sandstone castle stands atop a sheer cliff. A lack of funds halted construction in 1976, but this incomplete castle-shell is now a prominent landmark in the area. Mr. Hill sure picked a prime spot, because it offers uninterrupted views of the mountainous Lesotho landscape.
The Old Fort Hiking Trail is a shorter, easier hike. The hiking trail leads to a cave with Bushman paintings and the ruins of an old fort, dating back to the Anglo-Boer War.
The Bird Trail is a short route to a valley near the overnight camp where 103 different bird species have been identified, including the rare bald ibis.
Brandwater Hiking Trail
Meiringskloof is a picturesque nature reserve close to Fouriesburg, offering picnic spots and being the departure point for the Brandwater Hiking Trail.
The Brandwater Hiking Trail near Fouriesburg is a 68 km, five-day, circular, scenic hiking trail through the Fouriesburg countryside, in the Free State Province near the Lesotho border. Within the enclosure of the Brandwater Basin are deep valleys through which flow the Brandwater, the Little Caledon and Caledon rivers. The Brandwater Hiking Trail starts off at Meiringskloof, crossing some difficult terrain. Hikers soon have to choose to struggle all the way up the famously scary chain ladder with a fully laden backpack, or to pull their backpacks up with ropes. The Brandwater Hiking Trail has a capacity of thirty people, sleeping either in open caves or in some of the beautiful sandstone farmhouses along the way. Hikers must bring standard equipment plus a light mattress and cooking facilities.
Sleep on beds of straw under a huge overhang overlooking far-off mountains and valleys, and bathe in icy streams fed by melting snow. The winds at the top of the mountains are bitterly cold, so hikers should come prepared and take care not to get confused with animal tracks where multiple pathways run parallel to each other. Back at Meiringskloof, after completing the Brandwater Hiking Trail, a long, hot shower is always welcome.
Salpeterkrans, an interesting example of wind erosion of the sandstone cliffs in the Fouriesburg area, is the largest sandstone overhang and one of the largest natural caves in the southern hemisphere. Local tribes still use the caves at Salpeterkrans for regular ancestral worship. Sangomas still live here and local people come to consult them about various ailments and social problems. Cave caretakers make sure that the hallowed grounds remain unblemished by visitors. (Sensitive people report feeling an eerie presence emanating from the impressive central rock formation reaching up to the roof of the overhang.)
Sporekrans Hiking Trail
Sporekrans Hiking Trail is located between Bethlehem and Fouriesburg, in the heart of the Witteberge in the eastern Free State Province. Various species of game and birds, including the rare Bald Ibis, can be viewed in the dense bush, sandstone cliffs and fresh mountain streams of the Bergdeel Private Nature Reserve.
Sporekrans base camp can house 40 hikers and includes an equipped kitchen, a lapa with braai facilities, hot showers and proper toilets. A cave with plank beds and mattresses for 34 hikers is the other hiker accommodation on the Sporekans Hiking Trail. The cave has water and primitive cooking facilities, but seeing as though wood is available, most South African hikers will most probably indulge in a braai (a farm stall can provide meat and vegetables in season).
Err, the "long drop" toilets at the cave have a breathtaking view of the Bergdeel Private Nature Reserve, so toilet reading material is unnecessary...
Stroll through "Stinkhout Kloof", completely surrounded by White-stinkwood trees, ascend Caracals ladder to views from Angel's Height, cool off at the Mermaids pools at midday, and feel the presence of the ancients at Bushmen's Cave. Sunset game drives, abseiling and candle light dinners in the cave can be arranged. A luxury self-catering chalet that can accommodate 8 people is also available.
