Brandfort

Brandfort is a small agricultural town in the central Free State, situated between Bloemfontein and Theunissen. The town is central to the surrounding farms for supplies and amenities, but besides the town’s Voortrekker and Boer War history, Brandfort is best known for having once been the home of Winnie Mandela.

Insufficient justice is done to Brandfort’s beautiful architecture. The town has some lovely old buildings. It is also clean and well maintained, and the white-washed Church is unusual among its ‘peers’ in the Free State. An angel statue in front of the Church is a poignant and tragically beautiful commemoration of the Boer women and children (and also farmworkers) who died in the Brandfort Concentration camp during the Anglo-Boer War. This Church is called the NG Moederkerk – the Mother Church.

Brandfort is situated in the Free State Maize Triangle, in the central Goldfields Region, though some of the area around Brandfort tends toward bushveld more than the undulating crop fields more usually associated with the maize farming areas, and there are areas of lush restful green thanks to several dams. Besides crops, there are also cattle ranches, sheep farms and a number of game farms and reserves that offer game viewing and usually also hunting.

Getting there: Brandfort is situated 60km north-east of Bloemfontein on the R30.