Frankfort

Frankfort is a small farming town situated on the banks of the Wilge River in the Free State province of South Africa. The town was laid out in 1869 on the farm Roodepoort, and named 

Frankfurt by Albert van Gordon. The town later received municipality status in 1896. Frankfort is now the capital town to Villiers, Cornelia and Tweeling, called the Mafube Municipality. The 

main street is 'Brand Street', named after the 4th president of the Orange Free State, Sir Johannes Brand. During 1883, he visited the town and laid the cornerstone of the Dutch Reformed 

Church. This church was burnt down by the British troops during the Anglo-Boer War. After the war it was rebuilt and inaugurated in 1918.

 

Roughly 30 km from the N3, and an hour from Warden, Frankfort might serve fundamentally as a farming community town but it also makes an easy detour from the major route between Johannesburg and Durban - for those who prefer 'off the beaten track' to the more obvious stops.

Frankfort is a town like many other farming towns in the Free State, its wide streets and restored cottages little marred by walls or electric wire fences, although the obligatory 'us and them' dividing line exists – in the form of a grassy no-man's land, between Frankfort and Namahadi.

Frankfort's main street, formerly Brand Street now JJ Hadebe Street, is pretty, a beautiful stone church built in 1873 easily visible on the rise across the road from an array of disorganised shops selling anything from cheap China clothing to car parts. The Dutch Reformed church is not the only historically relevant building in Frankfort. The Edwardian Magistrate's office, the sandstone Police Station, and the Post Office are all National Monuments, side-by-side.

A detour to Namahadi's Art and Crafts Centre will allow you to see local cultural crafts and beadwork. There is a list of tour guides that can take you through the township. This town has produced soccer stars like Paul Motaung (former Kaizer Chiefs defender) and Chris Motaung (former Swallows midfielder), Frederich Lombaard a former Cheetah and Springbok rugby player, and academics like Dr Mahlathini Tshabalala, who is now based in Gauteng and the renowned Motloung brothers Paul and Michael who are based in Botshabelo and Bloemfontein respectively.