Onverwacht

Coordinates: -25.6040, 28.6000
Updated: 21 Jul 2026

Onverwacht was established as an enclave of the Qwaqwa Bantustan on the border of the Thaba Nchu section of Bophuthatswana, about 50km from Bloemfontein. The place was composed of about seven barren farms owned by the South African Development Trust (SADT) for the purposes of resettling people. Onverwacht (a Dutch word for “unexpected”) originated in the granting of Bophuthatswana independence in December 1977.

Location Map

Onverwacht

How we know this

01Struan Robertson, (1991),The Cold Choice: Pictures of a South African Reality, (Cape Town & Johannesburg): David Philip), pp.47-48
02Black Sash- National Conference, Grahamstown, 1981, ‘Onverwacht: Ethnic Control’, [online], Available at www.disa.ukzn.ac.za[Accessed: 14 February 2013]
03Forced Removals in South Africa – The Surplus People’s Reports Vol. 1, pp.17
04Forced Removals in South Africa – The Surplus People’s Reports Vol.3- pp.166 & 168
05‘Botshabelo’ Free State attractions- Motheo, from Tourism RSA, [online], Available at www.tourismrsa.com[Accessed: 15 February 2013]

Last updated · 21 Jul 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2013, June 6). Onverwacht. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/nr/ref/P-0095824

South African History Online (2013) 'Onverwacht', South African History Online, 6 June. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/nr/ref/P-0095824 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).

South African History Online, Onverwacht [website], https://sahistory.org.za/nr/ref/P-0095824, (accessed 22 July 2026).

"Onverwacht." South African History Online, 6 June 2013, https://sahistory.org.za/nr/ref/P-0095824. Accessed 22 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Onverwacht." South African History Online. June 6, 2013. https://sahistory.org.za/nr/ref/P-0095824.