Oppermansgronde, Free State Province

It all began on 5 July 1825, Frederick Salomon Opperman and his 4 daughters were sold at a slave auction in Graaff-Reinet. His wife and his son were not sold on that day and they stayed behind. The slave owner initially allowed Frederik to visit his family from time to time; a journey that involved a 12-hour ride on horseback. However, when his family later had to move away from Graaff-Reinet he was refused permission to visit them. Frederik escaped and was recaptured and beaten on, at least, three occasions before he finally managed to flee for good and settle near the Riet River. His son joined him and together they established a successful Farm. After several hunting expeditions, he managed to sell ivory and animal skins which laid the foundation for his wealth. He made efforts to unite his family; by the time that he located his 4 daughters in the vicinity of Swellendam, his wife had been dead for several Years already. Adam Kok sold a Farm near Jacobsdal, to Frederik. Because he already had a big herd of cattle, he quickly began to buy up the neighboring Farms. Frederik Opperman died on 3 November 1891 at the age of about 105 years. With the advent of Apartheid, as Coloured people, Opperman’s descendants were not allowed to purchase more Land in the Free State. Over time, they simply became too many for the limited space. The original Farms were sub-divided in such a way that they could no longer survive as economically viable farming units. Many younger people moved to the Cities and today Oppermansgronde is a small rural Town in the Free State. Oppermansgronde is in the Letsemeng Local Municipality and is a Category B municipality situated in the south-western Free State Province within the Xhariep District. It is bordered in the North by the Lejweleputswa District, in the South by Kopanong, in the East by the Mangaung Metro, and in the West by the Northern Cape Province. It is one of three Municipalities in the District, making up almost a third of its geographical Area. Koffiefontein is the Municipal head office. The socio-economic growth of the Municipality is centered on Agriculture. The municipal Area also has mining activities, with diamond minerals being the major natural resource that helps with employment creation.