Reitz, Free State

Reitz is a small maize, wheat and cattle farming town located in the east of the Free State province of South Africa.

Reitz
Reitz is located in Free State (South African province)
Reitz
Reitz
Reitz is located in South Africa
Reitz
Reitz
Coordinates: 27°48′S 28°26′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceFree State
DistrictThabo Mofutsanyane
MunicipalityNketoana
TownshipPetsana
Established1890[1]
Area
  Total25.7 km2 (9.9 sq mi)
Elevation
1,630 m (5,350 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2]
  Total20,183
  Density790/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) (Reitz and Petsana combined)
  Black African90.0%
  Coloured0.3%
  Indian/Asian0.2%
  White9.1%
  Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
  Sotho66.9%
  Zulu19.9%
  Afrikaans9.2%
  Sign language1.1%
  Other3.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9810
PO box
9810
Area code058

Town and township

The original town, Reitz, lies upon the northwestern hillside. On the opposite hill lies the town's township, Petsana.

The population data of Reitz (as of the 2011 Census):[3]

    Population = 3362
    Population group:
    White (54.1%)
    Black African (43%)
    Other (1.6%)
    Indian or Asian (0.7%)
    Coloured (0.62%)
    First language:
    Afrikaans (55.24%)
    Sesotho (31.96%)
    isiZulu (5.45%)
    English (2.88%)
    Other (1.39%)
    isiXhosa (1.01%)
    Setswana (0.76%)
    Sign language (0.76%)
    Sepedi (0.25%)
    isiNdebele (0.25%)
    Xitsonga (0.03%)

Petsana's population data (as of the 2011 Census)[4] is:

    Population = 16,821
    Population group:
    Black African (99.44%)
    Coloured (0.22%)
    Other (0.12%)
    Indian or Asian (0.12%)
    White (0.10%)
    First language:
    Sesotho (73.42%)
    isiZulu (22.56%)
    Sign language (1.14%)
    isiXhosa (1.05%)
    Afrikaans (0.61%)
    English (0.48%)
    Other (0.32%)
    isiNdebele (0.15%)
    Setswana (0.11%)
    Xitsonga (0.10%)
    Sepedi (0.05%)
    Siswati (0.01%)

Local economy

Petsana is a mainly residential area with schools and small shops and businesses, but very few industrial work sites. Most of the working population either goes out daily to work on farms in the area or they work in town. Reitz has an industrial area, most notably the steel and farming equipment construction company, Van Zyl's Staalwerke. Reitz is also home to the headquarters of the co-op group, VKB. The VKB Group is a modern, dynamic agricultural enterprise that has, since its establishment in 1919, continuously focused on accomplishing solutions for the changing and diverse needs of agricultural producers and related stakeholders. It addresses the basic needs for agricultural inputs, mechanization, handling and marketing of grain, financing and insurance.[5] Another company that employs a lot of local workers is Grain Field Chickens. A subsidiary of VKB Argiculture (Pty) Ltd, Grain Field is a technologically advanced abattoir, currently slaughting between 800 000 to 850 000 chickens per week.[6]

Agriculture

VKB's grain silos at the hamlet of Daniëlsrus, some 25 km south of Reitz

The town has one of the largest maize silos in the southern hemisphere and is a major maize growing community.[7]

History and name

Founded in 1889,[7] the town was previously known as Singer's Post, its name was changed to Amsterdam, and again to its current name Reitz after the Orange Free State president, Francis William Reitz.

Location

Reitz is located in the north-eastern part of the Free State province, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north-east of Bloemfontein and 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of Johannesburg. It lies roughly halfway between the towns of Bethlehem and Frankfort, at an elevation of 1,630 metres (5,350 ft).

Nearby towns

The nearest settlements or towns and their respective distances are listed here:[8]

Tweeling 30km

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.