Reitz, Free State

Place in Free State, South Africa

Reitz

Reitz

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Reitz

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Coordinates: 27°48′S 28°26′E﻿ / ﻿27.800°S 28.433°E﻿ / -27.800; 28.433
Country| South Africa
Province| Free State
District| Thabo Mofutsanyane
Municipality| Nketoana
Township| Petsana
Established| 1890[1]
Area

[2]

• Total

| 25.7 km2 (9.9 sq mi)
Elevation

| 1,630 m (5,350 ft)
Population

(2011)[2]

• Total

| 20,183
• Density| 790/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) (Reitz and Petsana combined)

[2]

• Black African| 90.0%
• White| 9.1%
• Coloured| 0.3%
• Indian/Asian| 0.2%
• Other| 0.4%
First languages (2011)

[2]

• Sotho| 66.9%
• Zulu| 19.9%
• Afrikaans| 9.2%
• Sign language| 1.1%
• Other| 3.0%
Time zone| UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)|

9810

PO box|

9810

Area code| 058

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

## Town and township

[edit]

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%)

## Location

[edit]

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).

## Local Economy

[edit]

VKB Head Office in Reitz

Reitz is a mainly residential area with schools, 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 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 an agricultural enterprise that was establishment in 1919, and provides services and products to the agricultural market. Another company that employs a lot of local workers is Grain Field Chickens.[5] A subsidiary of VKB Agriculture, Grain Field is a technologically advanced abattoir, with between 800 000 and 850 000 chickens slaughtered per week.[6]

## Agriculture

[edit]

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]

## Tjheseho Skills Development Centre

[edit]

Unfineshed Tjheseho Skills Development Centre,Jan 2025

On 30 April 2024 Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande and Free State MEC Mr Makalo Mohale launched a Community Education Infrastructure Programme at Tjheseho Skills Development Centre in Reitz. The Community College was supposed to open its doors in January 2025 and admit 5000 learners as Blade Nzimande words,this has not happened.

The Tjheseho Skills Development Centre will serve as a multifaceted hub for skills enhancement, with a primary focus on agricultural simulation. Training will also be provided in sectors such as agriculture, business, transport, trade, manufacturing, and community services.[8][9] In January 2024 a subcontractor threatened to stop work until he received what he was owed owing to allegations of corruption.

## Leifo-Iziko School

[edit]

In August 2024 Leifo-Iziko High School became champions of the Kay Motsepe League, becoming the second school to do so from Nketoana Local Municipality after Ikaheng-Zakheni from Mamafubedu won it in 2023.[10] Leifo-Iziko and Paarl Gimnasium both represented South Africa in Singapore in the global netball stage for high schools, where Paarl Gimnasium took the first position and gold, and Leifo they came out in third place, getting a bronze medal for their efforts.[11][12][13]

Leifo iziko Secondary School Netball Team 2024Sekolo se phahameng sa Leifo Iziko,Petsana

## History and Name

[edit]

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. The area was originally inhabited by the Khoisan peoples until colonisation by the Basotho, and later the British and Afrikaans.

### Nearby towns

[edit]

The nearest settlements or towns and their respective distances are listed here:[14]

* Daniëlsrus – 25 km
* Bethlehem – 49.9 km
* Frankfort – 58.2 km
* Heilbron – 75.5 km
* Villiers – 87.5 km
* Vrede – 90.3 km
* Tweeling 30 km

## Notable people from Reitz

[edit]

* Thuso Motaung \- Lesedi FM Presenter
* Maglera Doe Boy \- rapper

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
2. ^ a b c d Sum of the Main Places Reitz and Petsana from Census 2011.
3. ^ "Census 2011: Main Place: Reitz".
4. ^ "Census 2011: Main Place: Petsana".
5. ^ Movement, The FairPlay (2019-04-30). "Employment and empowerment is real in the chicken industry". Food For Mzansi. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
6. ^ https://www.vkb.co.za/index.php/en/agri-processors/grain-field-chickens
7. ^ a b "Accommodation in Reitz, Free State".
8. ^ "Minister Blade Nzimande launches DHET Community Colleges Infrastructure Programme in Reitz, 30 Apr | South African Government". www.gov.za. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
9. ^ "FS CET College - COMMUNITY EDUCATION IN ACTION". fs.cetc.edu.za. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
10. ^ https://kaymotsepe.com
11. ^ Moloi, Tladi (2024-12-06). "SA schools clinch top spots at international netball tournament". GroundUp News. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
12. ^ https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/2024-08-19-paarl-gymnasium-leifo-crowned-champs-and-will-represent-sa-in-singapore/
13. ^ https://centralnews.co.za/fs-leifo-iziko-school-secure-win-at-kay-motsepe-netball-championship-earn-singapore-trip/
14. ^ http://pagenation.com/world/Reitz (Free State)_28.43_-27.79.map

## Helpful Links

[edit]

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090206235601/http://www.routes.co.za/fs/reitz/index.html

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality, Free State

District seat: Witsieshoek (Phuthaditjhaba)

Setsoto|

* Clocolan
* Ficksburg
* Marquard
* Senekal

Thabo Mofutsanyana District within South Africa

Dihlabeng|

* Bethlehem
* Clarens
* Fouriesburg
* Paul Roux
* Rosendal

Nketoana|

* Arlington
* Leratswana
* Lindley
* Petrus Steyn
* Reitz

Maluti-a-Phofung|

* Aberfeldy
* Bolata
* Harrismith
* Kestell
* Makwane
* Witsieshoek (Phuthaditjhaba)
* Swinburne
* Thibela
* Tseki
* Tshiame

Phumelela|

* Memel
* Zamani
* Verkykerskop
* Vrede
* Warden

Mantsopa|

* Excelsior
* Hobhouse
* Ladybrand
* Marseilles
* Thaba Phatswa
* Tweespruit

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

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