By Puisano News Reporter
Today, the 27th September is the World Tourism Day. To celebrate this day, we highlight a few tourist attractions in the Free State Province.
First is the Koppies Dam Nature Reserve, which is situated on the outskirts of the town of Koppies in the Northern part of the Free State. Koppies lies 55 km north of the town of Kroonstad just off the N1 National and R82 between Kroonstad and Sasolburg in the Fezile Dabi District Municipality.
The nature reserve is 16 km east of the town, and is about 4719.65 ha in size. Fishing, camping and windsurfing can be done in the reserve.
The Koppies Dam was built in 1911 and is the main attraction in the reserve. The vegetation consists of mixed grass veld and dense thickets of sweet thorn tress with willow trees along the Renastel River.
Second is Mantsopa Caves in Modderpoort outside Ladybrand. Known as Lekgalong la Mantsopa. The caves are associated with an influential Mosotho prophet who rose to fame in the 19th century. That Prophet was Mantsopa, who is known to have prophesied about the battles fought by the Basotho. Mantsopa would later in her life convert to Christianity. She was considered a healer and rainmaker.
According to the Mantsopa Local Municipality website, Mantsopa was the sister to King Moshoeshoe. She was banished from the Kingdom of King Moshoeshoe when he suspected that her powers were greater than his. When she arrived at Modderpoort there were no houses and she stayed in a cave. She was a great prophetess and everything that she predicted happened. In 1886 a group of men called “The Brotherhood of St Augustine” arrived at Modderpoort on their way to Durban. Mantsopa accommodated them in her cave. She later left them in this cave and settled at Spitskop Mountain and built a small house for herself. This cave was later known as “Lehaha la Mantsopa”.
The municipality’s website further states that the missionaries decided to stay and not go to Durban anymore and they turned the cave into a chapel. Mantsopa also had a fountain (this fountain still exists to date) that does not dry up at a mountain called “Verve”. She used the water from the fountain to cure sick people. Mantsopa believed in God but did not know modern religion. She later joined the church and was baptised and given the name Anna. Mantsopa’s grave continues to be visited and offerings are still placed on or near it. The entire area mentioned above was later known as “Lekgalong la Mantsopa” (Mantsopa’s Pass).
Third is the Little Church. Intended to accommodate only 8 worshippers, the church is found in the small town of Van Reneen, along N3, about 35 kilometres from Harrismith en route to Durban.
It was built by Maynard Reginald Nelson Matthews in honour of his son, Llandaff Matthews, who sacrificed his life to save 8 miners trapped in a mine near Glencoe.
Fourth is Thanda Tau. This place is a home to the wildlife, most notable the white lion. It lies along N3 between Warden and Villiers on the place called Roadside.
Another animals that can be found at Thanda Tau are the cheetah, African wild dog, tawny lions, cheetah, rhino and spotted hyena.
Every year on September 27, World Tourism Day is observed to shine a spotlight on the global significance of tourism. Since its inception in 1980, this day has become a platform to raise awareness about the vital role tourism plays in economic growth, cultural exchange and sustainable development.
The theme for World Tourism Day 2023 is “Tourism and Green Investments”. This theme emphasises the importance of making tourism more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Green investments involve using money and resources to support eco-friendly practices in the tourism industry.
