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Bethlehem | |
|---|---|
    Clockwise from Top: View of Bethlehem CBD looking west, Bethlehem town hall, Saulspoortdam,Bethlehem Dutch Reformed Church. | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Bethlehem  Bethlehem  Bethlehem | |
| Coordinates:28°13′26″S28°18′40″E / 28.224°S 28.311°E /-28.224; 28.311 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Thabo Mofutsanyane |
| Municipality | Dihlabeng |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.8 km2 (10.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,700 m (5,600 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 16,236 |
| • Density | 584/km2 (1,510/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • White | 56.0% |
| • Black African | 32.7% |
| • Coloured | 8.7% |
| • Indian/Asian | 2.1% |
| • Other | 0.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 66.7% |
| • Sotho | 19.4% |
| • English | 7.2% |
| • Zulu | 2.7% |
| • Other | 4.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 9701 |
| PO box | 9700 |
| Area code | 058 |
Bethlehem is a city in the easternFree State province ofSouth Africa that is situated on theLiebenbergs River (also called Liebenbergs Vlei) along a fertile valley just north of the Rooiberg Mountains on theN5 road. It is the fastest growing city in theFree State province, with its target of being the third largest city afterBloemfontein andWelkom.
It is awheat growing area and named after thebiblical Bethlehem, fromHebrew:בֵּית לֶחֶם ("Beit Lechem"), meaning "house of bread".[2]
The city lies at an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,600 ft), which contributes to its cool climate, with frosty winters and mild summers. The average annual temperature is around 14 °C (57 °F).
Bethlehem is situated approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) north-east ofBloemfontein, 140 kilometres (87 mi) east ofKroonstad and 90 kilometres (56 mi) north-west ofHarrismith. The city is strategically situated in the heart of the picturesque north-eastern Free State and originally developed as a service centre.[3]
Bethlehem is the seat of theDihlabeng Local Municipality, which forms part of theThabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality.
The township associated with Bethlehem is calledBohlokong inSesotho byBasotho. It named after the hloko/bohloko grass found in the areaDiheteropogon filifolius.[4]
Bethlehem was founded in 1864. In 1900, during theSecond Boer War by Henco Cronje, Bethlehem temporarily served as the seat of theOrange Free State government.[5]
The city’s name holds significant symbolism, derived from the biblical town ofBethlehem in theKingdom of Judah,Ancient Israel, traditionally regarded as the birthplace ofKing David and, according to Christian belief, the birthplace ofJesus Christ.[6][7] The founders of Bethlehem, South Africa were influenced by biblical narratives and chose the name in light of their cultural and religious heritage.[8]
A number ofheritage sites are located in Bethlehem:
Due to its elevation and far inland position, Bethlehem features a subcontinental and subhumid climate (Köppen: Cwb/Dwb).Large temperature differences are recorded throughout the year. Summers are hot with warm rainy days and pleasant nights. The winters are cold with dry, mild days but frosty nights.
| Climate data for Bethlehem, elevation 1,687 m (5,535 ft), (1991–2020, extremes 1980–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.4 (99.3) | 33.4 (92.1) | 34.1 (93.4) | 31.2 (88.2) | 29.9 (85.8) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.2 (77.4) | 28.7 (83.7) | 31.3 (88.3) | 33.8 (92.8) | 35.7 (96.3) | 36.4 (97.5) | 37.4 (99.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 24.5 (76.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 23.1 (73.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.2 (79.2) | 22.5 (72.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 17.8 (64.0) | 14.3 (57.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.7 (45.9) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.1 (50.2) | 13.9 (57.0) | 16.4 (61.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.3 (66.7) | 14.6 (58.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 11.1 (52.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | −1.4 (29.5) | −1.9 (28.6) | 0.7 (33.3) | 4.7 (40.5) | 8.4 (47.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 6.6 (43.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.8 (35.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | −4.0 (24.8) | −10.0 (14.0) | −9.3 (15.3) | −12.5 (9.5) | −10.2 (13.6) | −6.8 (19.8) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.2 (32.4) | 1.1 (34.0) | −12.5 (9.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 129.1 (5.08) | 103.5 (4.07) | 76.2 (3.00) | 45.1 (1.78) | 16.8 (0.66) | 11.8 (0.46) | 7.1 (0.28) | 13.6 (0.54) | 19.3 (0.76) | 70.7 (2.78) | 92.5 (3.64) | 123.8 (4.87) | 709.6 (27.94) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 11.5 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 7.0 | 9.2 | 11.7 | 72.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 66.1 | 67.5 | 67.6 | 63.9 | 55.3 | 52.6 | 48.9 | 44.9 | 42.7 | 52.2 | 57.5 | 62.8 | 56.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 264.5 | 234.8 | 242.4 | 243.2 | 264.7 | 254.8 | 273.3 | 281.8 | 269.0 | 264.3 | 266.5 | 267.2 | 3,126.4 |
| Source:NOAA (extremes, humidity - GSOD)[23][24] | |||||||||||||
Bethlehem has many shopping centres like any other town in the Free State. Bethlehem is the main center of the eastern Free State where people from other towns do their shopping, the main shopping malls are:
With the shopping in this town also characterized by typical high street shopping with majority of shops situated along the Muller, Cambridge, Louw, Church, High and other surrounding streets.
Premiership andNational First Division clubsFree State Stars and Super Eagles F.C. were based in Bethlehem and played their home games atGoble Park.[25] Bethlehem is also the birthplace of several notablerugby union players, includingTom van Vollenhoven,[26]Jannie du Plessis,Bismarck du Plessis,Frans Steyn, andBongi Mbonambi, who was born in nearbyBohlokong.
Bethlehem is a retail, medical, and educational hub for the Eastern Free State. It has three private hospitals and three star Frontier hotel, Casino and Entertainment Centre located near the Dihlabeng Mall and Bethlehem Aerodrome.
Bethlehem hosts several industries includingCoca-Cola,South African Breweries andNestlé, as well as petroleum and engineering companies.
Bethlehem is located on theN5 to the provincial capitalBloemfontein viaSenekal andWinburg to theN1. Other roads in the town areR76 toKroonstad (north-west) and theR26 toReitz andFouriesburg (north-east and south) respectively, and just outside the town, theR712 andR714 toClarens (south) andWarden (east) respectively.
Bethlehem is located on the main railway line betweenBloemfontein andDurban. This railway line transports passengers and freight.[27]
Bethlehem is served by a small airport (Bethlehem Airport) with chartered daily flights toBloemfontein andJohannesburg.[28]
On 7 September 2024 a fire broke out at Bethlehem Air show 2024 destroying 30 vehicles.[29][30][31] The incident occurred at the Bethlehem Airfield when a spectator left a burning coal unattended.[32] TheDemocratic Alliance in the Free State accused the Dihlabeng municipality of negligence.[33]
By 1931, the municipal council had assumed a coat of arms.[34] The arms were registered with the Orange Free State Provincial Administration in October 1958.[35]
The arms were:Party per chevron Azure and Gules, a chevron Or, in chief between two springboks couped at the neck respecting each other, proper, a mullet of the third, and in base three maize cobs, the outer ones pilewise, all proper. In layman's terms, the shield depicted a golden chevron between a gold star and two springboks' head on a blue background, and three maize cobs on a red background.
A new coat of arms was designed in the 1980s. It was registered at theBureau of Heraldry in June 1989.[36]
The arms were:Per chevron, Azure and Gules, a chevron Or between in chief a mullet and in base two bars wavy, Argent (i.e. a golden chevron between a silver star on a blue background and two wavy silver stripes on a red background).
The crest was three golden ears of wheat with blue stalks and leaves, tied together with a red band; the motto wasConjuncti prosperamus.
Places adjacent to Bethlehem, South Africa | |
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Municipalities and communities ofThabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality,Free State | ||
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District seat:Witsieshoek (Phuthaditjhaba) | ||
| Setsoto | .svg) | |
| Dihlabeng | ||
| Nketoana | ||
| Maluti-a-Phofung | ||
| Phumelela | ||
| Mantsopa | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
