This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Harrismith" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Harrismith
View from the north
Harrismith Show map of Free State (South African province) Harrismith Show map of South Africa
Coordinates:28°17′0″S29°08′0″E / 28.28333°S 29.13333°E /-28.28333; 29.13333
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Thabo Mofutsanyana
Municipality	Maluti-a-Phofung
Established	1849[1]
Area [2]
• Total	138.80 km2 (53.59 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	52,765
• Density	380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	87.1%
• Coloured	0.8%
• Indian/Asian	1.3%
• White	10.7%
• Other	0.2%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Zulu	49.4%
• Sotho	32.6%
• Afrikaans	10.4%
• English	3.7%
• Other	3.8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	9880
PO box	9880
Area code	058
Website	Harrismith - Community Website

Harrismith is a large town in theFree State province ofSouth Africa. It was named forSir Harry Smith, a 19th-century British governor and high commissioner of theCape Colony.^[3] It is situated by theWilge River, alongside theN3 highway, about midway betweenJohannesburg, about 275 km to the north-west, andDurban to the south-east. The town is located at the junction of theN5 highway, which continues westward towards the provincial capitalBloemfontein, some 340 km to the south-west. This important crossroads in South Africa's land trade routes is surrounded bymesas andbuttes. It is located at the base of one of these called Platberg (i.e. "flat / flat-topped mountain" inAfrikaans).

The municipality was placed under administration in 2018 after then-mayorVusi Tshabalala was removed from office on the basis of corruption allegations.^[4] Being situated halfway between Johannesburg and Durban, the town is generally very busy, especially the N3 freeway that runs past the town.^[4]

The town was founded in 1849 and named after British GovernorSir Harry Smith. who tried to persuade theVoortrekkers not to abandon theCape Colony.

The town was initially laid out by Robert Moffat about 25 km from the present location, in present-day Aberfeldy on theElands River. That site however proved to be deficient in water and Harrismith was shifted to its present site in January 1850. Twenty-four years later it became a municipality and during thediamond rush atKimberley, Northern Cape, the town became a busy staging post on the Natal transport route. As a direct result of this, hotels, stores and public buildings sprang up.

By the 1880s the town was seen as the second largest in theOrange Free State. The increased infrastructure and traffic in the region made fording of the Wilge river impractical. After heavy rains the swollen river prevented communication, interrupted transport and claimed lives. The government was petitioned and two bridges were opened in 1884, one six miles towards Bethlehem, and another at the currentSwinburne. The use of these were taxed until 1905.^[5]

Harrismith was a major base during the South African (Anglo-Boer) War and visitors can see the several blockhouses, engineering works and a military cemetery that are evidence of this. The town's main street, Warden Street, is named after Major Henry D. Warden, at that time a British resident inBloemfontein.

The town is around 90 km east fromBethlehem and 45 km north-east of nearbyPhuthaditjhaba. The small nearby hamlet ofSwinburne (originally) is named after Sir John Swinburne, a goldprospector. The townships associated with Harrismith are Intabazwe located in the north andTshiame in the west.

Harrismith is well known as an overnight or refreshment stop along theN3 route, and a convenient refuelling stop for trucks and vehicles, but it has much more to offer. Beyond the highway is a previously tidy town with many elegant late 19th century buildings made of hewn sandstone. There are numerous bed & breakfast places catering to visitors. It is the best access point to the northernmostDrakensberg, includingTugela Falls andMont-Aux-Sources (accessed via the Sentinel Hiking Trail, in theQwaQwa region of the Free State, 80 km south-west of Harrismith on theR57),Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (20 km southeast of town on theR74),Royal Natal Park and theuKhahlamba / Drakensberg ParkWorld Heritage Site (66 km southeast via Oliviershoek Pass beyondSterkfontein Dam) and the spectacularGolden Gate Highlands National Park 50 km south-west of town on theR712.

Harrismith is the centre of one of the fivewool producing districts inSouthern Africa.

The town is home to the largest truck stop in the Southern Hemisphere, named Highway Junction.

Harrismith is also home to the smallHarrismith Airport.

Two other places in the world bear the same name: Harrismith Beach and Harrismith House near Bottom Bay in Barbados andHarrismith in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.

• Harrismith Town Hall - A graceful sandstone and brick building built in 1907, and aNational Monument.

• Platberg Reserve - One of the most famous landmarks in the Eastern Free State is the 9-kilometre-long, 2,394-metre-high (7,854 ft)Platberg. The reserve covers the western slopes and summit of the mountain, including the former Drakensberg Botanical Garden (founded as a national botanical garden in 1967 but unfortunately now defunct), along with numerous trails and the Donkey Pass road to the mountain summit. The reserve is popular with hikers andmountain bike riders. The two dams in the former wildflower gardens are part of a series of aqueducts, flowing from the Gibson Dam on the mountain summit, that were built as a water supply to support the town and the British troops stationed here after theSouth African War. A well-preserved sandstoneblockhouse from that time guards over this water supply. Much of the southern slopes of the mountain are covered in eucalypt, wattle, and other exotic timber plantations from the time when a forestry centre was based here. Akkerbos, near the base of Donkey Pass, is a grove of oak trees that provided a picnic site during a Royal Tour by the British monarchy, includingElizabeth II in 1947. The reserve is home to herds ofeland,black wildebeest,blesbok andmountain reedbuck along with introduced species such aswaterbuck andfallow deer.
• The annualPlatberg Mountain Race is a 15 km foot race, that includes a scrambling ascent and descent of the mountain. This race forms part of theBerg Bohaai festival (literally "mountain mania" inAfrikaans). The race has been described as the "toughest marathon in the world" byWally Hayward. It originated in 1922 when a British soldier, Major A. E. Belcher, returned to Harrismith where he had been stationed near 42nd Hill during theSecond Boer War. He referred toPlatberg as "that small hill of yours", and one of the locals immediately bet him that he could not reach the top in less than 60 minutes. He accepted the challenge and covered the distance with eight minutes to spare. Afterwards Major Belcher presented a floating trophy to be awarded as a prize for the first athlete to reach the top of the mountain (the record time today is 22 minutes and 9 seconds). The 15 kilometre race starts from the town's sports grounds, and the route ascends the slopes of Platberg, passing through the terrain where theconcentration camp once stood. The top is reached via One Man's Pass, close to which afort, built during the Second Boer War, is to be seen. After traversing a short stretch along the top, the descent is made via Zig-Zag Pass, and the race is completed at the sports grounds.^[6]
• Harrismith Golf Course - The scenic 18-holegolf course, arguably the third oldest in South Africa (after the Royal Cape andGeorge Golf Clubs) was founded in 1887.
• Dirty Harry - The Dirty Harry is a mountain bike race sponsored by theN3 Toll Company. The Dirty Harry also forms part of the popularBerg Bohaai festival. This festival is held annually in early October.

• Kerkenberg - TheVoortrekkers camped in the area, while their leader,Piet Retief, descended into KwaZulu-Natal to negotiate for land with the Zulu chiefDingane. Retief's daughter painted her father's name and recorded the date, which was also his birthday, on the rock where they held a church service.
• Sterkfontein Dam - The third largest dam in South Africa. Practically all the water is pumped up the escarpment from KwaZulu-Natal. Built before theLesotho Highlands Water Project was developed, this was a vital source of water forGauteng. Ideal for water sport enthusiasts and anglers.Sterkfontein Dam is particularly popular with windsurfers.
• Bushmen Paintings - Around 5 kilometers out of town in one of local caves well-preserved Bushmen paintings can still be found.
• Neo Paintings - Around 5 km from town, thisSotho king painted in caves close to theSterkfontein Dam.
• President Brand Park is a multi-usestadium in Harrismith. It is currently used mostly forfootball matches and is the home ground ofHarrismith United F.C.

By 1931, the Harrismith municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic coat of arms.^[7] The shield was divided by a horizontal line, the upper half depicting three upright maize cobs and three sheaves of wheat on a silver background, and the lower half acornucopia. The crest was a plough, and the mottoGrandescunt aucta labore (i.e. by hard work, all things increase and grow).

A proper coat of arms was designed (by Schalk Pienaar) in the 1970s, and registered at theBureau of Heraldry in September 1977.^[8]

The arms were :Argent, a chevron Azure between in chief an elephant statant proper and in base a demi-cogwheel issuant Gules, two flaunches Vert each charged with an ear of wheat, Or. In layman's terms, the shield is silver and depicts, from top to bottom, an elephant, a blue chevron, and the upper half of a red cogwheel, and on each side is a curved green segment bearing a golden ear of wheat.

Once again, the crest was a plough and the motto wasGrandescunt aucta labore.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHarrismith.

• Populated places in the Maluti a Phofung Local Municipality
• Populated places established in 1849
• 1849 establishments in Africa

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles needing additional references from July 2008
• All articles needing additional references
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Commons category link from Wikidata