Tweeling

Tweeling Mafahlaneng
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Coordinates: 27°33′S 28°31′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Fezile Dabi
Municipality	Mafube
Area [1]
• Total	4.6 km^2 (1.8 sq mi)
Elevation	1,600 m (5,200 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	6,465
• Density	1,400/km^2 (3,600/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	93.9%
• Coloured	1.7%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	3.8%
• Other	0.1%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Sotho	76.1%
• Zulu	13.8%
• Afrikaans	6.1%
• Sign language	1.5%
• Other	2.6%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	9820
PO box	9820
Area code	058

Tweeling (meaning twin in Dutch and Afrikaans) is a small town situated 22 km from Frankfort in the Free State province of South Africa. The adjacent township is named Mafahlaneng, or "place of twins". This region of the highveld is colloquially known as the Riemland, recalling a time when it was a favoured hunting ground of the early pioneers.

Early inhabitants

The very first people or inhabitants of this place were the San, this is evident from the rock art and paintings left on the rocks. Students from the University of Witwatersrand Rock Art Research Institute are currently busy researching the site.

Establishment of the town

The town was established in 1920 on the two farms Tweelingspruit and Tweelingkop, their names derived from two similar looking hills just outside the town.[2] It is situated just east of the Liebenbergsvlei River which is a conduit for water from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

Tweeling, Free State

Tweeling is the halfway mark of the annual Liebensbergvlei Canoe Marathon. The two day race starts near Reitz and halts 33 km downstream at Zorgvliet farm, near Tweeling. The second stage starts from Bruinswick farm north of town and ends at Frankfort.Tweeling Mafahlaneng is part of Mafube Local Municipality[3][4]

Attractions

• Mafahlaneng Shelter Caves

People from Tweeling

• Johan Heyns, theologian
• Sisi Ntombela, politician and sixth premier of the Free State
• Pakiso Mthembu, athlete, University of the Free State Sportsman of The Year 2019

Gallery

• 
  Winter landscape around Tweeling
• 
  Refeng Thabo High School in Mafahlaneng township
• 
  Liebenbergsvlei River north of town

References

1. Sum of the Main Places Mafahlaneng and Tweeling from Census 2011.
2. Standard encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Nasou. 1975. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-625-00327-3.
3. https://municipalities.co.za › overview › mafube-local-...
4. http://www.mafube.fs.gov.za › uploads › 2012/11

External links

Media related to Tweeling at Wikimedia Commons

• Liebenbergsvlei, Dabulamanzi