Bloemfontein Meaning, 2024 Guide To What Bloemfontein Means

Here is all the information you need for those searching the Bloemfontein meaning in south Africa.

The guide will also show you the history and the government of Bloemfontein.

Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa and is home to over 520,000 people.

Bloemfontein Meaning

Bloemfontein, also known as Bloem, means ‘Fountain of Flowers.’

The city was officially founded in 1846 as a fort by British Army major Henry Douglas Warden as a British outpost in the Transoranje region.

At that time, the town was occupied by the Orana of the Hoall’aes, Hudill’aes, Einill’aes, and others, the Cape Colony Trek Boers, Griqua, and Barong people.

Major Henry chose the site largely because of its proximity to the main route to Winburg, the spacious open country, and the absence of horse sickness.

The city was the original farm of Johannes Nicolas Brits, born on 21st February 1790.

What Is The History Of Bloemfontein 

Johann was the owner and first inhabitant of Bloemfontein and sold the farm to major Henry.

The region then changed into the Orange River Sovereignty between 1848 to 1854 and eventually the Orange Free State republic from 1854 to 1902.

From 1902 to 1910, the city served as the Orange River Colony’s capital; after that, it became the provincial capital of the Free State.

Bloemfontein became the judicial capital of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to date.

 How Does the Government Of Bloemfontein Work

Free State Provincial Government building in Bloem forms part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, which was upgraded from a local municipality in 2001 and got to elect a municipal council for five-year periods.

The council is elected through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP)system in which wards elect individual councilors alongside those named from party lists.

All the voters get two votes each, one for a representative to become a ward councilor and the other for a political party.

The political party vote distributes seats in the municipal council amongst parties, while the representative vote distributes seats through individual representatives.

This is all the information you need to know about Bloemfontein’s meaning in South Africa.

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