Koffiefontein is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa.. The name means coffee fountain in Afrikaans.
Koffiefontein is situated on the Riet River and serves as the municipal administrative seat within Letsemeng. The town is located approximately 125 km north-west of Trompsburg and an estimated 146 km east of Bloemfontein. Access to the town is via the R48 between Petrusburg and Luckhoff.
The main social and economic functions of the town include: main Local Municipality administrative centre, regional agricultural services centre, diamond mining operations and regional social services centre.
History
A fountain in this area was a favourite outspan for transport riders in the 19th century. The riders’ habit of constantly making coffee is said to have led to the name Koffiefontein. In June 1870, one of these transport riders picked up a diamond near the fountain. This prompted the usual diamond rush and by 1882 Koffiefontein was a booming town with four mining companies. Koffiefontein was awarded municipal status in 1892.
The 2nd World War saw Koffiefontein as a prisoner-of-war camp for Italian soldiers. Pro-Nazi South Africans were also interned here. They left their mark in the form of large outdoor paintings of Victor Emanuele and Benito Mussolini. Amongst the 800 pro-Nazi sympathisers interned with the POWs at Koffiefontein was John Vorster, who would become an apartheid-era South African prime minister and state president.
