Wesselsbron is a small maize farming town situated along the R34, R719, and R505 roads in the Free State Province of South Africa.
The town is named after Boer Commandant Cornelius Wessels who led the 1899 Siege of Kimberley.
Wesselsbron is located approximately 50.3 km north-west of Welkom, 42.9 km east of Hoopstad, and 67.3 km south-west of Bothaville.
Wesselsbron has a vast district which stretches from Vaal River in the north to the Vet River in the south, which forms the southern boundary of the Nala region.
Majority of Wesselsbron’s residents speak Afrikaans.
History
The town was laid out in 1920 and the first plots of land were sold, it was granted municipal status in 1936.
Wesselsbron was named after the Boer Commandant Cornelius Wessels who led the 1899 Siege of Kimberley from 13 October 1899 to 12 February 1900 during the Second Boer War. Bron is Afrikaans for “source”, “spring”.
In the late 1970s due to apartheid pressure, Black people of the informal settlement of (Marantha) were evacuated in order to accommodate white settlers at what is now called Wesselsbron Golf Club. Black people were settled at the lower/ muddy edge of the area which was known as (Marumpenyane) now called Monyakeng.
Economy
Wesselsbron boasts one of the largest grain silos in the southern hemisphere. The main agricultural activities include mealies and cattle farming.
The main agricultural activities in Wesselsbron include cattle farming and cultivation of corn, wheat, peanuts, and sunflower.
The grain silos of Senwes are the biggest silo complex in the Southern Hemisphere and can cope with the enormous amount of 275,000 tons of grain.
Because of the growing demand for liquidated fertilizer, Omnia opened a factory in Wesselsbron in 1997, one of the biggest factories in South Africa. Raw material is obtained from overseas, Richards Bay, Rustenburg, and Sasolburg to be processed in the Wesselsbron factory. Tons of liquidated fertilizer is distributed to the rich cultivated fields of the Western Free State, Northern Cape and the North West provinces.
The community of Wesselsbron has opened their farms and businesses to the tourist trade as escorted tours can be organized to visit the silos as well as a private milling complex next to Senwes.
