Motheo is the central district of the Free State Province of South Africa and the location of Bloemfontein – the Judicial Capital of South Africa and the Capital of the Free State, and also called the City of Roses thanks to the many roses that line Kings Park in the city.
Motheo is called ‘Big Sky Country’ (although this term is often used to describe the Free State as a whole, and also all South Africa’s open inland arid, farmland and savannah regions), thanks to the miles of farmland – mostly ‘mielie’ (corn) fields, dotted with farmsteads and windmills. The N1 between Cape Town and Johannesburg has its main stopover-point at Bloemfontein in this part of Motheo, but a detour south will take you into a mountain terrain called the Korranaberg, right to the Lesotho border where you will find the tiny village of Hobhouse on the banks of the Caledon River, on the Maluti Route that joins the towns and villages along the mountainous Lesotho border.
Besides the cosmopolitan city of Bloemfontein with the unique Franklin Nature Reserve and various sports, entertainment and commercial facilities, attractions in Motheo include the Soetdoring Dam Nature Reserve just outside of Bloemfontein, and the Maria Moroka Nature Reserve and luxury Thaba N’chu Sun Hotel and Casino at Thaba N’chu.
