Boshof

Boshof
Boshof  Boshof shown within Free State
Coordinates: 28°33′S 25°14′E / 28.550°S 25.233°ECoordinates: 28°33′S 25°14′E / 28.550°S 25.233°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Lejweleputswa
Municipality	Tokologo
Established	1856[1]
Area[2]
• Total	91.7 km^2 (35.4 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
• Total	8,509
• Density	93/km^2 (240/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
• Black African	78.5%
• Coloured	10.5%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	10.1%
• Other	0.5%
First languages (2011)[2]
• Tswana	57.9%
• Afrikaans	28.7%
• Sotho	4.4%
• Xhosa	3.8%
• Other	5.1%
Postal code (street)	8340
PO box	8340
Area code	053

Boshof is a farming town in the west of the Free State province, South Africa.

Town 55 km north-east of Kimberley. Established in March 1856 on the farm Vanwyksvlei, which had been named after a Griqua who sowed his crops on it from time to time. Named in honour of Jacobus Nicolaas Boshof (1808-1881), second President of the Orange Free State (1855–59) and founder of its civil service. Became a municipality in 1872.^[3]

The local commando was involved in the Siege of Kimberley, notably the disruption of the city's water supply at Riverton.

References

1. "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
2. Sum of the Main Places Boshof and Seretse from Census 2011.
3. Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Internet Archive. p. 89. Retrieved 28 August 2013.