Hobhouse, South Africa

Hobhouse is a small farming and homesteading town in the Free State province of South Africa. Maize, wheat, and livestock are produced here.

Hobhouse
Hobhouse, Dutch Reformed Church
Hobhouse Show map of Free State (South African province) Hobhouse Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 29°31′41″S 27°08′29″E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Thabo Mofutsanyane
Municipality	Mantsopa
Area [1]
• Total	12.6 km2 (4.9 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	244
• Density	19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• White	44.67%
• Black African	42.62%
• Coloured	8.61%
• Indian/Asian	2.87%
• Other	1.23%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	43.44%
• Sotho	38.11%
• English	14.34%
• Other	3.69%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	9740
PO box	9740
Area code	051

Background

The town lies 32 km north-east of Wepener and 51 km south-west of Ladybrand, near the Lesotho border. It was laid out on the farm Poortjie in 1912 and attained municipal status in 1913. It is named after Emily Hobhouse (1860-1926), author and philanthropist who brought to public notice abuses in concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War.^[2]