Mantsopa Local Municipality

Mantsopa Local Municipality
—  Local municipality  —
Location in the Free State
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Thabo Mofutsanyana District
Seat	Ladybrand
Area
- Total	4,291 km2 (1,656.8 sq mi)
Population (2007)[1]
- Total	59,028
- Density	13.8/km2 (35.6/sq mi)
- Households	15,985
Racial makeup[2] (2007)
- Black African	81.67%
- White	7.21%
- Coloured	10.83%
- Indian or Asian	0.29%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code	FS173

Mantsopa Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District of the Free State in South Africa.

Origin of the name

Mantsopa was a sister to King Moshoeshoe who banished her from the Kingdom when he suspected that her powers were greater than his. When she arrived at Modderpoort there were no houses and she stayed in a cave. In 1886 a group of men called The Brotherhood of St Augustine arrived at Modderpoort, and Mantsopa accommodated them in her cave. The missionaries decided to stay and they turned the cave into a chapel. Mantsopa later joined the church and was baptised and given the name Anna. Mantsopa's grave continues to be visited and offerings are still placed on or near it.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Community Survey, 2007: Basic Results Municipalities" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. http://www.statssa.gov.za/Publications/P03011/P030112007.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
2. ^ "Community Survey 2007 interactive data". Statistics South Africa. http://www.statssa.gov.za/community_new/content.asp?link=interactivedata.asp. Retrieved 19 October 2009. 
3. ^ South African Languages - Place names