Villiers, South Africa

Villiers
Villiers Villiers
Coordinates: 27°02′S 28°36′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Fezile Dabi
Municipality	Mafube
Established	1891
Area
• Total	9.3 km2 (3.6 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	17,315
• Density	1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	94.0%
• Coloured	0.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	5.1%
• Other	0.2%
First languages (2011)
• Sotho	66.7%
• Zulu	19.6%
• Afrikaans	6.2%
• Xhosa	2.2%
• Other	5.4%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	9840
PO box	9840
Area code	058

Villiers is a small town situated on the banks of the Vaal River next to the N3 highway in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded in 1882 on the two farms Pearson Valley and Grootdraai owned by Lourens de Villiers.

Location

The town is located in the north-eastern Free State, in the eastern half of South Africa. It actually lies at the border of the province of Mpumalanga, with the Vaal River forming the border.

History

The town of Villiers is named after Lourens de Villiers on whose farms the town was first built. The town was established at the Vaal River crossing on the route between Durban and Johannesburg. The town was proclaimed by State President F.W. Reitz on 29 May 1891.

The town is part of Mafube Local Municipality.

Notable people

• Theuns Stofberg