Reitz, Free State

Reitz is a small maize, wheat and cattle farming town located in the east of the Free State province of South Africa.

Town and township
The original town, Reitz, lies upon the northwestern hillside. On the opposite hill lies the town's township, Petsana.

The population data of Reitz (as of the 2011 Census):

Population = 3362

Population group: White (54.1%) Black African (43%) Other (1.6%) Indian or Asian (0.7%) Coloured (0.62%)

First language: Afrikaans (55.24%) Sesotho (31.96%) isiZulu (5.45%) English (2.88%) Other (1.39%) isiXhosa (1.01%) Setswana (0.76%) Sign language (0.76%) Sepedi (0.25%) isiNdebele (0.25%) Xitsonga (0.03%)

Petsana's population data (as of the 2011 Census) is:

Population = 16,821

Population group: Black African (99.44%) Coloured (0.22%) Other (0.12%) Indian or Asian (0.12%) White (0.10%)

First language: Sesotho (73.42%) isiZulu (22.56%) Sign language (1.14%) isiXhosa (1.05%) Afrikaans (0.61%) English (0.48%) Other (0.32%) isiNdebele (0.15%) Setswana (0.11%) Xitsonga (0.10%) Sepedi (0.05%) Siswati (0.01%)

Local economy
Petsana is a mainly residential area with schools and small shops and businesses, but very few industrial work sites. Most of the working population either goes out daily to work on farms in the area or they work in town. Reitz has an industrial area, most notably the steel and farming equipment construction company, Van Zyl's Staalwerke. Reitz is also home to the headquarters of the co-op group, VKB. The VKB Group is a modern, dynamic agricultural enterprise that has, since its establishment in 1919, continuously focused on accomplishing solutions for the changing and diverse needs of agricultural producers and related stakeholders. It addresses the basic needs for agricultural inputs, mechanization, handling and marketing of grain, financing and insurance. Another company that employs a lot of local workers is Grain Field Chickens. A subsidiary of VKB Agriculture (Pty) Ltd, Grain Field is a technologically advanced abattoir, currently slaughtering between 800 000 to 850 000 chickens per week.

Agriculture
The town has one of the largest maize silos in the southern hemisphere and is a major maize growing community.

Tjheseho Skills Development Centre
On 30 April 2024 Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande and Free State MEC Mr Makalo Mohale launched a Community Education Infrastructure Programme at Tjheseho Skills Development Centre in Reitz. The Community College which is set to open its doors in January 2025 will admit 5000 learners.

The Tjheseho Skills Development Centre will serve as a multifaceted hub for skills enhancement, with a primary focus on agricultural simulation. Training will also be provided in sectors such as agriculture, business, transport, trade, manufacturing, and community services.

History and name
Founded in 1889, the town was previously known as Singer's Post, its name was changed to Amsterdam, and again to its current name Reitz after the Orange Free State president, Francis William Reitz.Like many other towns in the Free State, the first inhabitants of the area was the Basotho.

Location
Reitz is located in the north-eastern part of the Free State province, 300 km north-east of Bloemfontein and 180 km south of Johannesburg. It lies roughly halfway between the towns of Bethlehem and Frankfort, at an elevation of 1630 m.

Nearby towns
The nearest settlements or towns and their respective distances are listed here: Tweeling 30 km
 * Daniëlsrus – 25 km
 * Bethlehem – 49.9 km
 * Frankfort – 58.2 km
 * Heilbron – 75.5 km
 * Villiers – 87.5 km
 * Vrede – 90.3 km

Notable people from Reitz

 * Thuso Motaung - Lesedi FM Presenter

Helpful links

 * https://web.archive.org/web/20090206235601/http://www.routes.co.za/fs/reitz/index.html