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The District Municipality is named after Edwin Thabo Mofutsanyana. He was born in 1899 in Witzieshoek (now known as QwaQwa), a tiny reserve squeezed into a valley on the south-eastern border of the Free State with Lesotho. His early education was disrupted as he had to go to work to earn money to continue his schooling. By 1919 he had saved up enough money to resume his education at Bensonvale Training Institution, a Wesleyan Methodist school in the Herschel district of the Cape Province, which borders Lesotho. He took a teachers’ training course for the next four years.He returned to the Johannesburg area and found employment as a clerk at New Modderfontein mine in Benoni. By this time, Mofutsanyana had developed a political consciousness. Inspired by the African National Congress’s (ANC) heightened activism after World War I, he joined the ANC after leaving Bensonvale.

He joined the Communist Party in 1927 and served as general secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa, and was editor of the Party newspaper, Inkululeko, during the 1940s. From the mid-1930s till the end of the 1950s, he was central to all debates and campaigns. He held office in the ANC, and so helped form the alliance between the ANC and the Party. He saw the growth of the alliance between the ANC and the Indian Congress, which represented the beginning of real unity among the oppressed people of South Africa. He was on the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa when it was banned and dissolved in 1950, and was one of the foremost among those who worked to build the South African Communist Party underground. He went into exile in Lesotho in 1959. In 1992, he returned to Witzieshoek, where he was born, and, in 1995, he died there.

Vision

To create integrated, self-reliant and sustainable communities throughout the Thabo Mofutsanyana, highlands, with financially viable, participative and developmental local municipalities.

Mission

Continuously improving and developing living conditions of our communities by providing efficient and effective bulk services and create a conducive environment for business opportunities and job creation.

Values

Integrity
Transparency
Commitment
Co-Operation
Openness
Consultation
Responsiveness
Effective Communication
Corporate governance
Social responsibility
Services delivered in line with Batho Pele principles
High level of professionalism, integrity and objectivity
Legislative Framework

Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality (DC19) was established in terms of the Municipal Structures Act (Act 117 of 1998) and proclaimed in the Provincial Gazette, Notice No 184, on 28 September 2000. Following the declaration of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and the disestablishment of the Motheo District, the Mantsopa Local Municipality became part of the Thabo Mofutsanyane district municipality. The following local municipalities fall within the district municipal area:

SetsotoLocal Municipality
DihlabengLocal Municipality
Nketoana Local Municipality
Maluti a PhofungLocal Municipality
Phumelela Local Municipality
Mantsopa Local Municipality

The Thabo Mofutsanyane district has beautiful hills and fruit farming. This district forms the eastern part of the province, and borders the Kingdom of Lesotho, Mpumalanga and Kwa-Zulu Natal provinces. The district is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Free State, mainly because of the spectacular scenic beauty of the Drakensberg and Maluti mountain ranges. The most famous attraction is the Golden Gate Highland National Park, which is well known for its spectacular sandstone formations. The District Municipality comprises of 5 local municipalities, namely;

Maluti-a-Phofung, including the towns of Harrismith, Kestell and QwaQwa;
Dihlabeng, including the towns of Bethlehem, Clarens, Fouriesburg, Paul Roux and Rosendal;
Nketoana, including the towns of Reitz, Lindley, Arlington and Petrus Steyn;
Phumelela, including the towns of Warden, Memel, Vrede and surrounding areas; and
Setsoto, including the towns of Ficksburg, Marquard, Clocolan and Senekal.

Thabo Mofutsanyana can be described as one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the Free State with a high gross income per hectare and a production capacity well above the average of the Free State. The area is also blessed with one of the most scenic environments in the country and as a result is well known for its richness in terms of tourism destinations. The Thabo Mofutsanyane district has an estimated population of approximately 728 400 people with 310 600 (43 %) living in urban areas and 417 800 (57 %) living in rural areas. These figures represent 26.8 % of the entire population of the Free State with a density of 25, 76 people per square kilometre. This district contributes to 11.7% of the GDP in the Province. The high proportions of the informal labour force in Thabo Mofutsanyana indicate the strong presence of a survivalist, micro-entrepreneurial sector. Thabo Mofutsanyana has the largest proportion and number of people living in poverty.