By virtue of the powers vested in the Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority, in terms of section 27 (5) of the National Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999) FSPHRA hereby declares the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk Brandfort in Winnie Mandela Town (also referred to as the NG Kerk Brandfort), Erf 359; as a Provincial Heritage Site.
Statement of Significance
Settlers occupied the area in the 1830 and the town was proclaimed in 1884 on the farm Keerom. The name Brandfort is an Afrikaans name which means “burning fort”. However, according to Heese JA, a historian, the town was named after Jan Brand who was a president of the Orange Free State at the time. Inhabitants of the area then signed a petition requesting the establishment of a new congregation in 1869. In 1870, numerous attempts were made by the NG Church Council to establish a congregation in Brandfort and it was only in 1975 that the church was approved. The mother church of the Brandfort area was founded on 17 June 1875, which marks it as the 20th church in the Free State. The church building was however erected in 1885 when President J Brand laid a cornerstone on 10 July. The Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) only wanted to erect a church building once the town had been proclaimed so that there would be enough people to attend the church. The church was unveiled on 19 June 1885 and was only first used on 21 January 1887. It is however not clear why this was the case. Its first Reverend was EAJ du Toit. This church was designed by an architect by the name of Rachard Wocke (1831-1890) who was a renowned architect and built not only the church in Brandfort but included Rouxville, Boshof, and Edenburg. He was also one of the architects for the Tweetoringkerk in Bloemfontein. The church was instrumental in serving as a refugee space for mainly children during the South African War (1899-1902). The church itself has a statue of an angel which signifies and honours women and children who died in concentration camps during the war. The town Brandfort has been renamed Winnie Mandela Town on 6 August 2021 (Gov gazette no. 44943, notice 682).
