science

Thaba 'Nchu

Thaba 'Nchu is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thaba 'Nchu rather than just read about it. In short: Thaba 'Nchu, also known as Blesberg (bald mountain in Afrikaans), is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people.

Key takeaways

Thaba 'Nchu belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thaba 'Nchu to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thaba 'Nchu from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thaba 'Nchu, also known as Blesberg (bald mountain in Afrikaans), is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The town was settled in December 1833 and officially established in 1873. The town grew larger following the 1913 Natives' Land Act that declared the area a homeland for the Tswana people.

History

The three Barolong clans (boo-Seleka, boo-Ratlou and boo-Tshidi) under their Chiefs, migrated here in December 1833. A decade earlier, these clans were driven from their land of origin, over the Vaal, by Mzilikazi, and sojourned at a place they called Motlhaana-wa-pitse (Jaw-bone of a horse), in what is now the western Free State. Upon reaching an agreement with King Moshoeshoe I, they settled in the area with their Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries- Samuel Broadbent and Thomas L. Hodgson. Then their numbers were augmented by other Barolong (boo-Rapulana under Matlaba) scattered by Mzilikazi. These Barolong people accepted the Voortrekkers as allies. The first Voortrekkers to stay here on their northward journeys were Louis Tregardt and Hans van Rensburg in 1835. The town subsequently became a safe meeting place for leaders such as Hendrik Potgieter, who arrived in May 1836, Piet Uys and Gerrit Maritz. After Potgieter's trek was attacked and plundered at Vegkop, Moroka II swiftly assisted him with draught oxen and a liberal provision of supplies. The Boer party was also assisted in returning to a refugee camp at Thaba 'Nchu, named "Moroka's Hoek". The Boer leader held a war council with the Barolong chiefs, Moroka, Tawana, Gontse, and Matlaba where a Boer-Barolong-Griqua allegiance was formed, which shortly routed Mzilikazi, who then founded the kingdom of Matabeleland. In 1841, when Tawana, Gontse, and Matlaba returned to their original home, Moroka II made Blesberg his permanent home. The area was considered a friendly native state of the Boer-governed Orange Free State, established in 1854. It, however, became an insular territory during the Basotho Wars, during which the Basotho were expelled from its vicinity. In the apartheid era, the town was the only Free State town that formed part of the area set aside for the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana, nominally ruled by the then President Lucas Mangope. It was then a trading centre. Under the Presidency of Mangope and the Chieftainship of Moroka II's great-grandson – Robert Tawana Mokgopa Moroka – Thaba 'Nchu Sun & Naledi Sun Hotel & Casino were established by Sun International, and it then became a major tourist attraction of the Free State, due to its proximity to Bloemfontein.

Geography Geographical features include the promontories of the Lesotho mountains, suitable for large lands with ample game, wherein a game reserve, the Maria Moroka Nature Reserve, has been maintained. A variety of wildlife and bird species are found here, besides a hiking trail, a traditional Tswana site, and amenities for various activities and adventures in the reserve. The "Thaba Nchu frog" which refers to a species described by A.C. Hoffman in 1939 as Semnodactylus thaba-nchuensis, was discovered on the summit of Thaba 'Nchu Mountain. The reserve has been named after the political town hero Dr. Maria Moroka. Much of the surrounding land is arable, which has been employed for large scale farming of both commercial and domestic nature. The town is also known for the Aran hand-knitted woolen garments made by local craftspeople.

Culture

Sport The Mmabana Stadium is located in the town.

Notable people W.Z. Fenyang Winnie Kgware Mmanthatisi James Moroka Ox Nché Kgosi Seepapitso IV

See also Bophuthatswana Red Location (township)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thaba 'Nchu

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thaba 'Nchu claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thaba 'Nchu before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thaba 'Nchu ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thaba 'Nchu

In research: Thaba 'Nchu appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thaba 'Nchu in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thaba 'Nchu is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics African National Congress politicians, Land reform, Populated places established in 1892, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thaba 'Nchu outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thaba 'Nchu in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thaba 'Nchu means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thaba 'Nchu out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thaba 'Nchu in simple terms?

Why does Thaba 'Nchu matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thaba 'Nchu?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thaba 'Nchu.