Winburg is a small mixed farming town 120 km north Bloemfontein, in the Free State province of South Africa. Proclaimed in 1837, it is the oldest town in the Free State and lies midway between the Orange River and the Vaal River, east of the N1, which links Cape Town to Johannesburg. During the Anglo-Boer War, a concentration camp for women and children captured by the British Army during their scorched earth campaign, was erected at Winburg 355 children and 132 adults died there due to malnutrition, contagious diseases and exposure during the bitterly cold winters of 1899 - 1901. The famous Boer General Koos de la Rey was born in the district of Winburg on the farm Doornfontein. Winburg was a very neat town, known for its good school, concrete streets, sandstone church, orphanage, fully equipped hospital and well maintained infrastructure. Presently, the town's economy is dwindling, maintenance is minimal and it is just a shadow of what it was before 1994.

From Johannesburg, take the N1 south towards Cape Town. At 280 km, take the eastbound turn-off to Winburg.

Gas refill is available at Freddy's electrical. A.C. Workshops and Spares can assist with mechanical repair.

“In 1836, during a dispute between the Tswana and Basothos, the Voortrekkers offered protection to Tswana Chief Makwana, against the Basotho raids from the mountains of the current Lesotho. In exchange for this protection, the Voortrekkers were given the land between the Vet and Vaal Rivers. The Voortrekker leaders disagreed as to where to site a town. Andries Pretorius's group won the subsequent vote and decided to establish the town in its current position and to call it Winburg, after the Dutch word winnen (to win). ” - Chris Smit, 2012/12/01

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