Bloemfontein, often referred to as the 'City of Roses', is a unique blend of judicial significance and natural beauty. As the judicial capital of South Africa and the home to the Supreme Court of Appeals, Bloemfontein holds a significant place in the country's legal framework. However, it's not all about law and order in this city. Bloemfontein, the sixth-largest city in South Africa, is also renowned for its stunning gardens and the 4000 rose bushes that adorn Kings Park.
Bloemfontein is alright ja, been to Vodacom Park for rugby more times than I can count. The roses in Kings Park are lekker when they bloom in November, my wife likes to walk there when we in town for supplies. Its a quiet city compared to Jozi or Cape Town, dis mos so, people here still greet you on the street. Judicial capital is nice and all but what matters more to us boere is the co op and the auctions close by. Roads into town are getting bad though, potholes everywhere, government must just fix that before worrying about more roses.
Funny how we call it the judicial capital yet so many schools in the Free State still don’t have proper libraries or reliable internet for the kids. Kings Park and those roses are lovely for the tourists, but I’d love to see the same pride put into the classrooms a few kilometres away in Mangaung’s townships. Nice piece though, we don’t celebrate Bloem enough as a city with real substance beyond the court.