Name 

Mantsopa was the sister to King Moshoeshoe. She was banished from the Kingdom of King Moshoeshoe when he suspected that her powers were greater than his. When she arrived at Modderpoort there were no houses and she stayed in a cave. She was a great prophetess and everything that she predicted happened. In 1886 a group of men called “The Brotherhood of St Augustine” arrived at Modderpoort on their way to Durban. Mantsopa accommodated them in her cave. She later left them in this cave and settled at Spitskop Mountain and built a small house for herself. This cave was later known as “Lehaha la Mantsopa”.

The missionaries decided to stay and not go to Durban anymore and they turned the cave into a chapel. Mantsopa also had a fountain (this fountain still exists to date) that does not dry up at a mountain called “Verve”. She used the water from the fountain to cure sick people. Mantsopa believed in God but did not know modern religion. She later joined the church and was baptised and given the name Anna. Mantsopa’s grave continues to be visited and offerings are still placed on or near it. The entire area mentioned above was later known as “Lekgalong la Mantsopa” (Mantsopa’s Pass).

Vision 

Mantsopa Local Municipality shall be a leading force to achieve an accessible, integrated, sustainable and equitable social and economic development of her community.

Mission 

To achieve an accessible, integrated, sustainable and equitable social and economic development of the municipality

Core Values

• Transparency
• Accountability
• Responsiveness
• Self-Reliance
• Partnership

Legislative Framework 

The Mantsopa Local Municipality was established on 5 December 2000 and comprises the previous areas of jurisdiction of Tweespruit Transitional Local Council (TLC), Ladybrand TLC, Hobhouse TLC, Excelsior TLC, Thaba Patchoa TLC and Maluti Transitional Rural Council. Following the 2011 local government elections, the Mantsopa Municipality became part of the Thabo Mofutsanyane District.