town, northeastern Free State province, South Africa. It was the capital of the territory formerly designated by South Africa as the nonindependent Bantustan of Qwaqwa. Phuthaditjhaba lies near the merger point of the Free State–Lesotho borders. The inhabitants of the town are mostly southern Sotho resettled from other areas of South Africa in the 1970s and early 1980s. The few industrial establishments in the town include a furniture factory, a bakery, and plants producing clothing and knitted articles. The inhabitants mostly commute to towns outside the state such as Marrismith and Bethlehem for employment. Pop. (2001) 53,177.