On 1 November 1974, Qwaqwa was granted self-government, with
Tsiame Kenneth Mopeli as Chief Minister. Mopeli would serve as Chief Minister throughout QwaQwa's existence. After 27 April 1994, QwaQwa was dissolved, following the
first South African democratic election, and reunited with Orange Free State. It is now part of the
Free State province, with
Witsieshoek serving as the seat of
Maluti a Phofung Local Municipality. The municipality also comprises the towns of Harrismith and Kestell. Together, they have a combined population of 385 413, of which about 80% lives in the former QwaQwa. The population is divided as follows: 98.09% Black; White 1.68%; Coloured 0.09% and Asian and/or Indian 0.13%. The place was also a major educational centre in the old apartheid days, with at least 80% of schools in the present Free State province having teachers that were educated in the former homeland. It has a fully functional university, but its teachers' colleges have been turned into FETs (Further Education and Training) colleges. The university was called "Uniqwa" under the University of the North before 1994, but it since has been incorporated into the
University of the Free State (UFS) and renamed "UFS Qwaqwa Campus". The Bantustan of QwaQwa had only one district in 1991,
Witsieshoek, with a population of 342,886.
Leaders of QwaQwa Dates in italics indicate
de facto continuation of office. ==Geography==