About
Lindley is a small town situated on the banks of the Vals River in the eastern region of the Free State province of South Africa. It was named after an American missionary, Daniel Lindley, who was the first ordained minister to the Voortrekkers in Natal. Basotho call it Ntha, after the river. The settlement of Lindley was laid out in 1875 on the farm Brandhoek and was proclaimed a town in 1878. The main route to the town is the R707. Lindley, together with its neighbouring towns of Reitz, Petrus Steyn and Arlington form the Nketoana Local Municipality. Early inhabitants were Dihoja, a group of Basotho people who lived in prehistoric stone huts or sedan Beehive stone huts found in the area. Dihoja intermarried with the Bataung who settled in the area called Matlwantlwang. Lindley has reestablished their proud rugby union in 2016, after having little success since being ranked first in the Free State in 1994.