I was born in a yellow dot in the middle of nowhere. The name Bloemfontein is Dutch and literally means 'flower fountain'. JRR Tolkien, Zola Budd and Hansie Cronje (a writer and two famous sports personalites) are also from this city. Nelson Mandela's infamous first wife, Winnie, lived most of her youth in Brandfort, a few kilometres north of Bloemfontein. The city uniquely boasts a game reserve in the centre of the city, on Naval Hill. The city is well known for its very hot and dry summers, and its icy cold winters. It's about 1300m above sea level, and although the Judicial Capital, one of South Africa's smaller cities.