The
Free State (, ; before 1995, the
Orange Free State) is a
province of
South Africa. Its capital is
Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the
Orange Free State Boer republic and later
Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the
Bantustans were abolished and reincorporated into South Africa. It is also the only one of the four original provinces of South Africa not to undergo border changes, excluding the reincorporation of Bantustans.