Wepener, on the banks of Jammersbergspruit, a tributary of the Caledon River, is a small town 120 km south-east of Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded in 1867 and named after Louw Wepener, the leader of the Boers in their war with the Basotho chief Moshoeshoe I in 1865. Louw Wepener was killed in 1865 while trying to storm Moshoeshoe's stronghold of Thaba Bosiu. The town formed its first management board in 1875. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), a British garrison of 2000 men under Colonel E. H. Dalgety was attacked by General Christiaan de Wet at Jammersdrift on the Caledon River. The siege lasted 17 days, until British reinforcements arrived on April 25, 1900 and the Boer forces were forced to retreat. Today the town is a commercial centre for a mixed farming area. Crops include wheat and maize while cattle ranching, sheep rearing and dairy farming are important for the economy of the town. This town is also close to the Van Rooyens’ Gate Border Post between South Africa and Lesotho.