Mbombela, formerlyNelspruit, is a city in northeasternSouth Africa. It is the capital of theMpumalanga province. Located on theCrocodile River, the city lies about 110 km (68 mi) by road west of theMozambique border, 330 km (210 mi) east ofJohannesburg and 82 km (51 mi) north of theEswatini border. Mbombela was one of the host cities of the2010 FIFA World Cup.
San rock art andIron Age archaeological evidence indicate the area has a long history of human habitation. Construction for the Mpumalanga legislature revealed farming settlements, storage pits, burial sites, and pottery ranging from the 6th to 17th century.[3] The presence of cattle bones at the Riverside site is thought to be evidence that early Nguni practices oflabola originated in easternSouth Africa.[4]
The city was founded in 1895 by three brothers of the Nel family who grazed their cattle around the site in the winter months. During theBoer War, Nelspruit served briefly as the seat of government for theSouth African Republic, an independentBoer republic (not to be confused with theRepublic of South Africa).
The history of Nelspruit occurred along segregated lines. Under Apartheid’s policy ofseparate development, Black people were forcibly removed from the town to Lekazi,Kanyamazane, and other outlying areas as menial labour reserve.[5] In the early 1970s, Nelpark was formed as a Coloured district andValencia Park as aSouth Asian area in the town.[6] Youth centres, public amenities, and schools such as Nelspruit Laerskool were reserved for the town’s white population.[6]
In October 2009, the South African government renamed the city "Mbombela", the name of thelocal municipality.[7] The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism subsequently approached theHigh Court of South Africa to challenge the decision, citing a lack of both consultation and city funds available to pay for roadsign and website name changes.[8] Ultimately, the name change was upheld in May 2014 by theNorth Gauteng High Court.[9][10] Mbombela means "many people together in a small space" inSiswati.[11]
The city has four major publichigh schools and aTVET college (Ehlanzeni); more schools across all age groups are being built in response to overcrowding.[12]
The city is home to theAgricultural Research Council's Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops and theLowveld National Botanical Garden. Citrus Research International (CRI) has a major facility in the city. The Lowveld College of Agriculture, located near UMP, also conducts research in the field ofbotany.
A new Northern Bypass was built for the N4 toll route (opened on 13 June 2010)[15] and the old road through the city centre (Samora Machel Drive) was redesignated as theR104 route.[14] Other roads in the area include theR40 route (which connects toBarberton, a border witheSwatini in the south and withWhite River in the north) and theR37 route (which connects toMashishing in the north-west).[14]
Tolling
The N4, managed by Trans African Concessions (TRAC), involves payment oftoll: Traffic heading on the N4E (the direction ofMaputo) must pass through the Nkomazi Toll Plaza, about 42 kilometres (26 mi) east of Mbombela, while traffic heading on the N4W (the direction ofeMalahleni) must pass through the Machado Toll Plaza, about 107 kilometres (66 mi) west of Mbombela.
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, located about 27 km (17 mi) north east of the city, began operations in October 2002.[17] Scheduled flights operate to locations within South Africa and abroad (toZambia,Zimbabwe andMozambique). TheR 360,000,000 complex has a 3.1 km (10,170.6 ft) runway which can accommodate aircraft up to the size of aBoeing 747. The airport currently handles about 250,000 passengers per annum.
Nelspruit Airport, located about 9 km (6 mi) south west of the city, is the city's original airport owned and operated by the municipality. It primarily handlesgeneral aviation aircraft, and several aircraft maintenance, firefighting, charter and training companies are based at the airport.
The city is a major stopover point for tourists travelling toKruger National Park and to Mozambique. Other tourism attractions nearby includeSudwala Caves, and God's Window in theBlyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, a lookout point which provides a panoramic view over the famous Drakensberg Escarpment.[18] The city is the nearest major South African city to Mozambique's capital,Maputo, and as such the city receives significant tourism from Mozambican locals. The city is also home to the Lowveld National Botanical Garden, set in 154 hectares of land along the eastern bank of the Crocodile River and containing around 500 species of plant species indigenous to the area.[19]
Mbombela Golf Club was originally the Nelspruit Golf Club until 2017. Following an incident in which a black caddie was allegedly assaulted by four white golfers, the club's name was changed, alongside other commitments to increase the number of black staff and pay caddies a basic salary.[22]
Lowveld Media is a major printer and publisher of newsprint materials in the region. Majornewspapers include theLowvelder,Mpumalanga News andNelspruit Post. African Eye News Service is an established news agency in the city which writes articles for national newspapers and websites.[citation needed]
TheSABC has a regional office in the city. Jacaranda FM operates a studio near the Emnotweni Casino.
Ligwalagwala FM is the largestSABC-owned radio station in the city and the Mpumalanga Province. It is apublic broadcaster which primarily broadcasts in theSwazi language.
RISE FM (originally namedMPowerFM before it was bought out by theTimes Media Group) is an independent commercial radio station broadcasting in English from studios in the city and eMalahleni to the province of Mpumalanga,[23] and theAfrikaans local community radio stationRadio Laeveld 100.5fm broadcasts to theLowveld area from the city.[24]
The town is mentioned in the TV show The Chelsea Detective S2 E3.
The city contains several entertainment venues, the most prominent being the Emnotweni Casino complex. The city has a civic centre (built in 1994) with a large theatre, which can be hired by both amateurs and professionals, but recently the centre has fallen into disrepair.[25]
The city has a strong consumer-based retail industry boosted significantly by neighbouringMozambican andSwazi tourists. There are various majorshopping centers, notably the Riverside and Ilanga malls. Recent developments include the Crossing Shopping Center and the City Center.[citation needed]
The city is home to the Manganese Metal Company (MMC) and Delta EMD, which together form one of the largestmanganese processing facilities in the world. There are several medium industries which support the agriculture and forestry sectors.[citation needed]
The city is a key agricultural processing hub for northeastern South Africa. Themacadamia industry is centred within the city, with an annual production for the 2017/18 production year of 26,400 tons NIS (nut-in shell at 1.5% kernel moisture content). There are many citrus farms and thecanning,juicing and extract ofcitrus fruit and other produce is a large business for the area. Fertile soils and thesubtropical climate provide perfect conditions for the growing of citrus and tropicalfruits, mainlymango,banana,avocado,papaya and macadamia nuts.[citation needed]
Sugar is also big business in the region. TSB, the producer of Selati sugar, is located a few kilometres east of the city. The low-lying areas in the region is dotted withsugarcane farms.[citation needed]
The economy is heavily reliant on the forestry sector. SAPPI has a paper mill in the small town ofNgodwana, about 44 km south-west of the city which was recently[when?] upgraded to produce cellulose fibers for various applications. The city is the global headquarters of KISHUGU which is the parent company of Working on Fire. KISHUGU is also a major player in the forestry sector. The region has several timber-related industries such as lumber and saw mills as well as furniture, crate and carton manufacturing businesses.[citation needed]
The city features ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) with mild winters and hot summers. Summers are hot and somewhat humid complete with high precipitation. Winters in the city are dry, with relatively warm temperatures during the day and chilly temperatures at night.
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