Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. It is the capital of the

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. ...

province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

border, east of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

and north of the

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

border. Mbombela was one of the host cities of the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

History

San rock art and

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

archaeological evidence indicate the Mbombela 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. The presence of cattle bones at the Riverside site is thought to be evidence that early Nguni practices of labola originated in eastern

. Mbombela was founded as Nelspruit in 1895 by three brothers of the Nel family who grazed their cattle around the site in the winter months. During the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, Nelspruit served briefly as the seat of government for the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when i ...

, an independent Boer republic (not to be confused with the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countr ...

). The settlement was a key stopover for the Eastern Railway built by the Netherlands-South African Railway Company in the late 19th century which ran from the newly discovered

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

goldfields to Delagoa Bay in Portuguese East Africa (modern-day

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,0 ...

). The discovery of gold in Mpumalanga, such as at Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton, encouraged further development. The history of what was then Nelspruit occurred along segregated lines. Under Apartheid’s policy of separate development, Black people were forcibly removed from the town to Lekazi, Kanyamazane, and other outlying areas as menial labour reserve. In the early 1970s, Nelpark was formed as a Coloured district and Valencia as an Indian area in the town. Youth centers, public amenities, and schools such as Nelspruit Laerskool were reserved for the town’s white population.

Name change

In October 2009, the South African government renamed the city "Mbombela", the name of the local municipality. The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism subsequently approached the

High Court of South Africa The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction over a defined geographica ...

to challenge the decision, citing a lack of both consultation and city funds available to pay for road and website name changes. Ultimately, the name change was upheld in May 2014 by the North Gauteng High Court. Mbombela means "many people together in a small space" in Siswati.

Education and research institutions

Mbombela has four major public

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and a

TVET TVET (technical and vocational education and training) refers to all forms and levels of education and training which provide knowledge and skills related to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life through formal, non-formal a ...

college (Ehlanzeni); more schools across all age groups are being built in response to overcrowding. The city hosts the University of Mpumalanga (UMP). Established in 2014 with an intake of 140 students, it had over 4,300 students as of 2020. The Tshwane University of Technology has a satellite campus in Mbombela with over 1,500 students, and UNISA has an office offering

online courses Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refer ...

. Mbombela is home to the

Agricultural Research Council The Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) was a British Research Council responsible for funding and managing scientific and technological developments in farming and horticulture. History The AFRC was formed in 1983 from its predecessor, ...

's Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops and the

Lowveld National Botanical Garden The Lowveld National Botanical Garden, one of the nine National Botanical Gardens of South Africa is located just outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga at the confluence of the Crocodile River and Nels River, which are separated by an extensive promont ...

. 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 of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

Transport

Road

N4 Route entering the city of Nelspruit, South Africa

Mbombela is on the

Maputo Corridor The Maputo Corridor is a major trade corridor which connects the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa with Maputo, which is a port and the capital of Mozambique. The corridor comprises roads - including the N4 toll road (from ...

, a major trade route linking

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...

which, with the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, forms a transport trunk that crosses the entire sub-continent from Walvis Bay in

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

to Maputo on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. The N4 toll route is the main arterial route with a double lane highway all the way to

and Pretoria. The new Northern Bypass was built for the N4 toll route, so the old road through the city centre (Samora Machel Drive) is now designated as the R104 route. Other roads in the area include the R40 route (which connects to Barberton, a border with

in the south and with White River in the north) and the R37 route (which connects to Mashishing in the north-west).

Rail

Nelspruit railway station lies on the Pretoria–Maputo railway.

Air

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, located about north east of the city, began operations in October 2002. Scheduled flights operate to locations within South Africa and abroad (to

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

and

). The complex has a runway which can accommodate aircraft up to the size of a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, ...

. The airport currently handles about 250,000 passengers per annum. Nelspruit Airport, located about south west of the city, is the city's original airport owned and operated by the municipality. It primarily handles

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft, and several aircraft maintenance, firefighting, charter and training companies are based at the airport.

Suburbs and townships

*West Acres *Steiltes *Sonheuwel *Riverside *Alkmaar *Nelsville *Valencia Park *Nelindia *Stonehenge *Kamagugu *Vintonia *The Rest *Nelspruit Central (CBD) *Pumlanga *KaNyamazane *Pienaar *Schagen *KaBokweni *

Matsulu Matsulu is a township in the Mbombela Local Municipality under the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It lies next to the N4 national road 41 km east of Nelspruit (Mbombela) CBD, 3 km before the ...

*Karino *Masoyi *KaMsogwaba

Tourism

Mbombela is a major stopover point for tourists traveling to

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

and to Mozambique. Other tourism attractions nearby include

Sudwala Caves The Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, South Africa, are set in Precambrian dolomite (rock), dolomite rock, which was first laid down about 2800 million years ago. The caves themselves formed about 240 million years ago. They are the oldest caves ...

, and God's Window in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, a lookout point which provides a panoramic view over the famous Drakensberg Escarpment. Mbombela is the nearest major South African city to Mozambique's capital,

, and as such Mbombela receives significant tourism from Mozambican locals. The city is also home to the National Botanical Gardens, 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.

Sport

Alkmaar Raceway

The Alkmaar Raceway is a motocross track. It hosted the 2008 FIM Motocross World Championship South African Motocross Grand Prix.

Mbombela Stadium

Mbombela Stadium was built as an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

stadium for the

. Finished in November 2009 and costing , it has a capacity of 43,500; and the construction process contained several controversies. The stadium hosted four 2010 FIFA World Cup matches and is the current home of the Pumas rugby team. In 2013 it hosted two rugby test matches between

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, followed by

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The Stadium hosts regular Premier Soccer League matches with

Bidvest Wits Bidvest Wits Football Club, (simply often known as Wits University F.C. or Wits) was a South African professional football club from Johannesburg which played in the Premier Soccer League the first-tier of South African league football system. ...

, Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mpumalanga Black Aces regularly playing host.

Mbombela Golf Club

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.

Media

Print

Lowveld Media is a major printer and publisher of newsprint materials in the region. Major

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

include the ''Lowvelder'', ''Mpumalanga News'' and ''Nelspruit Post''. African Eye News Service is an established news agency in Mbombela which writes articles for national newspapers and websites.

Broadcasting

The SABC has a regional office in the city. Jacaranda FM operates a studio near the Emnotweni Casino. Ligwalagwala FM is the largest SABC-owned radio station in the city and the Mpumalanga Province. It is a public broadcaster which primarily broadcasts in the

Swazi language The Swazi or siSwati language is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini and South Africa by the Swati people. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 2.4 million. The language is taught in Eswatini and s ...

. RISE FM (originally named

MPowerFM MPowerFM is a commercial radio station serving Mpumalanga. Broadcasting from studios in Emalahleni and Nelspruit, MPowerFM went on air in December 2007. History MPowerFM was a dream that became a reality in the early part of 2006. With African ...

before it was bought out by the Times Media Group) is an independent commercial radio station broadcasting in English from studios in Mbombela and eMalahleni to the province of Mpumalanga, and the

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

local community radio station Radio Laeveld 100.5fm broadcasts to the

Lowveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

area from Mbombela.

Culture

Mbombela 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. Laeveld NBT, rivieroewer

Mbombela has its own version of concert in the park with annual performances by musicians in the

s. Several cultural and agricultural shows are hosted annually, including: * The Lowveld Show * The Lowveld Agri Show * * The Nelspruit Motor Show * The Colour Run

Economy

The international grilled-chicken fast food restaurant chain Galito's was founded and is headquartered in Mbombela.

Finance

Mbombela is the financial and banking capital of

Retail

The city has a strong consumer-based retail industry boosted significantly by neighbouring Mozambican and Swazi tourists. There are various major shopping centers, notably the Riverside and Ilanga malls. Recent developments include the Crossing Shopping Center and the City Center.

Industry

The city is home to the Manganese Metal Company (MMC) and Delta EMD, which together form one of the largest

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...

processing facilities in the world. There are several medium industries which support the agriculture and forestry sectors. There is also a thriving construction industry which, despite the 2008 recession, has kept growing.

Agriculture

Mbombela is a key agricultural processing hub for northeastern South Africa. The macadamia industry is centered within the city of Mbombela, 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 the

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, althoug ...

, juicing and extract of

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

and other produce is a large business for the area. Fertile soils and the

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north a ...

climate provide perfect conditions for the growing of citrus and tropical

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

, mainly mango,

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

and macadamia nuts.

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

is also big business in the region. TSB, the producer of Selati sugar, is located a few kilometers east of the city. The low-lying areas in the region is dotted with

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

farms.

Forestry

The economy is heavily reliant on the forestry sector. SAPPI has a paper mill west of the city which was recently upgraded to produce cellulose fibers for various applications. Mbombela 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.

International relations

Mbombela is twinned with: * Maia, Portugal

has a consulate in the city.Missões Consulares
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

Climate

Mbombela features a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cwa'') 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.

People

Beth Diane Armstrong Beth Diane Armstrong (born 1985) is a South African sculptor. Her skills, ambitious scale and large projects have allowed her to assume the role and position alongside many of her South African male counterparts. For the last number of years she ...

, sculptor * Matthew Clay, swimmer, gold medallist in the 50m backstroke at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

(representing England) *

Faf de Klerk Francois "Faf" de Klerk (born 19 October 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Yokohama Canon Eagles and the South Africa national team. He was a member of the South Africa ...

, Springbok rugby player *

Cliff Drysdale Eric Clifford Drysdale (born 26 May 1941) is a South African former tennis player. After a career as a highly ranked professional player in the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a well-known tennis announcer. Drysdale won the singles title at ...

, professional tennis player and television presenter * Robert Gumede, businessman *

Anton Haig Anton Jason Haig (born 8 May 1986) is a South African professional golfer. Golf career Haig was born in Nelspruit. He turned professional on 1 September 2004 and plays on the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour. He has won four times worldwide wi ...

, professional golfer *

Janneman Malan Janneman Nieuwoudt Malan (born 18 April 1996) is a South African cricketer. He made his international debut for the South Africa cricket team in February 2019. Domestic and T20 career Malan was included in the North West squad for the 2016 Afr ...

, Proteas cricket team player *

Pieter Malan Pieter Jacobus Malan (born 13 August 1989) is a South African professional cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm medium-fast. Since 2007, he has played first-class cricket for both Northerns and Titans. He made his inter ...

, South Africa national cricket team player *

Rebecca Malope } Batsogile Lovederia "Rebecca" Malope (born June 30, 1968) is a South African gospel singer. She is known as "The Queen of Gospel." Her music career spans more than three decades. She has sold at least 10 million albums worldwide, making her o ...

, gospel music personality *

Mandisa Mashego Mandisa Sibongile Mashego (born 26 August 1973) is a South African politician and feminist. A former member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), she served as the party's provincial chairperson in Gauteng from 2018 to 2020. She was also a Me ...

, member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature *

Heyneke Meyer Heyneke Meyer (born 6 October 1967) is a professional rugby union coach, best known for coaching the Springboks from 2012 until 2015. Prior to coaching the Springboks, he spent many years at the domestic level in South Africa before coaching Lei ...

, Springbok rugby coach * Nicholas Nkuna, actor * Ray Phiri, musician * Monique Smit, professional golfer *

Renske Stoltz Renske Stoltz is a South African netball player. Early life Stoltz was born in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga before shifting with her family to Rustenburg, North West. She has played netball for the past seventeen years and attended Hoërskool Rusten ...

South Africa national netball team The South Africa national netball team, nicknamed the SPAR Proteas, represents South Africa in women's international netball. The SPAR Proteas are coached by Dorette Badenhorst, and are captained by Bongiwe Msomi. The team are governed by Netb ...

player * Lucas Thwala,

South Africa national football team The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and it is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for Soccer in South Africa. The team's nickname is Bafana Bafana (The Boys ...

player * Duane Vermeulen, Springbok rugby player *

Pedrie Wannenburg Pedrie Johannes Wannenburg (2 January 1981 – 22 April 2022) was a South African rugby union player. He last coached for Austin Elite Rugby in North American Major League Rugby. He played for Austin in 2018, Denver Stampede in the now defunct P ...

, Springbok rugby player

References

External links

Mbombela Local Municipality
*
Ehlanzeni District Municipality

Pacific Trail MFG
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1905 Populated places in the Mbombela Local Municipality Provincial capitals in South Africa Mbombela 1905 establishments in South Africa