Badplaas, current officially named eManzana, is a small town on the R38 road in eastern

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The town covers a total area of 14.66 square metres per miles which is equal 37.96 KM squared of land. It was established in

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

on the Seekoeispruit, in the foothills of the Dlomodlomo Mountains (meaning "place of much thunder"), at the site of a sulphur spring that delivers ±30,000 litres of hot water (at ±50 °C) per hour. Multiple sulphur springs are found around the area, including the one situated at Mkhingoma on the Mkhomazana river.

History

Swazi tribesmen were the first to discover the spring and called it "eManzana", which means "healing waters". It has been said that in about 1876 the Swazi chief presented this spring, in gratitude, to a hunter, Jacob de Clerq, who subsequently built a store nearby and developed the spring to allow for visitors’ use due to its believed medicinal properties.

Recreation

The spring became very popular when gold was discovered in the De Kaap Valley (near Barberton). Prospectors would visit there on weekends to get away from their strenuous work of digging for gold. On 6 November 1893, the government claimed the springs to develop a health resort for public use in perpetuity. It was proclaimed in December 1947. The Protea Group managed this Aventura Resort for a time, but the resort has now been purchased by the Forever Resorts Group.

Schools

* Sunduza Primary School * Izithandani Combined School * Engabezweni Secondary School * Laerskool

References

Populated places in the Albert Luthuli Local Municipality Populated places founded by Afrikaners Hot springs of South Africa Populated places established in 1876 1876 establishments in Africa {{Mpumalanga-geo-stub