The MR3 road, also known as the Matsapha–Mbabane–Ngwenya road or Road No. MR3, is a major highway of

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

(previously Swaziland). It is one of the busiest roads in the country, crossing it from east to west. Along with the MR7 and MR8 roads, it forms the "backbone of Swaziland's internal transport system." It connects the EN5 road in

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

near

Namaacha Namaacha or Naamacha is a town in southern Mozambique, lying 80 kilometers west of Maputo on the border with Eswatini. It is located in the Lebombos area. It is known for its Colonialism, colonial Church (building), church and for its waterfall. ...

at to the N17 road in

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 ...

at , near Ngwenya. The road passes through

Hlane Royal National Park Hlane Royal National Park is a national park in Eswatini, roughly 67 km northeast of Manzini along the MR3 road.South Africa, page 815 Prior to being designated a public park, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning 'wilderne ...

and through the capital of

Mbabane Mbabane () is the most populous city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two Capital (political), capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the Executive (government), executive capital. It has an estimated population of ...

, about further to the southwest. The highway descends into the Ezulwini Valley in four lanes. At Manzini, a bridge crosses the

Mzimene River The Mzimnene is a river of Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all ...

. Concerns were raised in the 1960s when the road was built through Hlane National Park under pressure from sugar estates at the park's borders. They claimed that the highway would cause no environmental damage, but now hundreds of antelope, wild boar, buffalo and other game are struck by vehicles each year. The road from Mbabane to

Matsapha Matsapha is a town in central Eswatini. The Matsapha urban boundary is defined in the Urban Government Act of 1969, as amended in 2012, and covers an area of approximately . Matsapha was established as an industrial park in 1965 and was officially ...

has been funded by the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, completed in 1999. From 1999, the African bank and the

Government of Eswatini Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini is the union government created by the constitution of Eswatini where the monarch holds supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The Ngwenyama (lion) is a hereditary leader, rules the country, wi ...

have financed the road to Ngwenya, a regional corridor development known as the Two International Roads Project. The total cost of the project is estimated at ZAR 463.45 million and the Roads Department of the Eswatini Ministry of Public Works and Transport are responsible for the implementation of the project.

References

Roads in Eswatini {{Swaziland-stub