Phalaborwa (translated to English as ''better than the south; phala'' means ''better than and borwa'' means ''south'') is a town in the

Mopani District Municipality The Mopani District Municipality (; ) is one of the 5 districts of the Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat of the district is Giyani. According to the 2016 Community Survey, it had a population of 1,159,185. The district code is DC33. Aft ...

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

province,

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 ...

Name

The place was called "Phalaborwa" by the Sotho tribes who migrated from the south to the area. The name means "better than the south".

History

The Sotho mined and smelted copper and iron ore there by 400 AD.

Geography

It is located near the confluence of the Ga-Selati River and the Olifants, halfway up along the western border of the

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...

in the Lowveld. It is the only town in South Africa that borders

. The border with

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 ...

is two hours away. Various private game reserves nearly surround Phalaborwa. Hans Merensky Golf Estate is situated on the outskirts. Nearby natural attractions are Blyde River Canyon, the Three Rondavels, God's Window and Bourke's Luck Potholes; the

Tzaneen Tzaneen () is a town situated in the Mopani district of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is situated in a high rainfall fertile region with tropical and subtropical agriculture taking place in a region. It is Limpopo's second largest to ...

fruit farms and Hoedspruit game farms can all be visited within a day. Masorini, near Phalaborwa gate, is a reconstructed Ba-Phalaborwa hill village, with huts, grain storage areas, and an iron smelting site. Two townships,

Namakgale Namakgale is a large township lying 12 km outside Phalaborwa in Mopani District in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Its nearest neighbouring townships are Lulekani, Makhushane, Maseke and Mashishimale on the R71 road to Gravelotte (Ga ...

and

Lulekani Lulekani (nicknamed Lukcity) is a township 13 km outside Phalaborwa in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Lulekani is close to Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Afr ...

are where the Pedi and

Tsonga Tsonga may refer to: * Tsonga language, a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa * Tsonga people, a large group of people living mainly in southern Mozambique and South Africa. * Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) ...

reside. Rural areas such as Mashishimale, Humulani, Kurhula (Matshama Hi Nkano), Ben Farm (Majeje), Makushane and Ga-Maseke.

Economy

Mining

Phalaborwa is home to Palabora Mining. The massive open pit mine, nearly 2,000 meters across, is Africa's widest manmade hole. Founded in 1951, Foskor's Mining Division in Phalaborwa mines phosphate rock (foskorite and pyroxenite), from which Foskor's Acid Division in Richards Bay produces phosphoric acid and phosphate-based granular fertilisers for local and international markets. The opencast mine in Phalaborwa, in South Africa's Limpopo Province, has the capacity to yield 2.6 million tons per annum of phosphate rock concentrate from processing 35 million tons of ore per annum. Once crushed, milled, concentrated and dried, most of the phosphate rock concentrate is railed to Foskor's processing plant in Richards Bay, 800 km away on the country's east coast.

Tourism

Tourism and wildlife play a dominant role in the economy.

Transport

Phalaborwa Airport is a commercial airport serving the town.

Notable people

* Tshepo Mangena: cricketer * Rivoningo Mhlari: businessman *

Dale Steyn Dale Willem Steyn (; born 27 June 1983) is a South African former professional cricketer who played for the South African cricket team. He is regarded by many as the greatest bowler of the modern era. Steyn's ability to produce late swing at hi ...

: South African cricketer * Daniel Mminele: South African banker and corporate executive * Ryan Coetzee: Swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games * Ethy Mbhalati: Cricketer * Pule Mabe: Politician * Pule Shayi: Politician

Climate

This area is also known as the Valley of the Olifants. Rainfall is low. It has the highest winter temperature in South Africa, with an average winter temperature range from 9 °C to 26 °C.During summer the average temperatures vary from 20 °C to 33 °C with occasional heavy rainfall. The highest recorded temperature was 50 °C in December 2018."Bing Weather", accessed 6 June 2014

References

External links

Phalaborwa Trade & TourismPhalaborwa: The Town Of Two Summers
{{Authority control Populated places in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality Mining communities in South Africa