Mpumalanga
Capital: Nelspruit
Principal languages: siSwati 30,8%
isiZulu 26,4%
isiNdebele 12,1%
Population: 3 508 000 (Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2007)
Area (km2): 79 490
Mpumalanga means “Place where the Sun Rises”. Because of the province’s spectacular scenic beauty and abundance of wildlife, it is one of South Africa’s major tourist destinations.
With a surface area of only 79 490 km2, the second-smallest province after Gauteng, it has the fourth-largest economy in South Africa.
Bordered by Mozambique and Swaziland in the east and Gauteng in the west, it is situated mainly on the high plateau grasslands of the Middleveld, which roll eastwards for hundreds of kilometres. In the north-east, it rises towards mountain peaks and terminates in an immense escarpment. In some places, this escarpment plunges hundreds of metres down to the low-lying area known as the Lowveld.
The area has a network of excellent roads and railway connections, making it highly accessible. Because of its popularity as a tourist destination, Mpumalanga is also served by a number of small airports, such as the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
Nelspruit is the capital of the province and the administrative and business centre of the Lowveld. Witbank is the centre of the local coal-mining industry; Standerton, in the south, is renowned for its large dairy industry; and Piet Retief in the south-east is a production area for tropical fruit and sugar.
A large sugar industry is also found at Malelane in the east; Ermelo is the district in South Africa that produces the most wool; Barberton is one of the oldest gold-mining towns in South Africa; and Sabie is situated in the forestry heartland of the country.
The Maputo Corridor, which links the province with Gauteng and Maputo in Mozambique, heralds a new era in terms of economic development and growth for the region.
As the first international toll road in Africa, the Maputo Corridor is attracting investment and releasing the local economic potential of the landlocked parts of the country. The best-performing sectors in the province include mining, manufacturing and services. Tourism and agroprocessing are potential growth sectors in the province.
Mpumalanga falls mainly within the Grassland Biome. The escarpment and the Lowveld form a transitional zone between this grassland area and the Savanna Biome.
Long stretches of undulating grasslands change abruptly into thickly forested ravines and thundering waterfalls of the escarpment, only to change again into the subtropical wildlife splendour of the Lowveld. Sabie and Graskop provide a large part of the country’s total forestry products. These forestry plantations are an ideal backdrop for ecotourism opportunities, with a variety of popular hiking trails, a myriad waterfalls, patches of indigenous forest and many nature reserves.
Lake Chrissie is the largest natural freshwater lake in South Africa and is famous for its variety of aquatic birds, especially flamingos.
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The people
Even though it is one of the smaller provinces, Mpumalanga has a population of more than 3,6 million people (Community Survey, 2007). Mpumalanga’s official unemployment rate is 22,9% (Labour Force Survey, March 2008).
In Mpumalanga, 82% of households have access to electricity for lighting, 77% of households live in formal dwellings, 66% of households have access to a refrigerator, 78% of households have access to a cellphone and 41% of households have access to sanitary facilities.
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Agriculture and forestry
The province is a summer-rainfall area divided by the escarpment into the Highveld region with cold frosty winters, and the Lowveld region with mild winters and a subtropical climate.
The escarpment area sometimes experiences snow on high ground. Thick mist is common during the hot, humid summers. An abundance of citrus fruit and many other subtropical fruits – mangoes, avocados, litchis, bananas, pawpaws, granadillas, guavas – as well as nuts and a variety of vegetables are produced here. Nelspruit is the second-largest citrus-producing area in South Africa and is responsible for one third of the country’s export in oranges. The Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops is situated here.
Groblersdal is an important irrigation area, which yields a wide variety of products such as citrus fruit, cotton, tobacco, wheat and vegetables. Carolina-Bethal-Ermelo is mainly a sheep-farming area, but potatoes, sunflowers, maize and peanuts are also produced in this region.
To facilitate the growth of the agricultural sector, the province will increase the cultivation and processing of soya beans into biofuels. During 2007, soil analysis was done to identify suitable soil for soya-bean production. In addition, a farmer outreach programme was started and private-sector support for the programme was secured. In 2008/09, R20 million was allocated to initiate a pilot project on 8 000 hectares (ha) of land, with a view to expanding the scale in the 2009/10 financial year.
During 2007/08, the allocation of R30 million for the Masibuyel’ Emasimini Project was used to provide 52 tractors, seeds and fertilisers to the rural poor to maximise food production in poor rural areas. A total 11 935 ha of land were ploughed and planted to benefit 5 913 people. In the 2008/09 financial year, R35 million was allocated to scale up support to deliver 83 tractors, plough and plant 15 000 ha of land, thereby reaching 5 916 new beneficiaries.
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Industry
Mpumalanga is very rich in coal reserves. The country’s major power stations, three of which are the biggest in the southern hemisphere, are situated here. Unfortunately, these cause the highest levels of air pollution in the country.
Secunda, where South Africa’s second petroleum- from-coal installation is situated, is also located in this province.
One of the country’s largest paper mills is situated at Ngodwana, close to its timber source. Middelburg produces steel and vanadium, while Witbank is the biggest coal producer in Africa.
The province’s flagship programmes include the Maputo Development Corridor; the Moloto Rail Development Corridor; the Water for All, the Heritage, Greening Mpumalanga; and tourism programmes.
In September 2007, the unemployment rate in Mpumalanga stood at 22,9%
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