Mbombela Profile

Mbombela

Mbombela Civic Centre at night

Background

City of Mbombela, the Siswati word for “a lot of people together in a small space” aptly describes some of the areas of the Mbombela Local Municipality’s area of jurisdiction in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The municipality came about through the amalgamation of previous local councils in December 2000. The local councils were Nelspruit TRC, White River TRC, White River TLC, Hazyview TLC and the Greater Nelspruit Area. The Council and Administration of the new structure is committed to ensure growth and development of communities in a manner that enhances community participation and accountability.

Population and Area

Quick FACTS

From Outpost to Provincial Capital

For many years, City of Mbombela was known as a far-flung north-eastern outpost of South Africa, offering not much more than easy access for visitors to the world-famous Kruger National Park. In those days, it was a frontier town. Times have changed. Political change and economic development of the N4 Maputo Corridor have transformed the city into a gateway for neighbouring markets, a business centre and a provincial capital.

The town was essentially created on 28 August 1884, when the Republican Volksraad approved plans to build a railway from the newly discovered Lowveld goldfields to Johannesburg. The line was finally opened in 1895 and growth followed as people quickly rushed to buy land in and around the Mbombela City area. Today, property prices are soaring again and the city’s economy benefits from its proximity to Mozambique and Swaziland while tourism has also been identified as a growth area.

City of Mbombela offers easy access to many of the world’s finest game parks and is close to the Eastern Escarpment, a 1 200-metre wall of jagged mountain towering above the African bush. The city is also home to the National Botanical Gardens, set in 154 hectares of land along the eastern bank of the Crocodile River, containing no fewer than 512 plant species indigenous to the area.