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41-536: Graskop is a small town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa . It was set up in the 1880s as a gold mining camp but it now serves as a tourist destination and the timber industry. “ God’s Window ”, a scenic view from the escarpment of the Lowveld below, is located outside the town. Graskop is 14 km south-east of Pilgrim's Rest and 28 km north of Sabie . It was laid out between 1880 and 1890 on

82-450: A Haute Cuisine route was formed, trickling from Mbombela down to Hazyview. The Lowveld Gourmet Route covers the four top fine dining restaurants the area has to offer. The restaurants include Summerfields Kitchen, Oliver's Restaurant, Orange and Salt. Mpumalanga is home to a diverse range of cultures, including Swazi, Ndebele, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Zulu, Mapulana, Portuguese and Pedi communities. The Ndebele Cultural Village at Botshabelo

123-617: A closed list system. Under the constitution of South Africa, the legislature is intended to create laws, promote public participation and provide oversight. From 1994 to the present, the African National Congress has been the leading party in the Mpumalanga legislature. As of the 2019 elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters , Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus are in opposition in

164-531: A farm belonging to Abel Erasmus, Native Commissioner of the Transvaal Republic . The name is Afrikaans for grassy hillock . Originally it was a mining camp. It is the best place to view the "Edge of the Lowveld", with a sudden drop of 700 metres. This Mpumalanga location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mpumalanga Mpumalanga was formed in 1994, when

205-410: A fossil layer shows microbial activity that is 3.22 billion years old. This discovery indicates that life emerged on Earth 300 million years earlier than previously thought. Mpumalanga has a high plant and animal diversity. Many species are endemic to the province. A partial list of species that are endemic to Mpumalanga The diverse and special flora and fauna of the province enjoys protection in

246-402: A mill were built, allowing nearby villagers and members of the congregation to learn these skills. In 1873 Merensky was joined by another BMS missionary, Johannes Winter , when he came to South Africa from Berlin to commence his missionary work. Within a few years he would become the head of the national helpers' ( Nationalhelferen ) seminary at Botshabelo, and later played an important role in

287-542: A range of nature reserves. Many species of plants are unique to the different geological formations within Mpumalanga. Some examples of these formations include serpentines of Barberton Mountains, norites of Sekhukhuneland , quartzites of Blyde River Canyon , and the dolomites in the northern plateaus. Mpumalanga is governed by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature , a unicameral system of 30 legislators democratically elected though

328-588: A site near Mbombela shows evidence of agricultural societies from between the 6th to 17th century. Bokoni stone-walled sites on the Mpumalanga highveld are indicative of a large precolonial agropastoral society between ~1500 and 1820 CE. These societies became centers of trade, with increasingly large and centralised populations This pattern increased as they connected to the Portuguese trading post in Maputo Bay . In this era, groups that would become

369-594: Is a popular destination. The other major tourist attractions include the Sudwala Caves and the Blyde River Canyon . Many activities including the big jump, mountain and quad biking, horse trails, river rafting and big game viewing are endemic to the region. This is " Big Five " territory. Towns in the Lowveld are Barberton , Mbombela , White River , Sabie , Graskop , Hazyview , Malelane , Pilgrim's Rest , Lydenburg and Nkomazi . In 2008,

410-587: Is a renowned center of cultural heritage, with displays of Ndebele house painting . Ndebele artist Esther Mahalangu gained international acclaim for her artwork rooted in Ndebele traditions and geometric patterns. Prominent South African artist Gerard Sekoto was born in Botshabelo . Many celebrated South African musicians, such as Ray Phiri , Rebecca Malope and Pretty Yende , are from Mpumalanga. Since 2003, Mpumalanga's capital city, Mbombela, has hosted

451-582: Is an hour away on the Highveld: With climate change in the province, rainfall is becoming more variable, temperatures and evaporation rates are rising and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. It is predicted that these changes will shift biomes so that most of the province will be savanna. Some of the earliest signs of life on Earth have been found in Mpumalanga. In the Makhonjwa mountain range's greenstone belt near Barberton ,

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492-410: Is done and the minerals found include gold, platinum group metals, silica , chromite , vanadiferous magnetite , argentiferous zinc , antimony , cobalt , copper, iron, manganese , tin , coal, andalusite , chrysotile asbestos , kieselguhr , limestone , magnesite , talc and shale . Gold was first discovered in Mpumalanga province in 1883 by Auguste Roberts in the mountains surrounding what

533-541: Is now Barberton. Gold is still mined in the Barberton area today. Mpumalanga accounts for 83% of South Africa's coal production. 90% of South Africa's coal consumption is used for electricity generation and the synthetic fuel industry. Coal power stations are in proximity to the coal deposits. A coal liquefaction plant in Secunda ( Secunda CTL ) is one of the country's two petroleum-from-coal extraction plants, which

574-400: Is operated by the synthetic fuel company Sasol . The high density of coal power stations on the Mpumalanga highveld means that the region has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in the world. Mpumalanga is popular with tourists. Kruger National Park , established in 1898 for the protection of Lowveld wildlife, covering 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi),

615-499: Is the only South African province to border two provinces of Mozambique ( Gaza Province to the northeast and Maputo Province to the east), as well as all four regions of Eswatini ( Lubombo , Hhohho , Manzini , and Shiselweni districts). The Lowveld is subtropical , due to its latitude and proximity to the warm Indian Ocean . The Highveld is comparatively much cooler and drier, due to its elevation of 1700 m to 2300 m above sea level. The Drakensberg escarpment receives

656-478: The Afrikaans national arts festival Innibos. The festival features music, comedy, arts, crafts and theatre. Mpumalanga's population is 4,039,939 people (according to the 2011 census). The average population density is 52.81 people per km². Some 30% of the people speak siSwati , the language of neighbouring Eswatini , with 26% speaking isiZulu , 10.3% isiNdebele , 10.2% Sepedi and 11.6% Xitsonga . As of

697-474: The Eswatini border, shows evidence of people mining iron ore in the Mpumalanga region and surrounding areas from at least 28 000 years ago. Evidence from mine shafts and trade goods shows that there was notable industry in tin, copper, gold, iron, ochre, and bronze. The Lydenburg Heads , from around 500 CE, are Africa's oldest Iron Age artworks south of the equator and were found in Mpumalanga. Evidence from

738-494: The Kruger National Park is in the latter region. The Drakensberg exceeds heights of 2000 m in most places, with this central region of Mpumalanga being very mountainous. These regions have alpine grasslands and small pockets of Afromontane forest . The Lowveld is relatively flat with interspersed rocky outcrops. The Lebombo Mountains form a low range in the far east, on the border with Mozambique . Some of

779-598: The South African Republic (ZAR) , where he and Grützner established the important mission station of Botshabelo , the Northern Sotho ( Sepedi ) word for "place of refuge". On the hill overlooking Botshabelo, a fort was erected which Merensky called "Fort Wilhelm" (later known as Fort Merensky ) in honour of the German kaiser. During 1869 a blacksmith's shop, a workshop to build and repair wagons and

820-613: The South African Republic . The well established Pedi, Swazi and Zulu kingdoms put up significant resistance against the settlers. The Pedi fought wars with the Boers in 1876 (see Sekhukhune Wars ) and the Zulu fought with British settlers in 1879 (see Anglo-Zulu War ). These interconnected conflicts played a role in shifting the balance of power in southern Africa to colonial control. After 1860, missionaries, especially German missionaries like Alexander Merensky set up mission stations in

861-572: The Swazi , Pedi , Ndebele , Mapulana and others established themselves in the area that is now Mpumalanga. In 1845, as part of the Great Trek , the first Dutch-speaking colonial settlers arrived in what they called the eastern Transvaal. The rest of the 19th century in the region was characterised by colonial encroachment and conflict over land and political control. In 1852, the Boers established

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902-658: The 2011 census, approximately 90.65% of Mpumalanga's population are Black, 7.51% are White, and 0.91% are Coloured and 0.69% are Indian or Asian. Alexander Merensky Alexander Merensky (8 June 1837 in Panten near Liegnitz – 22 May 1918 in Berlin ) was a German missionary, working in South Africa (Transvaal) from 1859 to 1892. Alexander's mother, Pauline von Kessel, died during his birth, and his father, Conrad Albert Friedrich, seven years later, in 1844. He

943-582: The Mpumalanga region indicate settlement by humans and their ancestors dating back 1.7 million years. Rock paintings, engravings and other archeological evidence throughout the province indicate that Mpumalanga has a long history of human habitation by groups of hunter gatherers. Excavations not far from the Mpumalanga border in the Origstad district, show evidence of Middle Stone Age habitation dating back to 40,000 years ago. The Lion Cavern, in Ngwenya on

984-814: The Transvaal, under a system known as Inboekstelsel , Boers carried out raids to capture children and forced them into indentured labour. During the South African War , the region was the site of notable battles. When the National Party came to power in 1948, their policy of apartheid intensified the segregation that had defined communities in the Transvaal . Under a policy of forced removals, Black South Africans were evicted from areas reserved for white people and moved into homelands, including KaNgwane , KwaNdebele , Lebowa and Gazankulu . As

1025-434: The apartheid regime implemented oppressive policies that defined almost every aspect of life, activists responded with resistance. In 1959, the small town of Bethal on what is now the Mpumalanga highveld was the center of the anti-apartheid consumer potato boycott in response to the working conditions Black South African labourers faced on farms in the area. The region was influenced by dynamics in exile and elsewhere in

1066-489: The area that was the Eastern Transvaal was merged with the former bantustans KaNgwane , KwaNdebele and parts of Lebowa and Gazankulu . Although the contemporary borders of the province were only formed at the end of apartheid , the region and its surroundings have a history that extends back thousands of years. Much of its history, and current significance is as a region of trade. Archeological sites in

1107-533: The country, for instance Black Consciousness , the Sharpeville Massacre and the 1976 Soweto Uprisings . In the 1980s, under intense repression, youth and labour organizations moblized against the government and townships and Bantustans erupted in political unrest and violence. In 1986, an avoidable disaster killed 177 mine workers in Kinross Mine in the region's highveld. The response to

1148-583: The disaster by the National Union of Mineworkers was a key point in the South African labour struggle. By the late 1980s, the intensity of resistance across South Africa (including areas like Mpumalanga, which hadn't previously been seen as key areas of resistance) combined with economic factors and international pressure was strong enough to end apartheid. On 27 April 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections , Mpumalanga province

1189-725: The drier Highveld region, with its cold winters, and the hot, humid Lowveld allow for a variety of agricultural activities. Mpumalanga has been an important supplier of fruit and vegetables for local and international markets for decades. A history of dispossession mean that farming land is largely white owned, although policies of land redistribution era aim to address this. Crops include maize, wheat, sorghum , barley , sunflower seed , soybeans , macadamias , groundnuts, sugar cane, vegetables, coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, citrus , subtropical and deciduous fruit. Natural grazing covers approximately 14% of Mpumalanga. The main products are beef, mutton , wool , poultry and dairy. Farming in

1230-752: The end of the war, Merensky was mistrusted by both the British and Boer authorities and decided to move back to Germany with his family in 1882. In 1883 he was promoted to Inspector of the Berlin Missionary Society. In 1890 he travelled to Southern Africa again, this time to the northern shore of Lake Njassa (now known as Lake Malawi in Malawi ) in the area called Kondeland. Here he founded two further mission stations, Wangemannshöhe (named after BMS Director Hermann Theodor Wangemann ) and Manow. Being interested in geography, he later also published

1271-771: The establishment of the Lutheran Bapedi Church when it seceded from the BMS. The British annexed the Transvaal Republic in 1876 and Sir Wolseley made Botshabelo his headquarters in the Transvaal. During the First Anglo-Boer War , Merensky was conscripted to the Boer forces as military medic. He took part in the battles of Laing's Nek , Skuinshoogte and Majuba Hill and described the battles viewed from afar from his field hospital. After

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1312-424: The legislature. Elected every five years, the premier of Mpumalanga is the head of government in the province. Since 2024 Mandla Ndlovu has held the office of premier. Mpumalanga Province is divided into three district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 18 local municipalities : 68% of land area in the province is used by agriculture. The climatic contrasts between

1353-719: The mission station Gerlachshoop, the first mission station of the Berlin Missionary Society north of the Vaal River. Merensky was ordained as missionary in Gerlachshoop on 11 January 1861. A further mission station, Kgalatlou/ Schoonoord , was dedicated in August 1861. On 15 October 1863 Merensky was married to Marie Liers from Breslau. Seven children were born to this union, one of whom was the well-known geologist, Hans Merensky . They lived in Kgalatlou until May 1864 and with

1394-403: The most precipitation , with all other areas being moderately well-watered by mostly-summer thunderstorms . The Highveld often experiences considerable freezing, while the Lowveld is mostly frost-free. Winter rainfall is rare, except for some drizzle on the escarpment . The differences in climate are demonstrated by comparing the capital, Mbombela , which is in the Lowveld, with Belfast , which

1435-554: The oldest rocks on earth have been found in the Barberton area; these ancient greenstones and metamorphosed granites form the Crocodile River Mountains in the southeast of the province. The Lowveld is underlaid by African Cratonic Basement rocks of ages in excess of 2 billion years. The Highveld is mostly Karoo Sequence sedimentary rock of a younger, Carboniferous to Permian age. Mpumalanga

1476-640: The permission of Sekhukhune , the leader of the Bapedi , founded the mission station Ga-Ratau, approximately 15km from the Bapedi capital. This station was dedicated in May 1864. However, shortly thereafter the first persecutions of the Christians started and Merensky had to flee with his family and congregation on the night of 23 November 1864. In January 1865 Merensky bought a farm in the district of Middelburg in

1517-643: The process has been marked by corruption, controversy and has been seen as inadequate to address the extent of apartheid spatial planning. In 2001, 1,270 hectares of the Boomplaats farm near Mashishing was the first farm in South Africa to be expropriated. The Drakensberg escarpment divides Mpumalanga into a westerly half consisting mainly of high-altitude grassland called the Highveld and an eastern half situated in low-altitude subtropical Lowveld / Bushveld , mostly savanna habitat. The southern half of

1558-430: The province is driven by both a combination of seasonal , permanent and temporary labourers. Conditions on farms vary widely but seasonal and temporary workers, many of whom are migrant workers from nearby Mozambique , face intense insecurity. Forestry is extensive around Sabie and Graskop . Located near the forests, Ngodwana is the site of one of South Africa's largest paper mills ( Sappi ). Extensive mining

1599-473: The region, spreading Christianity and European values. Just as the region had been a center for trade in the precolonial era, in the colonial era, the Eastern Transvaal region became an important thoroughfare for trade between Johannesburg and Delagoa Bay (now Maputo ). Gold mining around areas like Pilgrims Rest and Barberton and farming were the main forms of economic activity. On farms in

1640-594: Was formed. It was originally called the "Eastern Transvaal" province, but the name was later changed to Mpumalanga on 24 August 1995. The liberation movement turned leading party, the African National Congress (ANC) came into power in Mpumalanga after white minority rule ended. A program of land redistribution , aimed at granting land back to the black communities who were forcibly moved during apartheid, had redistributed tens of thousands of hectares to these communities and their descendants. However,

1681-558: Was therefore orphaned early in life and grew up in the well-known Schindler orphanage and among relatives. Encouraged by the well-known Rev. Gustav Knak, he entered the mission seminary of the Berlin Missionary Society in 1855 and was sent out on 23 November 1858. Together with a fellow missionary, Karl-Heinrich Theodor Grützner, he travelled by sailboat from Amsterdam to Cape Town and on to Natal. On 14 August 1860, he and fellow missionary Heinrich Grützner co-founded

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