Mpumalanga’s 11 coal-fired power stations, mostly located near the extensive coalfields in the west, provide the bulk of South Africa’s electrical power. The Kruger National Park, on Mpumalanga’s eastern border with Mozambique, is a major asset in attracting foreign visitors to South Africa.

Minerals and agriculture are the province’s other two big wealth- and employment-creation sectors. For several years, Mpumalanga’s growth has outstripped the national average, with the capital city of Nelspruit in particular growing at a good rate. Like every other place, Mpumalanga suffered a contraction in 2008/09, with a projected negative growth rate of 2% for the latteryear. This is expected to trend upwards again to a positive figure of 4% for 2011 to 2013.

The province is located adjacent to South Africa’s economic heartland, Gauteng. Mpumalanga also shares borders with Swaziland and Mozambique, and the provinces of KwaZulu- Natal, Free State and Limpopo.

Mpumalanga has excellent roads and railway connections and is well served by airports, airstrips and heliports. The Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport opened in 2002, but the old Nelspruit airport is still operational. The Maputo Development Corridor, linking the province with Gauteng and Maputo, is the first international toll road in Africa. This international initiative emphasises Mpumalanga’s advantages as a logistics and transport hub.

The geography of the province is sharply delineated by the Drakensberg escarpment, which forms the dividing line between thegrasslands at high altitude to the west (Highveld) and the subtropical component to the east (Lowveld). The central region of the province is mountainous, with some very dramatic landscapes presenting exciting vistas for visitors. The Lebombo Mountains in the east define the national border with Mozambique. The area south of the capital city of Nelspruit, near Barberton, has some of the oldest rocks on Earth forming the Crocodile River Mountains.

Most of the province receives summer rainfall, often via thunderstorms. Frost is common on the Highveld, but almost absent in the subtropical regions where fruit, nuts and citrus thrive. Differences in temperature and rainfall between the Highveld and Lowveld can be considerable.

A good deal of the province is located in the so-called Middleveld (high-plateau grasslands), which stretches hundreds of kilometres from west to east. Forestry operations are found in central and south-eastern Mpumalanga, but the heart of this important industry is around Sabie.

The Kruger National Park is one of the great natural parks in the world and is home to the Big Five. In 2007 the park received about 1.4 million visitors, with lodges within the park reporting a 76% occupancy rate. The western edge of the park contains several of the most luxurious private game lodges in the world. The province as a whole boasts a range of natural attractions second to none: parks, reserves, botanical gardens, rivers and lakes, including the largest freshwater water body in South Africa at Chrissiesmeer, near Ermelo.

As rich and varied as the landscape of Mpumalanga is, so diverse are its people and history. The King of the Ndebele still holds sway in north-western Mpumalanga and the geometrical house decorations of these people have won acclaim internationally. The ancient and intriguing Lydenburg Heads point to a sophisticated ancient civilisation that thrived in the area many years ago. The cultures of the Pedi, Tsonga/Shangaan, Zulu and Swazi people have also produced fascinating artefacts and histories. Remnants of the Anglo-Boer War can be seen at several sites, as can evidence of a full-scale 19th-century gold rush that briefly excited the attention of the world.

Economy
Although its land mass makes it one of South Africa’s smallest provinces, Mpumalanga has the fourth-biggest economy. The country’s major power stations, three of which are the biggest in the southern hemisphere, are located in the province. Several are being revamped and three are being reactivated to cope with South Africa’s growing demand for energy.

This, in turn, is resulting in a boost for the already active coal-mining sector within the province. New greenfield coal mines are under construction and several existing mines are receiving expensive upgrades to enhance productivity and extend their lives.

Synthetic fuel is produced by Sasol at its petroleum-from-coal plant at Secunda, in western Mpumalanga. This is now the only plant in the country using this process as the other plant, in the Free State, focuses on chemicals and other petroleum by-products.

More than 80% of South Africa’s coal is sourced in Mpumalanga, with the town of Witbank being the epicentre of the industry. Other minerals found in the province include gold, platinum-group minerals, chromite, zinc, cobalt, copper, iron and manganese. These minerals support a strong manufacturing sector.

Columbus Stainless in Middelburg is a major producer of stainless steel, while Middelburg Ferrochrome and the Nelspruitbased Manganese Metal Company are among other important heavy industrial companies.

After mining (22.5% of provincial GDP), manufacturing (17.7%), power generation (14.7%) and tourism (8%), agriculture is the province’s other major sector.

The southern and northern Highveld regions produce large quantities of field crops such as barley, soybeans, maize, grain and sorghum. Potatoes also flourish in this area.

The Nelspruit district in the Lowveld is South Africa’s second biggest producer of citrus fruit, while vegetables of all sorts do well in this area too. Further east and south, sugar is a major crop with the major company, Tsb Sugar, accounting for 25% of the nation’s exports. The Mpumalanga forestry sector is one of the most important in the country: 11% of the total land area of Mpumalanga is covered either by plantations or natural forests.

Ermelo is at the centre of a sheep-farming district that produces excellent wool, and pigsand chickens are extensively raised in other central and southern parts of the province.

Nkangala District Municipality
Towns: Middelburg, Delmas, Kriel, Witbank, Belfast, Dullstroom, Waterval Boven

This area straddles the north-west. It contains sharp contrasts between the rural and traditional home of the Ndebele in the north-west, through the coal-mining and steel-producing areas of the industrial centre, to the trout-fishing triangle of the north-east. The three towns of Belfast, Dullstroom and Waterval Boven are at the heart of a fly-fishing sector that includes hatcheries and accommodation establishments. Just over a million people live in the district.

Gert Sibande District Municipality
Towns: Bethal, Secunda, Standerton, Ermelo, Volksrust, Piet Retief, Carolina

Power stations abound in this region, which stretches across the southern half of the province and is the home of giant Sasol facilities at Secunda. The area is also on the top of South Africa’s maize triangle, and agriculture and food processing are well developed sectors. Sheep, chicken, sunflower seeds and sorghum are just some of the area’s many agricultural products. Nestlé has a processing plant at Standerton and Mondi has a major pulp and paper facility in the south-east. About 900 000 people live in the Gert Sibande district.

Ehlanzeni District Municipality
Towns: Nelspruit, Malelane, Hazyview, White River, Sabie, Lydenburg, Barberton

The urban centres are nodes of manufacturing in this region, which is also at the heart of Mpumalanga’s tourism offering. The Kruger National Park, Blyde River Canyon, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, God’s Window and other attractions make this a highly desirable place to visit. Citrus, sugar and forestry are the major agricultural products, all being major contributors to export earnings. The Sappi paper mill at Ngodwana is one of the biggest of its kind, while Tsb Sugar operates two large mills in the east. The population is about 1.5 million.