There was a time when the people of Gauteng, heading for the Kruger National Park, stopped just long enough at Nelspruit to refill their petrol tanks before making the final dash to the game reserve.
No more.
Almost unnoticed Nelspruit has become an important tourism hub, attracting visitors from far and near. Many, of course, still head straight for Kruger but others are increasingly using it as their base for exploring Mpumalanga, the "land where the sun rises". Now that the province has discovered its enormous potential, it is going all-out to promote tourism. It certainly has variety to offer.
Nelspruit, said to be the fastest growing town in South Africa, is largely a commercial centre, but the Lowveld Botanical Gardens featuring more than 700 indigenous species, along with a cycad garden and rain forest, is a major attraction.
It is next door to the Emnotweni Sun, developed by Southern Sun Hotels and Resorts, one of the first companies to capitalize on the area' s rapid growth. Coupled with the glitzy 109-room hotel is a casino and an upmarket shopping centre that hosts virtually all the stores found at Sandton City.
Who supports the centre, I wanted to know? Wealthy businessmen? Local farmers?
The hotel receptionist smiled indulgently. Apparently all the locals use the Emnotweni complex but most of its richest clients come from across the border. Folk in Maputo who want to shop for something special, be they Mozambicans, the staff of NGOs, the diplomatic corps and international visitors, cross at Komatipoort and head for Nelspruit there to spend their money.
The hotel is certainly a pleasure - and, frankly, an excellent base from which to explore the region. Mpumalanga's scenic routes, its history, arts and crafts, hiking trails and golf courses, its game parks and people combine to make the province one of the most fascinating in South Africa.
The Panarama Route is becoming increasingly popular, with God's Window, Burke's Luck potholes, MacMac Falls and the Sabie River valley major attractions. The road through the mountains and forests are a source of ongoing delight.
The quaint little village of Pilgrims Rest is a highlight. Not many realize that the gold mine which operated profitably in the area for decades closed as recently as 1972. Many of the original buildings in the town have been restored and there is excellent trout fishing, mountain biking and hiking in the district.
Then there is Graskop, a pretty little village on the Drakensburg escarpment. It was established in 1880 as a gold mining settlement and is now a forestry centre (or should it be plantation centre for most the trees are exotics used in the paper and pulp industry?) The new Blyde River National Park is a popular holiday resort there too..
Bird lovers may want to visit Kaapschehoop, among the hills of Ngodwana, some 32 kms from Nelspruit. The Starvation Creek Nature Reserve here is home to the endangered blue swallow that lives in the grasslands. The local cycad draws botany lovers while the famous wild horses that roam the hills round the town are loved by all. It is said they are the descendants of pit ponies released more than 100 years ago.
Also within easy striking distance of Nelspruit is Barberton, one of the Lowveld's most attractive little towns with a number of interesting restaurants. It is known as the jewel of the Lowveld and was established in 1884 by a man named Graham Barber who had discovered a gold reef in the area.
Way back in the late 1880s, it was home to prospectors and fortune hunters, all hoping to strike it rich. They left their mark. Among the interesting historical buildings are the Gold Stock Exchange founded in 1887, Belhaven and Stopworth Houses (1886) and the Lewis and Marks Building, the first double storey building in the old Transvaal.
For the record, the Mkonjwa mountains surrounding Barberton, are among the oldest in the world.
Anyone who has read Sir Percy FitzPatrick's famous classic, Jock of the Bushveld, will want to see the places associated with the much loved dog.
Unfortunately not all the sites are being properly cared for. The big tree outside Barberton (carefully marked on tourist maps on the R38 Sheba Mine road) was once fenced for protection. The fencing has gone and the site untidy. A pity, for this is where Jock used to rest. The Jock route could be profitably revived for children everywhere loved the story of the plucky little dog.
It is worth stopping for morning or afternoon tea at Diggers Retreat, an 80-year-old country inn shaded by huge trees (also on the R38). The inn's wide veranda was once open to the road but times have changed and though it has become necessary to erect burglar bars, the pub remains a hive of activity.
The new owners have revamped the inn but left untouched the murals in the dining room and pub. These depict bushveld scenes and animals and the old Zeederburg coach that plied the road before before the advent of the motor car. The murals were painted by travelling artist Conrad Genal in exchange for bed and board. when the hotel first opened.
It was near here, too, that Samora Machel, first president of the independent Mozamibque, died when his plane crashed in 1986.
But history and towns do not a province make. It s Mpumalanga's rich artistic and cultural heritage that adds a human dimension to the province. In the village of Wolwekraaal, for instance, are twin sisters Emily and Martha Masanabo whose fine murals and beadwork designs display an art type unique to the Ndebele people of South Africa.
Gerard Sekoto, born at the Botshabelo mission near Middelburg in 1913, is probably the province s finest artist. Almost entirely self taught, his vibrant paintings of township scenes brought him international fame - the first black South African artist to be thus acclaimed. He made Paris his home and his work is featured is galleries round the world but - unfortunately - there are not many in his home province.
- Note: Holiday Tours offers special packages for people wanting to explore Mpumalanga using the Emnotweni Sun Hotel as a base. The cost of a two-night stay is R 1490.00 per person sharing excluding airport taxes. The price includes accommodation, flights from Johannesburg to Mapumalanga on Nationwide and two days Avis car hire (VW Chico or similar). Visitors planning to arrive in their own vehicle are offered five nights accommodation at the Enotweni Sun for R1240 per person sharing.
Call 011 289-8000 for more information.
- This article was originally published on page 11 of The Star on October 05, 2004