Machadodorp

Last updated
Machadodorp
eNtokozweni
Machadodorp.JPG
View of the town
South Africa Mpumalanga location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Machadodorp
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Machadodorp
Coordinates: 25°40′S30°15′E / 25.667°S 30.250°E / -25.667; 30.250
Country South Africa
Province Mpumalanga
District Nkangala
Municipality Emakhazeni
Area
[1]
  Total33.17 km2 (12.81 sq mi)
Elevation
1,550 m (5,090 ft)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total8,835
  Density270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 89.5%
   Coloured 1.4%
   Indian/Asian 0.7%
   White 8.1%
  Other0.2%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Swazi 45.3%
   Zulu 23.5%
   Afrikaans 8.8%
   S. Ndebele 7.5%
  Other14.9%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1170
PO box
1170
Area code 013

Machadodorp, also known by its official name eNtokozweni, is a small town situated on the N4 national highway, near the edge of the escarpment in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The Elands River runs through the town. There is a natural radioactive spring here that is reputed to have powerful healing qualities.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

The town grew around a station originally named Geluk, after the sheep farm it was built on, but in 1894 the name was changed to honour the Portuguese Major Joachim Machado, an engineer who had surveyed the land for the proposed Nelspruit-Delagoa Bay railway line through the Crocodile River gorge.

The settlement became a capital for a few months from 5 June 1900, but was only declared a municipal town in 1904. This quirk in history happened during the Second Boer War when the Transvaal Volksraad made the town their temporary seat, using railway carriages as their offices and mint after they had to evacuate Pretoria in the face of a British invasion.

A quick-thinking station master rescued a consignment of dying trout by dumping the fish in the Elands River, which formed the start of the town's subsequent role in Mpumalanga's trout tourism industry. With the demise of passenger trains in South Africa, the once-postcard-pretty station closed in 2001 and it is now a derelict ruin.

In the 21st century, Machadodorp's residents either work for the industries feeding a chrome smelter, or the logging industries based on the pine plantations surrounding the town. A large contingent of contract workers employed at the Nkomati mine about an hour's drive out of town also reside in Machadodorp, contributing a large part of the town's economy.

The Komati Gorge, notable for its considerable biodiversity and bluff habitats, forms a backdrop to the town. [2]

Name change

In early 2010 the town (along with Nelspruit and Waterval Boven) had its name officially changed. The town was renamed from Machadodorp to eNtokozweni, meaning Place of Happiness. It is often still referred to as Machadodorp despite the name change.

baKoni ruins

The hills around the town are terraced with thousands of stone walls which form part of a vast complex of settlements, fields and roads. Some tour guides describe these as South Africa's "real" lost city. [3] South of Machadodorp, on the lands of the farm Rietvlei lies the former Bokoni capital Moxomatsi.

Archaeologists and historians have described the ruins as settlements of the baKoni people. Oral records and historical evidence trace the baKoni to at least the early 18th century. The ongoing 500 Year Initiative to rewrite South Africa's history continues to deliver new insights into the extent and complexity of these settlements. [4] An international group of researchers have placed the baKoni settlements in the context of numerous other cases of agricultural intensification, that took place in the precolonial era in different parts of Africa. [5]

Infrastructure

Rail

This town has a railway station for the loading and unloading of passengers and cargo on the Pretoria–Maputo railway. [6] [7]

Roads

eNtokozweni lies just off the N4 between Mbombela to the east and eMalahleni to the west. It can be accessed from the N4 by turning off the R36 S to Carolina.

Tolling

The N4, managed by Trans African Concessions (TRAC), involves payment of toll: Motorists heading on the N4 E (the direction of Mbombela) and N4 W (the direction of eMalahleni) must pass through the Machado Toll Plaza, approximately 7 km north of eNtokozweni. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mpumalanga</span> Province in South Africa

Mpumalanga is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares borders with the South African provinces of Limpopo to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the southwest, and KwaZulu-Natal to the south. The capital is Mbombela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mbombela</span> City in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital and the largest city of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, The city lies about 110 km (68 mi) by road west of the Mozambique border, 330 km (210 mi) east of Johannesburg and 82 km (51 mi) north of the Eswatini border. The city was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Pretoria Ring Road, also known as the Pretoria Bypass, is a collection of two bypasses that together form a partial ring road around the city of Pretoria, South Africa. It consists of a section of the N1 highway as well as a section of the N4 highway. It is entirely in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

The Netherlands–South African Railway Company or NZASM was a railway company established in 1887. The company was based in Amsterdam and Pretoria, and operated in the South African Republic (ZAR) during the late 19th century. At the request of ZAR president Paul Kruger, the NZASM constructed a railway line between Pretoria and Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witbank</span> City in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Witbank, officially eMalahleni, is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the Emalahleni Local Municipality. The name Witbank is Afrikaans for "white ridge", and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested. The city is known for its coal-mining in the surrounding region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast, Mpumalanga</span> Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

eMakhazeni is a small town in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. It is situated in the eMakhazeni Local Municipality in the Nkangala District Municipality.

Waterval Boven is a small town situated on the edge of the Escarpment on the banks of the Elands River above the 75m Elands Falls on the railway line from Pretoria to Maputo in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Hence the name, which is Dutch for "above the waterfall".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterval Onder</span> Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Waterval Onder is a small village situated at the base of the escarpment on the banks of the Elands River in Emakhazeni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komatipoort</span> Town in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger Park, and just 5 km from the Mozambique border and 65 km from the Eswatini border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malalane</span> Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Malalane, alternatively rendered Malelane, is a farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa situated on the N4 national highway. The farms in the region produce sugarcane, subtropical fruit and winter vegetables. The town was proclaimed in 1949 after which it was named. The origin of the name is disputed but was corrupted from the Swazi. Either the expression "eMlalani" which means place of the palms, or the expression "lala" which means to sleep is accepted origins of the name. The town started as the first rest-stop between Lourenço Marques and Pretoria. As of July 2007 the town was officially renamed from "Malelane" to "Malalane" as part of the government's renaming scheme by the South African Geographical Names Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R36 (South Africa)</span>

The R36 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects the N1 at Bandelierkop with Ermelo, via Tzaneen and Lydenburg. It is co-signed with the N4 for 8 kilometres between Machadodorp and Patattanek, with a tollgate on this section. It used to extend further south past Ermelo to Amersfoort, but that section is now designated as part of the N11.

The R104 is a regional route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N4, prior to upgrading. It connects Rustenburg in the North West province with eMalahleni in Mpumalanga province via Mooinooi, Hartbeespoort, Pretoria and Bronkhorstspruit. There are two additional sections in Mpumalanga province: a 50km section connecting Middelburg and Wonderfontein and a 17km section passing through Mbombela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komati River</span> River in Eswatini, Mozambique

The Komati River, also known as the Inkomati River or Incomati River, is a river in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Originating in north-western Eswatini, it is joined by the Crocodile River in the Lebombo Mountains, enters far south-western Mozambique below the border town of Komatipoort, and enters the Indian Ocean around 24 km (15 mi) north-east of Maputo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N4 (South Africa)</span> National road in South Africa

The N4 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Skilpadshek on the Botswana border, past Rustenburg, Pretoria, eMalahleni and Mbombela, to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border. The entire route is a toll road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komati Gorge</span>

Komati Gorge is a river valley in the Mpumalanga Province in central South Africa, which features vertical sandstone cliffs that provide habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife. Komati Gorge is located near the communities of Carolina and Machadodorp. The Komati River flows through the gorge and provides riparian cover for many species of flora and fauna, including several endemic endangered species and big game animals. The geology of the vertical cliffs of the gorge offer a diverse set of colourful mineralized exposures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile River (Mpumalanga)</span> River in South Africa

The Crocodile River, also referred to as Crocodile River (East), (Afrikaans: Krokodilrivier) is a large river traversing Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It is a tributary of the Komati River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matsulu</span> Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Matsulu is a township in the Mbombela Local Municipality under the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It lies between Kruger National Park and the N4 national road 41 km east of Nelspruit (Mbombela) CBD, 3 km before the Kaapmuiden train station. It is also surrounded by the Nsikazi River & Crocodile River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZASM 18 Tonner 0-6-0ST</span>

The NZASM 18 Tonner 0-6-0ST of 1890 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretoria–Maputo railway</span> Railway line in southern Africa

Pretoria–Maputo railway, also called Delagoa Bay railway, Iron railway and Eastern railway, is a railway that connects the city of Maputo, Mozambique, to the city of Pretoria, in South Africa. It is 567 km long, in 1067 mm gauge. The Mozambican section, between Maputo and Ressano Garcia, is managed by the state-owned Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM) company, and it is officially known in Mozambique as the Ressano Garcia Line; in turn, on the South African stretch, between the town of Komatipoort and city of Pretoria, the administration is done by the company Transnet Freight Rail.

Valencia Park is a suburb of Mbombela in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It is situated on the eastern outskirts of Mbombela and approximately 2 km east of the Mbombela CBD.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Machadodorp". Census 2011.
  2. C. Michael Hogan and Amy Gregory, Ecology of Komati Gorge, Lumina Technologies, July 22, 2006 Archived May 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Home". https://web.archive.org/web/20230725062845/https://www.edgeadventures.tk/ .{{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  4. Swanepoel, Natalie, Esterhuysen, Amanda & Bonner, P. L. (ed.) (2008). Five hundred years rediscovered: Southern African precedents and prospects; 500 year initiative; 2007 conference proceedings. Johannesburg: Wits University Press
  5. Widgren, Mats & Sutton, John Edward Giles (ed.) (2004). Islands of intensive agriculture in Eastern Africa: past & present. Oxford: Currey.
  6. Mozambique Logistics Infrastructure: Mozambique Railway Assessment. Atlassian Confluence. 10 de dezembro de 2018.
  7. "The seven-year long construction of Delagoa Bay railway line starts". South African History Online. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  8. "Tracks4Africa". Tracks4Africa. Retrieved 2024-04-15.