 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 229 km (142 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  R34 at Vrede | |||
  R23 / N11 at Volksrust   R33 / N2 at Piet Retief | ||||
| East end | Mahamba border post with Eswatini | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | South Africa | |||
| Major cities | Vrede, Volksrust, Wakkerstroom, Piet Retief | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
The R543 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Vrede with the Mahamba Border Post with Eswatini via Volksrust, Wakkerstroom and Piet Retief. [1]
Its western terminus is the R34 in Vrede, Free State. It leaves the town to the east, crossing the provincial border into Mpumalanga.
At Volksrust it meets the southern terminus of the R23 before intersecting with the N11 (co-signed for 1.2 kilometres). Leaving the town to the east, it pass through Wakkerstroom, running close to the border with KwaZulu-Natal. After leaving Wakkerstroom, it bends slightly to the north, taking an east-north-easterly direction to Piet Retief, where it meets the co-signed N2 and R33 (co-signed for 600 metres). Leaving the town, it heads south-east to the Eswatini border at Mahamba Border Post. After crossing into Eswatini, the road is designated MR-9.
Artifacts indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age have been found in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. Later, the population became predominantly Nguni during and after the great Bantu migrations. People speaking languages ancestral to the current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century. The country now derives its name from a later king named Mswati II. Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Eswatini, and he greatly extended the area of the country to twice its current size. The people of Eswatini largely belong to a number of clans that can be categorized as Emakhandzambili, Bemdzabu, and Emafikamuva, depending on when and how they settled in Eswatini.
The Province of the Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.
Piet Retief, officially eMkhondo, is a town situated in a timber-growing region in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It is the seat of the Mkhondo Local Municipality. It is located not far from the Eswatini border.
Wakkerstroom is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is on the KwaZulu-Natal border, 27 km east of Volksrust and 56 km south-east of Amersfoort.
The R23 is a provincial route in South Africa that links Benoni with Volksrust via Brakpan, Heidelberg and Standerton.
The R33 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Pietermaritzburg with Lephalale via Greytown, Paulpietersburg, Carolina, Belfast and Vaalwater. It is a very long road, passing through 3 provinces.
The R34 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Vryburg with Richards Bay via Kroonstad and Newcastle. It passes through three provinces, North West, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
The R40 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects the Eswatini border at Bulembu via Barberton, Nelspruit and Hoedspruit with Phalaborwa. The route spans two provinces and passes through several private game reserves.
The R59 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Hertzogville with Alberton via Bothaville, Parys and Vereeniging. The R59 is a freeway from the R57 Junction in Sasolburg until the N12 Reading Interchange in Alberton, signposted as the Sybrand van Niekerk Freeway.
The R103 is a Regional Route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N3, prior to upgrading. It only has 3 sections, from Hillcrest to Ladysmith, from Warden to Villiers and from Heidelberg to Johannesburg.
The R358 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects the N7 north of Bitterfontein with the Namibian border at Onseepkans via Pofadder.
The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi) makes it the longest numbered route 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. It forms the South African section of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which runs from Walvis Bay to Maputo, meaning that it links the east and west coasts of Southern Africa.
The N11 is a national route in South Africa which runs from the Botswana border at Groblersbrug, through Mokopane, Middelburg, Ermelo and Newcastle to end at the N3 just after Ladysmith.
Golela is a border town in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa, 45 km east of Pongola on the border with Eswatini. The Golela border post was recently rebuilt to meet the increasing movement of people and goods between South Africa and Eswatini.
Assegaai River, originates north of Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa, and runs into the Heyshope Dam, southeast of Piet Retief. When it enters Eswatini it is known as the Mkhondvo River and it cuts through the mountains forming the Mahamba Gorge. In Eswatini it flows generally northeastward and eventually into the Usutu River.
Gege is a town in the Shiselweni district of southern Eswatini.
Mahamba is a town in the Shiselweni district of southern Eswatini.
The R546 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Kinross with Vrede via Evander and Standerton.
The R702 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Bloemfontein with the Lesotho border at Van Rooyen's Gate via Dewetsdorp and Wepener.
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