Witbank

Emalahleni, previously named Witbank (/wətbænk/),[2] is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the Emalahleni Local Municipality.[3][4][5] 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.

Emalahleni Witbank
Aerial view over the suburbs
Emalahleni Emalahleni Emalahleni
Coordinates: 25.877°S 29.201°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Mpumalanga
District	Nkangala
Municipality	Emalahleni
Established	1890
Area [1]
• Total	164.27 km^2 (63.43 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	108,673
• Density	660/km^2 (1,700/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	48.1%
• Coloured	2.0%
• Indian/Asian	2.5%
• White	46.8%
• Other	0.6%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	42.4%
• Zulu	17.6%
• English	13.7%
• Northern Sotho	7.6%
• Other	18.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	1035
Area code	01

Witbank was renamed to Emalahleni meaning the place of coal in 2006 by the government of Mpumalanga, matching the municipality.

History

Emalahleni was founded as Witbank in 1890 and early attempts to exploit the coal deposits failed until the railway from Pretoria reached the area in 1894. It was proclaimed a town in 1903 and became a municipality in 1914.

There are many stories about the city and its origination but the top story would be the arrival of Winston Churchill at the nearby Transvaal and Delagoa Bay Colliery during his escape from Boer imprisonment in Pretoria, on his way to Delagoa Bay (later Lourenço Marques, and then Maputo, in Mozambique). Some local residents, loyal to the Crown, assisted him in hiding and making the final leg of his escape, thus gaining Witbank the consequent credit once the details of these events could be made known. The town has grown since then from a farming community into a business destination where companies such as Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Evraz, Eskom, Exxaro, Joy, Komatsu, the Renova Group, SAB Miller, SAMANCOR, Shanduka Beverages, TMISSP and Xstrata amongst many others have found substantial returns on their investments.

On March 3, 2006, Witbank was officially renamed to eMalahleni, meaning 'place of coal', in reference to the area's coal-mining heritage.[6]

Name change

On 3 March 2006,[7] Witbank was officially renamed to Emalahleni, meaning "place of coal"[2] matching the name of the municipality that contains it. A large number of signs to the town have already changed, but many still remain. Some landmarks bearing the name Witbank have remained, while others (such as the Witbank/Emalahleni dam) have been renamed.

Despite attempts by governing bodies to establish the use of the name, Emalahleni, for the city as well as for the district, locals still tend to call the city by its original name. Similarly to the anglicised pronunciation of Johannesburg, English-speaking residents pronounce the name as “wit•bank” and not as “vit•bunk” as in the original Afrikaans pronunciation, nor as “vit•bank” as English-speaking visitors are prone to say.

Transport

Emalahleni railway station

View of Reyno Ridge, a suburb in eastern Emalahleni

Emalahleni is located along the railway line linking Pretoria to Maputo[8][9] and for many years served as the transport gateway to the Mozambiquean port. In recent years, this line has been under frequent threat of collapse due to underground coal fires in disused mines in the area.

Two national highways, the N4 from Pretoria and the N12 from Johannesburg, converge at Emalahleni and then continue to Komatipoort, on the border of Mozambique. Together, these routes form the Maputo Corridor, a strategically important alternative to the South African ports of Richards Bay and Durban on the Indian Ocean shores of the country.

Economy

Emalahleni is in a coal mining area with more than 22 collieries in the municipal radius. There are a number of power stations (such as the Duvha Power Station), as well as a steel mill (Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium Limited) nearby which all require coal. The farm land surrounding Emalahleni is fast being bought by investors, coal mining companies and real estate developers to accommodate the rapid growth of the city which is good for local businesses and residents. The region has the dirtiest air in the world due to the coal mining and plant power stations.[10]

Likewise, the sustained growth of the commercial areas and suburbs has presented significant challenges to the municipal government. Potable water supplies, sewage treatment, electricity distribution, refuse collection and road maintenance are particularly affected, arousing sustained ire amongst the local residents. Relatively high summer rainfall since 2008 has caused significant damage to municipal roads, creating large numbers of potholes and leaving large amounts of debris on the road surfaces.

Demographics

The 2001 census[11] found that Emalahleni had a population of 61,093, of which 50.6% were female and 49.4% male.

As of 2011 (Statistics South Africa) the city's population stood at 108,674 people.

Ethnic groups

According to the 2011 census the largest ethnic groups in Emalahleni were Black African at 48.1%, Whites at 46.8% and the remainder consisting of Coloureds (2.0%) and Asians (2.5%).

Ethnic groups in Witbank/Emalahleni
Ethnic group			Percent
White			54.2%
Black			40.3%
Coloured			4.8%
Asian			0.7%

Language

Among the white population, Emalahleni (like the rest of Mpumalanga) is mainly Afrikaans speaking. The Black population speak mostly isiZulu, isiSwati, and isiNdebele, and Asians mostly English. According to the 2001 census the largest languages in Emalahleni were: Afrikaans (48.8%), Zulu (23.1%), English (11.7%), Northern Sotho (5.2%) and Swazi (3.0%).

Languages in Witbank/Emalahleni
Language			Percent
Afrikaans			48.8%
Zulu			23.1%
English			11.7%
N. Sotho			5.2%
Swazi			3.0%
Ndebele			2.9%
S. Sotho			1.8%
Tsonga			1.0%
Xhosa			1.0%
Tswana			0.8%
Other			0.5%
Venda			0.2%

Communities

To the west of the city, two large communities, Vosman and Kwa-Guqa (“the Place of Kneeling” in Zulu), and two smaller communities, Lynnville, Ackerville and Schoongesicht, are home to approximately 440,000 (in 2005) residents, predominantly black. While many of these residents aspire to relocate to the more spacious suburbs around the city center, generally this has only been affordable to a few thousand, due to the prices of the suburban real estate. There are now communities on the northwest side of the city that have been established at Pine Ridge (consisting predominantly of Indian residents), Klarinet and Siyanqoba. Pressure to develop the city's suburbs has been exacerbated by the gradual de-population of the surrounding colliery villages as well as the continued development of new coal-fired power stations in the area.

Tourism

As Emalahleni is en route to travellers from the Gauteng province to the Kruger National Park, attempts have been made to capture some of the potential tourist spend. Apart from a few hotels, there are many guest houses. These vary from the utilitarian to the luxurious, and also cater for many of the business travellers visiting Emalahleni as well as those travelling to Mbombela, eSwatini and Mozambique. A casino complex is accessible within a few hundred meters from the N4 highway, providing two hotels, cinemas, ten-pin bowling and restaurants as well as the traditional gambling facilities. The Highveld Mall is built immediately next to the casino and is a retail hub for locals as well as for many residents of towns in the vicinity.

Witbank dam

The Witbank dam is reputed to be the largest municipal dam in South Africa. Once a thriving resort for camping, water-sports and animal viewing, the area has come under increasing criticism due to degradation of the facilities.

Notable people

• Anneline Kriel, Miss World of 1974, was born and brought up in Emalahleni.
• Jackson Mthembu, South African politician born in eMalahleni
• Hugh Masekela, international jazz artist was born in Emalahleni.
• Francois Pienaar, Captain of 1995 Springbok rugby team who won the world cup.
• Percy Tau, (born 13 May 1994) in Emalahleni is a South African professional footballer.

Sport

Emalahleni was the home town of the Mpumalanga Black Aces who are dissolved football team and used to be the home town of the Pumas provincial rugby union which has since moved to Mbombela.

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Witbank
• Witbank Spurs F.C. – A football club based in eMalahleni
• Tshwane University of Technology - Emalahleni Campus (incl. Mabaleng Residence)

References

1. "Main Place Emalahleni". Census 2011.
2. "Witbank may be next in line for name change", Pretoria News, p. 7, September 22, 2005
3. "Emalahleni FAQ". Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
4. "Witbank". Official South African Geographical Names System. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
5. "Nkangala District Municipality map indicating Witbank within Emalahleni Local Municipality". Nkangala District Municipality. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
6. "Witbank". Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
7. South African Geographical Names System Archived 2010-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
8. Mozambique Logistics Infrastructure: Mozambique Railway Assessment. Atlassian Confluence. 10 de dezembro de 2018.
9. "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.
11. 2001 census information about Emalahleni, including ethnic groups, languages and population

External links

• www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/646020/Witbank – Witbank on Encyclopædia Britannica
• www.routes.co.za/mp/witbank/ – General information about Witbank
• Municipal District Website
• The story behind the “Churchill Plaque”, Coalfields District Dugout, M.O.T.H. Retirement Village, Witbank, Mpumalanga