About Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga, whose name means 'place where the sun rises', stretches from the high, cold grasslands around Dullstroom and Belfast down the Drakensberg escarpment to the low-lying bushveld bordering Kruger National Park. The province's coal seams around eMalahleni and Secunda power much of South Africa's electricity and underpin Sasol's synthetic-fuel operations, while Barberton, where gold was struck in 1884, predates the Witwatersrand rush and still bears the mining-town architecture from that era. Along the escarpment, the Blyde River Canyon and God's Window draw visitors to some of the country's most dramatic scenery, and the former gold-rush village of Pilgrim's Rest survives largely intact as a heritage site. Forestry plantations around Sabie and Graskop supply a large share of the country's timber, and the lowveld towns of Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit) and Hazyview serve as the main gateways into Kruger's southern and central camps.

Across Mpumalanga this stretch of August blends art, sport and live music. The Wolke Water Exhibition continues its run at SilverSpoon Coffee Shop in Middelburg through to the 23rd, and runners can take on the Cross the Line Half Marathon Middelburg 2026 the same weekend. Bookish crowds gather for Innibos Boekenaweek at Kapel @ Silvermist Gastehuis, while music fans can catch Mathys Roets live at Da Loose Mongoose in White River. Motorsport closes out the month with Nkomazi Lowveld Torque Wars Drag Racing, bringing drag racing action to the Lowveld.