White River, Mpumalanga
Encyclopedia
White River is a small holiday and farming town situated just north of Nelspruit
in Mpumalanga
, South Africa
. The farms in the region produce tropical fruits, vegetables, flowers and timber
. After the Boer War
the British
demarcated land on the Emanzimhlope River, a tributary of the Limpopo River
. Emanzimhlope is Swazi for White Waters. The land was used to demobilise British
soldiers and the first manager of the settlement was Tom Lawrence (snr), after whom the longest street in the town is still named.
The farming tradition of the community that settled here after the Anglo-Boer War has remained virtually unchanged to this day. Lord Milner's (administrator of the defeated Transvaal) attache, the aforementioned Tom Lawrence, , demarcated land on the 'Emansimhlope' - a tributary of the Crocodile River whose name translates from the Swazi as 'White Waters' - to demobilised British Anglo-Boer War soldiers.
After a 26 km canal to channel water from the river was built, the new settlers planted trees and established new cultivation methods. The agriculture involves largely the production of tropical fruits, vegetables, flowers and timber and tobacco, and is one of the most fertile in the province.
White River, with three irrigation dams and a number of nearby forest, is a popular holiday destination for those looking to enjoy the splendour of the Crocodile River Valley, and the town has a reputation for its arts and crafts.
White River lies just north of Nelspruit not far from the border with the Kruger National Park. It is not a large town but it is certainly an area of considerable scenic beauty. The climate is said to be one of the best in South Africa, neither excessively hot in summer when rainfall is at its highest, nor overly cold during the sunny winters. The farms tend to be relatively small but the agriculture is intensive with tropical and citrus fruits in abundance, and vegetables and cut flowers readily available.
Also known as Witrivier (Afrikaans).
Nelspruit
Nelspruit is a city of more than 500,000 people situated in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province . Located on the Crocodile River, Nelspruit lies about west of the Mozambique border and east of Johannesburg. The towns of Nelspruit are Kanyamazane and Pienaar...
in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The farms in the region produce tropical fruits, vegetables, flowers and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. After the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
demarcated land on the Emanzimhlope River, a tributary of the Limpopo River
Limpopo River
The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around long, with a drainage basin in size. Its mean annual discharge is 170 m³/s at its mouth...
. Emanzimhlope is Swazi for White Waters. The land was used to demobilise British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldiers and the first manager of the settlement was Tom Lawrence (snr), after whom the longest street in the town is still named.
The farming tradition of the community that settled here after the Anglo-Boer War has remained virtually unchanged to this day. Lord Milner's (administrator of the defeated Transvaal) attache, the aforementioned Tom Lawrence, , demarcated land on the 'Emansimhlope' - a tributary of the Crocodile River whose name translates from the Swazi as 'White Waters' - to demobilised British Anglo-Boer War soldiers.
After a 26 km canal to channel water from the river was built, the new settlers planted trees and established new cultivation methods. The agriculture involves largely the production of tropical fruits, vegetables, flowers and timber and tobacco, and is one of the most fertile in the province.
White River, with three irrigation dams and a number of nearby forest, is a popular holiday destination for those looking to enjoy the splendour of the Crocodile River Valley, and the town has a reputation for its arts and crafts.
White River lies just north of Nelspruit not far from the border with the Kruger National Park. It is not a large town but it is certainly an area of considerable scenic beauty. The climate is said to be one of the best in South Africa, neither excessively hot in summer when rainfall is at its highest, nor overly cold during the sunny winters. The farms tend to be relatively small but the agriculture is intensive with tropical and citrus fruits in abundance, and vegetables and cut flowers readily available.
Also known as Witrivier (Afrikaans).