History of Witbank
Witbank is understandably known as eMalahleni – the place of coal
Roughly translated, Witbank in Afrikaans means “white ridge”. This refers to the sandstone commonly found in Witbank where years before travelers and drivers would sit to rest.
Witbank City is an important centre helping the Mpumalanga and South African economy to achieve its full potential through its vast economic growth achieved over the past few years.
It was established over a century ago back in the 1890s when about 20 underground mines or collieries were operating, and at the same time looking for more coal. From coal mines, it became a town and soon progressed to being named a city. The gigantic progress moved forward at an immense pace due to the quality of the coal and the establishment of a power station and steel mill.
The more investors came to Witbank because of the coal, the faster the town grew into a city. Real estate property began to be in demand – all because of the jobs created by the growth of the heavy industry.
With rapid progress came a multitude of problems like the poor roads which were damaged from heavy rains in 2008, and the amount of debris one finds along the roadside. Also, because of the massive coal mining in the area, the problem arose as to how to transport coal in large and increasing quantities to other parts of South Africa and Mpumalanga. This issue was resolved when the government decided to put up the railway system in 1984. After this, the progress shot up dramatically with more investors, businesses, and a jump in the population. The building of some of South Africa’s biggest power stations, due to the excellent coal and transport infrastructure, lead to Witbank becoming the energy capital of South Africa.
| More info on the town of Witbank | More info on the Highveld and Cosmos area |
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