Matsulu is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in the Mbombela Local Municipality under the

Ehlanzeni District Municipality Ehlanzeni is one of the 3 districts of Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The seat of Ehlanzeni is Mbombela. The majority of its 944 665 people speak SiSwati (2001 Census). The district code is DC32. Geography Neighbours Ehlanzeni is surro ...

in the Mpumalanga province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It lies next to the N4 national road 41 km east of Nelspruit (Mbombela) CBD, 3 km before the

Kaapmuiden Kaapmuiden ''(Cape Mouth)'' is a small farming town situated at the confluence of the Kaap and Crocodile Rivers in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town lies just off the N4 national highway and is marked by a large abandoned silo visible from th ...

train station. The township is divided into three sections: Matsulu A, Matsulu B and Matsulu C.

History

The township was established in the 1970s. Its existence came to be when African natives were forcefully removed from the nearby lands to form sugarcane plantations then relocated to the land which now forms Matsulu Township. It is alleged that the area was named after a resident who had informally settled there prior to the forced allocation; the name of the resident was Matsulu. From the 1970s to 1994 the township was administrated by the now defunct

KaNgwane KaNgwane () was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a semi-independent homeland for the Swazi people. It was called the "Swazi Territorial Authority" from 1976 to 1977. In September 1977 it was renamed KaNgwan ...

District

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as Bantu homeland, black homeland, black state or simply homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of South Africa set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa (now ...

. It played a major role as an official residency for Members of Parliament (KaNgwane District Bantustan). Like many South African townships, Matsulu was embroiled in Apartheid-era violence during the 1980s and the early '90s. In 1994 the administration of the township was handed over to the then Greater Nelspruit City Council, ending the Bantustan administration.

Post 1994

Matsulu was re-organised and municipal wards were allocated to streamline it with the rest of the City Council (now called Mbombela Municipality).

Economy

The township's economy is heavily dependent on its mother city Mbombela, where most of its employed skilled and semiskilled residents work. The township's economy itself is largely informal. A few hundred find employment in primary economy sectors like brick manufacturing and bricklaying, while some people are also employed on the nearby fruit farms as seasonal workers. Corner shops known as spaza shops are found scattered throughout the area which are often owned and operated by foreigners like Somali,

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

and Pakistani immigrants on leased residential sites. There is two (2) formal shopping complexes with a dozen shops anchored by the

Spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

and Boxer retailer. However, there is no dedicated CBD, nor industrial site, so many businesses operate unregulated at random locations with little municipal control.

Educational Institutions

Public education institutions in Matsulu: Primary Schools *Benjamin Primary School
Enzani Primary School
*Funindlela Primary School *Lethakuthula Primary School *Matsulu Primary School *Phumalanga Primary School *Sehlulile Primary School *Sibongile Primary School *Sukumani Primary School *Takheleni Primary School *Tsandzanani Primary School High Schools
Tikhontele Secondary School
*Sibusisiwe Secondary School *Masitakhe Secondary School *Sitfokotile Secondary School Tertiary *Matsulu TVET Skills Academy

Transportation

Ways to get in-and-around Matsulu while using public transportation: *Minibus taxis, which operate on a short-range distance from Matsulu to Nelspruit (Mbombela),

Malelane Malalane (formerly Malelane) is a farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa situated on the N4 national highway. The farms in the region produce sugarcane, subtropical fruit and winter vegetables. The town was proclaimed in 1949 after which it w ...

and back. *Buscor buses, which operate on a medium distance from Matsulu to Nelspruit (Mbombela), Malelane, Barberton and back. * Local taxis/private cars, which only operate in and around Matsulu, serving the three sections of the township. These local taxis take the form of

Toyota Avanza The Toyota Avanza and Daihatsu Xenia are cars developed by Daihatsu and marketed by both Toyota and Daihatsu. It is a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and mainly sold with three-row seating. The Avanza and Xenia were developed as an entry-level MPV ...

s and they transport locals on tarred/paved roads, ignoring the gravel. *Air, utilising the

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport ( af, Kruger Mpumalanga Internasionale Lughawe) is located north east of Mbombela in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Construction began in 2001 and it replaced the smaller Nelspruit Airport. It now serves ...

with flights from major cities in Southern Africa, Matsulu is 40 km east of the airport. *Railway utilising the

train station which is 3 km outside Matsulu. It should be of note that the train arrives only once a day at around 18h00 local time coming from

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

Gallery

Matsulu-A.jpg, A view of Matsulu-A with the Kruger National Park in the background during the dry season Matsulu Transnet Bridge.jpg, Matsulu Transnet Bridge, a symbolic landmark Matsulu-B (Youth Center).jpg, Matsulu-B (Youth Center) with the Crocodile River and the N4 route bridge visible Matsulu Spar.jpg, Matsulu Spar Shopping Center

Climate

Matsulu has a subtropical climate with very warm humid summers and cool dry winters.

Nearby Places of Interest

Tourist attractions within a 150 km radius: * Kruger National Park * Mthethomusha Game Reserve * Sudwala Caves

Notable People

* Eric Kholwane, former Mpumalanga MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism

References

{{Ehlanzeni District Municipality Populated places in the Mbombela Local Municipality Townships in Mpumalanga