White River, Mpumalanga

White River Witrivier
A street in White River
White River  White River shown within Mpumalanga Show map of Mpumalanga White River White River (South Africa) Show map of South Africa White River White River (Africa) Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 25°19′S 31°01′E / 25.317°S 31.017°E / -25.317; 31.017Coordinates: 25°19′S 31°01′E / 25.317°S 31.017°E / -25.317; 31.017
Country	South Africa
Province	Mpumalanga
District	Ehlanzeni
Municipality	Mbombela
Area[1]
• Total	60.55 km2 (23.38 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	16,639
• Density	270/km2 (710/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
• Black African	32.5%
• Coloured	4.3%
• Indian/Asian	2.5%
• White	60.3%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011)[1]
• Afrikaans	42.2%
• English	28.7%
• Swazi	16.1%
• Tsonga	3.0%
• Other	10.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	1240
PO box	1240

White River (Afrikaans: Witrivier) 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.

Origin

After the Boer War the British demarcated land on the Emanzimhlope River, a tributary of the Crocodile River. Emanzimhlope translates from the Swazi as 'White Waters'.

Lord Milner (administrator of the defeated Transvaal) tasked his attache, Tom Lawrence, to demarcate land on the 'Emanzimhlope' – a tributary of the Crocodile River – to demobilised British Anglo-Boer War soldiers. The longest street in town is still named after Lawrence, who was the first manager of the new settlement.

The farming tradition of the community that settled here after the Anglo-Boer War has remained virtually unchanged to this day. After a 26 km canal to channel water from the river was built, the new settlers planted fruit trees and established new cultivation methods.

Agriculture

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 forests, is a popular holiday destination for those looking to visit the Crocodile River Valley, and the town has a reputation for its arts and crafts. One of the attractions for the art scene is Casterbridge Lifestyle Center situated on the outskirts of the city. Once a mango plantation it now sports a cinema, art exhibitions in its various art galleries, theater plays, concerts, a vintage motor museum and various restaurants.^[2] Within the town is the Hoërskool Rob Ferreira High School.

Region

White River lies 20 km north of Nelspruit not far from the border with Kruger National Park. White River has a population of 16,639^[1] and is located in an area of considerable scenic beauty. Compared to other parts of South Africa, the climate is 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.

White River is 46 km from Hazyview, one of the easiest access points to the world-famous Kruger National Park.

References