Badplaas

Badplaas, also known as eManzana and eBhadini (native Swati) is a small town on the R38 road in eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was established in 1876 on the Seekoeispruit, in the foothills of the Dlomodlomo Mountains (meaning "place of much thunder"),[2] at the site of a sulphur spring that delivers ±30,000 litres of hot water (at ±50 °C) per hour. Multiple sulphur springs are found around the area, including the one situated at Mkhingoma on the Mkhomazana river.

Badplaas

eBhadini

eManzana
The main swimming pool at Badplaas
Badplaas
Badplaas
Coordinates: 25°57′14″S 30°34′00″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceMpumalanga
DistrictGert Sibande
MunicipalityAlbert Luthuli
 • Councillor(ANC)
Area
 • Total37.97 km2 (14.66 sq mi)
Elevation
1,110 m (3,640 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total582
 • Density15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African62.5%
 • Coloured2.1%
 • Indian/Asian3.3%
 • White31.1%
 • Other1.0%
First languages (2011)
 • Swazi40.0%
 • Afrikaans31.7%
 • English12.8%
 • Zulu5.3%
 • Other10.2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1190
PO box
1190
Area code017

History

Swazi tribesmen were the first to discover the spring and called it "eManzana", which means "healing waters".[3] It has been said that in about 1876 the Swazi chief presented this spring, in gratitude, to a hunter, Jacob de Clerq, who subsequently built a store nearby and developed the spring to allow for visitors’ use due to its believed medicinal properties.

Recreation

The spring became very popular when gold was discovered in the De Kaap Valley (near Barberton). Prospectors would visit there on weekends to get away from their strenuous work of digging for gold. On 6 November 1893, the government claimed the springs to develop a health resort for public use in perpetuity.[3] It was proclaimed in December 1947.[3] The Protea Group managed this Aventura Resort for a time, but the resort has now been purchased by the Forever Resorts Group.[4]

References
  1. "Main Place Badplaas". Census 2011.
  2. "Badplaas (description)". TravelGround. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. Raper, Peter E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 1412. ISBN 9781868425501.
  4. "Welcome to Badplaas". Badplaas official website. Retrieved 22 October 2015.


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