It was called the Freedom Wars or Boer Wars of 1899 to 1902 when Nelspruit was used as the control center for the South African Republic. It was a war between the British and the Boers or the Dutch settlers’ descendants led by Paul Kruger. The war was divided into two stages and was basically about gold. When the war ended, the Boers, were given the right to self govern the Transvaal Republic, also known as the South African Republic.

In 1905, the Nel family decided to lay down roots in a site, Nel Stream, along the Crocodile River where the grass was green and water was plentiful. Three brothers brought their cattle to this site during the cold months of winter.

In 1940, Nelspruit became a municipality of Mbombela but interestingly it ended up as being called Mbombela in 2009 by the government of South Africa. It’s a Swati word that refers to “many people together in a small place.” In spite of this official declaration and name change, most residents still call their home Nelspruit. In fact, the road signs and many signage still use the name Nelspruit.

The Railways

Because of the location of Nelspruit, a railway was built in 1891 from Komatiport down through the Nel farm and going further down to Pretoria. The reason why the railway ended up passing through the land where the Nel brothers set up their farm was because the Nel brothers claimed that it was a better option than going through Drakensberg. Their contention was that there was a problem with the tsetse fly in Drakensberg and therefore, the railways would not be a successful venture.

When the railways was finished, the ride from one end to the other took 26 hours to complete. Today, the railways still exist and work. In fact, along the railways in Nelspruit, many hotels have been built to cater to the growing number of visitors that pass through the area.

Economy of Nelspruit

Aside from the hundreds of visitors that stay over at Nelspruit en route to the Kruger National Park, the economy is carried by local businesses. Originally known as a trading place, Nelspruit has grown to be one of the major food sources for South Africa.

It is also the shopping mecca for surrounding areas like Swaziland and Mozambique who enjoy visiting Nelspruit to buy their groceries. One attraction for both locals and visitors is the Emnotweni Casino and the Mbombela Stadium. With all the economic activities going on in Nelspruit, it is now recognized as the most promising and fastest growing cities in the entire country of South Africa.

Sustained and Cosmopolitan Lifestyle

People living in Nelspruit enjoy the good life. They can sustain a local business from the constant flow of visitors and because it is a large city, local demand is high. In addition to the local inhabitants being able to profit well by putting up the botanical gardens, a dinosaur park, a cultural centre, hiking trails, crocodile farms, fruit farms, ostrich farms, and an 8 theatre mall (with casino and full range entertainment options), the area’s excellent internet access means that online shopping is not only a convenient way to purchase goods, but that local businesses can make themselves available to a world-wide market.