10 Facts About Witbank

Witbank, officially Emalahleni, is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the Emalahleni Local Municipality.

The name Witbank is Afrikaans for "white ridge", and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested.

Witbank was renamed to Emalahleni meaning the place of coal in 2006 by the government of Mpumalanga, matching the municipality.

Witbank was founded in 1890 and early attempts to exploit the coal deposits failed until the railway from Pretoria reached the area in 1894.

On 3 March 2006, Witbank was officially renamed to Emalahleni, meaning "place of coal" matching the name of the municipality that contains it.

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Witbank is located along the railway line linking Pretoria to Maputo and for many years served as the transport gateway to the Mozambiquean port.

Witbank is in a coal mining area with more than 22 collieries in the municipal radius.

The farm land surrounding Witbank is fast being bought by investors, coal mining companies and real estate developers to accommodate the rapid growth of the city which is good for local businesses and residents.

Witbank dam is reputed to be the largest municipal dam in South Africa.

Witbank was the home town of the Mpumalanga Black Aces who are dissolved football team and used to be the home town of the Pumas provincial rugby union which has since moved to Mbombela.