Places & Areas

1. iMpumalanga

   Mpumalanga

   Usage

   A province in the north-east of South Africa. The capital is Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), and parts of it are Southern Ndebele-speaking

   Grammar Note

   iMpumalanga means where the sun rises and is the same word as ePumalanga (east). It is written with i- and is widely used as a place name

2. Gauteng

   Usage

   The province containing Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the busiest economic region of South Africa

   Grammar Note

   Gauteng is a name meaning place of gold

3. Limpopo

   Usage

   The northernmost province of South Africa, bordering Mpumalanga and Gauteng to the north

   Grammar Note

   Limpopo is named after the river of the same name. It lies north of Mpumalanga, and has Southern Ndebele speakers too

4. Pitori

   Pretoria

   Usage

   South Africa's administrative capital, home to government departments and embassies. Signs and maps write it Pretoria

   Grammar Note

   In Southern Ndebele it often appears as ePitori (in or to Pretoria), where e- means in or to. There is also a proposal to rename the city Tshwane

5. Tshwane

   Usage

   The name of the metropolitan area centred on Pretoria; it appears on bus routes and municipal notices

   Grammar Note

   eTshwane means in or to Tshwane. A place name takes e- to show location

6. Johannesburg

   Usage

   South Africa's largest city, where many people from the countryside go to find work

   Grammar Note

   With foreign place names, the locative is written with a hyphen, as in e-Johannesburg

7. Mbombela

   Usage

   The capital of Mpumalanga, formerly called Nelspruit; a gateway to Kruger National Park

   Grammar Note

   eMbombela means in Mbombela. The old name Nelspruit still appears on signs and maps

8. eMalahleni

   Usage

   A coal-mining city in Mpumalanga, formerly called Witbank

   Grammar Note

   eMalahleni means the place of coal (amalahle), with e- and -ni marking a place

9. KwaMhlanga

   Usage

   A town in the Thembisile Hani area of Mpumalanga, where Southern Ndebele is widely spoken

   Grammar Note

   Kwa- is a prefix meaning the home or place of, and combines here with the name Mhlanga

10. Siyabuswa

    Usage

    A town in Mpumalanga with about 36,900 people (2011), most of whom speak Southern Ndebele

    Grammar Note

    The name is sometimes written with i-, as in iSiyabuswa

11. KwaMabhoko

    Usage

    A rural settlement in Mpumalanga, also known as Mapoch

    Grammar Note

    Kwa- is a prefix meaning the place of. The same place is also called Mapoch in its English-style name

12. Thembisile Hani

    Usage

    A municipality in the Nkangala district of Mpumalanga, covering 57 rural areas and 5 townships; KwaMhlanga lies within it

    Grammar Note

    Official notices write umasipala wendawo we-Thembisile Hani (the Thembisile Hani local municipality)

13. Ekangala

    Usage

    A township within the City of Tshwane, close to the border with Mpumalanga

    Grammar Note

    The e- in Ekangala is part of the name, not a locative prefix. It goes with ilokitjhi (township)

14. Botshabelo

    Usage

    A historic mission settlement near Middelburg, founded in 1865

    Grammar Note

    Botshabelo is a Sotho word meaning refuge, and Southern Ndebele texts use it as it is

15. Middelburg

    Usage

    A large town in Mpumalanga; Southern Ndebele sources write it e-Middelburg

    Grammar Note

    When e- is added to a foreign place name, a hyphen is written (e-Middelburg)

16. Dullstroom

    Usage

    A small highland town in Mpumalanga whose station, at 2,077 m, is the highest in South Africa

    Grammar Note

    It is also known by the name emNothweni. Both names appear in Southern Ndebele sources

17. Mkhombo Nature Reserve

    Usage

    An 11,223-hectare reserve in Mpumalanga near the Mkhombo Dam, known for birdlife

    Grammar Note

    Indawo evikelweko means a protected place. The official name stays in English, Mkhombo Nature Reserve

18. Vaalbank

    Usage

    A small town about 100 km north-east of Pretoria, also known as Libangeni

    Grammar Note

    It is sometimes written with i-, as in iVaalbank, when it is introduced as a town

19. Kruger Park

    Usage

    One of South Africa's largest game reserves, spanning Mpumalanga and Limpopo

    Grammar Note

    eKruger Park means in or to Kruger Park. It names a place to go and see animals

20. Hammanskraal

    Usage

    An area in the north of the City of Tshwane, north of Pretoria

    Grammar Note

    When e- is added to a foreign place name, a hyphen is written (e-Hammanskraal)

21. Soshanguve

    Usage

    A large township in the City of Tshwane north of Pretoria, with a campus of Tshwane University of Technology

    Grammar Note

    eSoshanguve means in or to Soshanguve, the name of an ilokitjhi (township)

22. Mamelodi

    Usage

    A township in eastern Pretoria, known as the home of the football club Mamelodi Sundowns

    Grammar Note

    eMamelodi means in or to Mamelodi, and the name is also used in the football club's name

23. Barberton

    Usage

    A town in Mpumalanga with a gold-mining past; the mountains around it are a World Heritage Site

    Grammar Note

    As a foreign place name it takes a prefix and a hyphen, as in e-Barberton

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