Stadium: Mbombela Stadium

Nelspruit lies in the hot lowveld valley of the Crocodile River close to the Kruger National Park. With the unending view of rolling mountains from God's Window to the majestic scenes of the green hills contrasting with blue rivers at Blyde River Canyon, this is definitely a place the sun would not want to leave.

The climate and soil are such that this heavenly subtropical garden region grows about one-third of the country’s citrus fruits as well as papaws, litchis, avocado pears, mangoes, bananas, pecan nuts, tobacco and coffee. Roads are lined with lilac jacaranda, purple bougainvillea and other flamboyant shrubs.

The town itself is quite large but still very pleasant and forms a road and rail link from Pretoria and Johannesburg to Maputo in Mozambique to the south-east, and the Panorama Route and Kruger National Park to the north and north-east.

There is area invokes the idea of a 'Garden of Eden', with a flourishing fruit industry and countless waterfalls which drop from dramatic cliff faces. Wild horses roam freely in Kaapsehoop.

Facts

Name: Nelspruit. The city's name has Dutch origins and means Nel's stream. Province: Mpumalanga
Population: 21541
Altitude: 660m
Geography: Located on a low-lying plateau, known as the Lowveld, in the fertile Crocodile River valley in the north eastern part of South Africa.
Climate: Sub-tropical with temperatures around 23°C during winter and warming up to 29°C during summer.
Key Economic Sectors: Agriculture, Mining
Football Clubs: Witbank Spurs (1 ^st Division)

Football

The town has had only one professional side, Dangerous Darkies, who spent two seasons in the top flight in the early 1990s.

The most famous footballer to come from Nelspruit is the fullback David Nyathi, who played in Spain, Switzerland and in Italy's Serie A for Cagliari. He was a member of the FIFA World XI who played a match in Marseille as part of the festivities for the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ Final Draw.

• Mbombela Stadium
• Map of the Area
• Other Cities