Bushbuckridge (also known as Mapulaneng) is the main town in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.
The town grew around a trading store that opened in 1884, and is named after the large herds of bushbuck found here in the 1880s, and the prominent ridge in the southeastern part of the municipality.
Etymology and History
The name “Bushbuck Ridge” was given due to the large herds of bushbuck present in the area in the 1880s and a distinctive west-northwest to east-southeast ridge in the southeastern part of the municipality. The town of Bushbuckridge developed around a trading store that opened in 1884.
Historically, the land now known as Bushbuckridge and Hazyview was called Mapulaneng, inhabited by the Mapulana people for centuries before the arrival of the Shangaan and Swazi peoples, who were permitted to settle during the reign of Mapulana chief Maripe Mashile. The name Mapulaneng, meaning “Place of the Mapulana people” in Sepulana, was replaced by Bushbuckridge during the colonial era.
From 1995 to 2000, the citizens of Bushbuckridge were involved in a dispute with the government, demanding the area’s inclusion in Mpumalanga province. This led to violent protests, including stay-aways, road blockades with burning tires, and destruction of property. A cabinet decision in 1998 approved the transfer, which was legally enacted in 2000 after President Thabo Mbeki amended the Constitution.
Geography
Bushbuckridge is located in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in Mpumalanga, South Africa, with coordinates 24°28′S 31°32′E. The Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, of which the town is the seat, is the largest local municipality in Mpumalanga by land size, covering an area of 10,250 km² (3,960 sq mi). It is bordered by the Mopani District Municipality of Limpopo Province to the north, Mozambique to the east, Mbombela and Nkomazi Local Municipalities to the south, and Thaba Chweu and Maruleng Local Municipalities to the west. The municipality comprises 135 settlements and is divided into 37 wards.
