Komatipoort

Province

Komatipoort ( German as: " gate at the Komati " ) is a South African town in the province of Mpumalanga. It belongs to the municipality in the district of Nkomazi Ehlanzeni. The town has 4,683 inhabitants ( 2011 census ) and is located near the border with Mozambique.

Name

Komatipoort lies on the River Komati. Poort is Afrikaans and means " gate" or " gate".

Geographical location

The city is located about five kilometers west of the Mozambique border, eight kilometers south of the Kruger National Park, approximately 65 kilometers north of Swaziland at the confluence of the rivers Komati and Crocodile River. Near the city of the Komati breaks through the mountain chain of the Lebomboberge. Komatipoort is the hottest climate of South Africa. The average temperatures in winter 26 ° C, in summer 33 ° C.

History

The city was a South African border town of railway Johannesburg Lourenço Marques (now Maputo ) Founded in 1887. 1899-1903 fought from here cavalry in the Second Boer War against the Boers. In 1903, Komatipoort town rights.

On March 17, 1984 was here by the South African President Pieter Willem Botha and Samora Machel in Mozambique President of Nkomati Accord signed. This peace treaty stipulated that South Africa and Mozambique should stop supporting the rebel organizations on the territory of the other country.

On October 19, 1986 Samora Machel and 34 other passengers died in a plane crash in the Lebombobergen near Komatipoort. The cause a flight failure of the Soviet pilots or an action to be adopted by the South African military.

Economy

In the area of sugar cane, bananas and citrus fruits are grown. Furthermore Komatipoort has through the nearby Kruger National Park meaning than spend the night in tourism.

Traffic

Komatipoort is on the railway and highway route Johannesburg -Maputo. The city is a major railway junction on the border with Mozambique and near Swaziland. About the city reach transports cargo from and to the port of Maputo.

Another path branches west of Komatipoort on rail junction Kaapmuiden and leads northward through node Tshukudu to Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt to the Zimbabwean border at Musina. A branch line from Komatipoort to Swaziland was completed in 1986. It serves mainly the transit of goods from northern states such as Zimbabwe and Zambia and the mining area around Phalaborwa to the South African ports of Richards Bay and Durban.

About the N4 road the city with Pretoria and Maputo is connected. The R571 leads towards Swaziland.

482997
de