Badplaas

Badplaas

The main swimming pool at Badplaas
Badplaas

 Badplaas shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 25°57′14″S 30°34′00″E / 25.95389°S 30.56667°ECoordinates: 25°57′14″S 30°34′00″E / 25.95389°S 30.56667°E
Country South Africa
Province Mpumalanga
District Gert Sibande
Municipality Albert Luthuli
Established 1876
Area[1]
 • Total 37.97 km2 (14.66 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 582
 • Density 15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 62.5%
 • Coloured 2.1%
 • Indian/Asian 3.3%
 • White 31.1%
 • Other 1.0%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Swazi 40.0%
 • Afrikaans 31.7%
 • English 12.8%
 • Zulu 5.3%
 • Other 10.2%
Postal code (street) 1190
PO box 1190
Area code 017

Badplaas is a small town, established in 1876, and is located on the Seekoeispruit in the foothills of the Dhlumudhlumu Mountains (Place of Much Thunder) where a sulphur spring delivers ±30 000L of hot water (@±50 °C) per hour.

History

Swazi tribesmen were the first to discover the spring and called it ‘Emanzana’ meaning Healing Waters. It has been said that in about 1876 the Swazi Chief presented this spring, in gratitude, to a hunter - Jacob de Clerq - who subsequently built a store nearby and developed the spring to allow for visitors’ use because of its medicinal properties. History does not tell us why the Swazi chief gave the spring to de Clerq. The spring became very popular when gold was discovered in the De Kaap Valley (near Barberton), prospectors would visit there on weekends to get away from their strenuous work of digging for gold. On 6 November 1893 the government claimed the springs to develop a health resort for public use in perpetuity, it was proclaimed in December 1947. The Protea Group managed this Aventura Resort for a time, but the resort has now been purchased by the Forever Resorts Group.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Main Place Badplaas". Census 2011.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Badplaas.