Ubombo

Ubombo
Obonjeni
Ubombo

 Ubombo shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 27°34′S 32°05′E / 27.567°S 32.083°ECoordinates: 27°34′S 32°05′E / 27.567°S 32.083°E
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District uMkhanyakude
Municipality Jozini
Area[1]
 • Total 9.44 km2 (3.64 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 1,220
 • Density 130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 93.0%
 • Coloured 2.9%
 • Indian/Asian 2.0%
 • White 2.0%
 • Other 0.2%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Zulu 91.3%
 • English 6.8%
 • Other 1.9%
PO box 3970
Area code 035

Ubombo, is a small town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa about 17km north-east of Mkuze. It takes its name from the Lebombo Mountain range, on which it is situated. Derived from Zulu Lumbombo, ‘high mountain ridge’. The Zulu name for this village is Obonjeni, ‘on the big nose’, i.e. ‘ridge’.[2]

The site and remains believed to be those of the camp where Sir David Bruce and his wife Mary worked between 1894 and 1897, and where Bruce discovered the causative agent of nagana, African trypanosomiasis ("sleeping sickness") and its transmission by the tsetse fly were discovered here.

Bethesda district hospital, founded by the Methodist Church is in this village. It started in 1932 and was initially built by Dr Robert Albert Turner who was the medical superintendent after being the District Surgeon and was a mission training hospital.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Main Place Ubombo". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 443.
  3. ↑ "Bethesda hospital". KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. Retrieved 18 August 2013.