| Breyten | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Mpumalanga#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -26.3°N 88°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Mpumalanga |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Gert Sibande |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Msukaligwa |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.52 |
| Population Total: | 14347 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 94.4% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 0.8% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.6% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 4.0% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.2% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 81.4% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Swazi |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 4.5% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 4.3% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | English |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 2.9% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 6.8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 2330 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 2330 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 017 |
Breyten is a small farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It is situated at the foot of Klipstapel, the highest point on the watershed between the westward-flowing Vaal River system and the eastward-flowing Olifants and Komati River systems.[2] The town is located 25 km (15 mi) west of Chrissiesmeer, 30 km (19 mi) north of Ermelo, 32 km (20 mi) southwest of Carolina, and 35 km (21 mi) southeast of Hendrina. The main spoken languages are Zulu, Swati and Afrikaans.
The town was built upon the Bothasrust farmstead, which itself was granted to one Lukas Potgieter as compensation for his losing a leg during the First Boer War. The farm was later sold to Nicolaas Breytenbach, a field cornet during the Second Boer War, after whom the town was named in 1906.[3]
Breyten was once a vibrant railway town. Passenger and freight trains departed and connected in Breyten to Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Witbank, Pretoria and other areas of South Africa. Common freight was agricultural produce and livestock, but most predominantly coal from the local collieries. Due to losses in the manufacturing sector, the town has since become depressed with high unemployment. Breyten is now a stopover for tourists who are headed to either the Lowveld or Highveld. Tourists can be served by a local hotel and a few guest houses.
Breyten continues to be a mining community, with the majority of the population still employed in collieries such as Tselentis and Spitzkop of the Imbawula Group.[4] Coal is still the most transported good out of Breyten. A leather factory named JCB Leather Works can also be found in Breyten. Breyten now features a private college called Xtensive ICT Academy, which is centered around information technology training.