| Mpumalanga Township | |
| Other Name: | Hammarsdale |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -29.817°N 30.637°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | eThekwini |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 21.66 |
| Population Total: | 62406 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 98.5% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 1.1% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.1% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 92.5% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 2.3% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | S. Ndebele |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 1.3% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 3700 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 3700 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 031 |
Mpumalanga, also widely known as Hammarsdale, is a township located in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is situated some 10 km south-south-east of Cato Ridge and some 50 km west of Durban. Derived from Zulu, the name means 'sunrise', 'the sun comes out'.[2]
The township boasts of a local library known as Mpumalanga Library and a shopping center which has become the heart of the township known as the Hammarsdale Junction. There is a local stadium and an Elangeni college campus located in the heart of Mpumalanga. Among amenities such as clinics, police stations, a SASSA and a home affairs office, the township has a variety of schools, some of which are mentioned below.
Georgedale, adjoining Mpumalanga to the west was the birthplace of James Mpanza who became known as the "Father of Soweto".[3]
The township was engulfed in severe political violence in the latter 1980s to early 1990s and was one of the hotspots of political conflict in KwaZulu-Natal.[4]
Mpumalanga forms the easternmost boundary of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality (Greater Durban region) with the adjoining Mkhambathini Local Municipality in the uMgungundlovu District along with Cato Ridge to the north.
Mpumalanga lies within the hilly region between Durban and Pietermaritzburg known as the Valley of a Thousand Hills and is located north of the uMlazi River. Mpumalanga spans an extensive area of 21,66km2 and is largely subdivided into multi-sections primarily in the form of letters from A to H as well as other areas with names such as Elangeni, Hammars Estate, Mpumalanga East and Zamani.[5]
The nearest regional urban centre to Mpumalanga is Pinetown, located approximately 35 kilometres to the east while Pietermaritzburg, approximately 39 kilometres to the north-west also serves as an urban centre to Mpumalanga as opposed to the larger city of Durban which is considerably further. Other neighbouring towns include Cato Ridge (10 km), Camperdown (16 km) and Hillcrest (24 km).
Mpumalanga is centred on two roads, namely the M50 also named Mthoko Mkhize Drive leading to Cato Ridge and Inchanga and Buthelezi/Sibisi Drive leading to Shongweni and Hillcrest. The M50 leading to Inchanga provides direct access to the N3 highway between Pietermaritzburg and Durban at the Hammarsdale interchange, just outside Mpumalanga.