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69-596: The Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga , South Africa, are set in Precambrian dolomite rock, which was first laid down about 2800 million years ago. The caves themselves formed about 240 million years ago. They are one of the oldest caves in the world. There are a number of speleothem structures in the cave, known by names such as the "Lowveld Rocket", "Samson's Pillar", and the "Screaming Monster"; some have been dated to 200 million years old. There are also microbial fossils of

138-450: A Haute Cuisine route was formed, trickling from Mbombela down to Hazyview. The Lowveld Gourmet Route covers the four top fine dining restaurants the area has to offer. The restaurants include Summerfields Kitchen, Oliver's Restaurant, Orange and Salt. Mpumalanga is home to a diverse range of cultures, including Swazi, Ndebele, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Zulu, Mapulana, Portuguese and Pedi communities. The Ndebele Cultural Village at Botshabelo

207-589: A closed list system. Under the constitution of South Africa, the legislature is intended to create laws, promote public participation and provide oversight. From 1994 to the present, the African National Congress has been the leading party in the Mpumalanga legislature. As of the 2019 elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters , Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus are in opposition in

276-402: A cyanobacterium known as collenia in the rock; these formed 2000 million years ago. The caves were used for shelter in prehistoric times, probably due in part to a constant supply of fresh air from an unknown source in the caves. The Sudwala Caves are one of the oldest known caves in the world, and began to form around 240 million years ago. Their formation was caused when natural acid in

345-545: A charge of gun cotton and removed its breech block. One of the Long Toms at Ladysmith was taken forward for use during the Battle of Vaal Krantz . Prior to 5 February 1900 an emplacement had been prepared for it on a hill called "Doringkop" (Thorn Hill). The gun arrived at Vaal Krantz on 5 February, but could not be placed on the hill because one of its wheels had broken and the hill was too steep anyway. The Boers managed to get it to

414-471: A company was formed to excavate huge amounts of bat guano ; this was sold as fertilizer to farmers. The Sudwalaskraal farm that is home to the caves was purchased in 1965 by Philippus Rudolf Owen, and he opened the caves as a tourist attraction. The caves are now administered by the African Heritage Foundation and are open 365 days a year including public holidays. The "Miriam Makeba Hall" is

483-603: A flawed choice. Usutfu was too weak to prevent Mswati's brother Somquba from making an effective bid for the throne by calling an Incwala , or Festival of the First Fruit. The significance of this is that it is high treason, not to mention sacrilege, for any other person other than the Swazi king to hold an Incwala. After a skirmish with Mswati's army near the Mgwenyana River, 9 km west of Barberton , Somquba and his followers fled

552-410: A fossil layer shows microbial activity that is 3.22 billion years old. This discovery indicates that life emerged on Earth 300 million years earlier than previously thought. Mpumalanga has a high plant and animal diversity. Many species are endemic to the province. A partial list of species that are endemic to Mpumalanga The diverse and special flora and fauna of the province enjoys protection in

621-507: A large amphitheatre inside the Sudwala Caves. It is 70 metres in diameter and 37 metres high, with a constant temperature of 17 °C. This chamber was used as a concert hall on a number of occasions, including July 1970, when the Russian singer Ivan Rebroff gave a concert. Concerts were stopped due to vandalism in the caves in 2002, but were started again in 2006. Chris Chameleon performed in

690-529: A range of nature reserves. Many species of plants are unique to the different geological formations within Mpumalanga. Some examples of these formations include serpentines of Barberton Mountains, norites of Sekhukhuneland , quartzites of Blyde River Canyon , and the dolomites in the northern plateaus. Mpumalanga is governed by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature , a unicameral system of 30 legislators democratically elected though

759-589: A third Long Tom and emplaced it on Middle Hill. Two old howitzers were brought up and one had a lucky shot, killing or injuring nine Boer gunners and damaging the Long Tom itself. The Boers moved the Long Tom on Pepworth Hill to Gun Hill (Lombardskop) on or about 7 December. A couple of nights later the British supported by a detachment of the Natal Police launched a commando attack against this gun, damaged its muzzle with

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828-628: Is a popular destination. The other major tourist attractions include the Sudwala Caves and the Blyde River Canyon . Many activities including the big jump, mountain and quad biking, horse trails, river rafting and big game viewing are endemic to the region. This is " Big Five " territory. Towns in the Lowveld are Barberton , Mbombela , White River , Sabie , Graskop , Hazyview , Malelane , Pilgrim's Rest , Lydenburg and Nkomazi . In 2008,

897-576: Is a renowned center of cultural heritage, with displays of Ndebele house painting . Ndebele artist Esther Mahalangu gained international acclaim for her artwork rooted in Ndebele traditions and geometric patterns. Prominent South African artist Gerard Sekoto was born in Botshabelo . Many celebrated South African musicians, such as Ray Phiri , Rebecca Malope and Pretty Yende , are from Mpumalanga. Since 2003, Mpumalanga's capital city, Mbombela, has hosted

966-570: Is an hour away on the Highveld: With climate change in the province, rainfall is becoming more variable, temperatures and evaporation rates are rising and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. It is predicted that these changes will shift biomes so that most of the province will be savanna. Some of the earliest signs of life on Earth have been found in Mpumalanga. In the Makhonjwa mountain range's greenstone belt near Barberton ,

1035-410: Is done and the minerals found include gold, platinum group metals, silica , chromite , vanadiferous magnetite , argentiferous zinc , antimony , cobalt , copper, iron, manganese , tin , coal, andalusite , chrysotile asbestos , kieselguhr , limestone , magnesite , talc and shale . Gold was first discovered in Mpumalanga province in 1883 by Auguste Roberts in the mountains surrounding what

1104-640: Is how the caves got their name. During the Second Boer War , in 1900, the caves were used by the Boers to store ammunition for their 94-pounder Long Tom guns. It was thought that the caves may have been used by President Paul Kruger to store the legendary "Kruger Millions", gold bullion which reputedly disappeared somewhere between Waterval Onder and Nelspruit during Paul Kruger's flight from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo ) in Mozambique . In 1914

1173-531: Is now Barberton. Gold is still mined in the Barberton area today. Mpumalanga accounts for 83% of South Africa's coal production. 90% of South Africa's coal consumption is used for electricity generation and the synthetic fuel industry. Coal power stations are in proximity to the coal deposits. A coal liquefaction plant in Secunda ( Secunda CTL ) is one of the country's two petroleum-from-coal extraction plants, which

1242-400: Is operated by the synthetic fuel company Sasol . The high density of coal power stations on the Mpumalanga highveld means that the region has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in the world. Mpumalanga is popular with tourists. Kruger National Park , established in 1898 for the protection of Lowveld wildlife, covering 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi),

1311-499: Is the only South African province to border two provinces of Mozambique ( Gaza Province to the northeast and Maputo Province to the east), as well as all four regions of Eswatini ( Lubombo , Hhohho , Manzini , and Shiselweni districts). The Lowveld is subtropical , due to its latitude and proximity to the warm Indian Ocean . The Highveld is comparatively much cooler and drier, due to its elevation of 1700 m to 2300 m above sea level. The Drakensberg escarpment receives

1380-473: The Afrikaans national arts festival Innibos. The festival features music, comedy, arts, crafts and theatre. Mpumalanga's population is 4,039,939 people (according to the 2011 census). The average population density is 52.81 people per km². Some 30% of the people speak siSwati , the language of neighbouring Eswatini , with 26% speaking isiZulu , 10.3% isiNdebele , 10.2% Sepedi and 11.6% Xitsonga . As of

1449-485: The Kruger National Park is in the latter region. The Drakensberg exceeds heights of 2000 m in most places, with this central region of Mpumalanga being very mountainous. These regions have alpine grasslands and small pockets of Afromontane forest . The Lowveld is relatively flat with interspersed rocky outcrops. The Lebombo Mountains form a low range in the far east, on the border with Mozambique . Some of

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1518-602: The South African Republic (informally known as the Transvaal) in 1897. The guns were emplaced in four forts around the country's capital, Pretoria . The Long Tom gun consisted of a barrel and a separate carriage. The barrel was 4,2 metres long and weighed 2,500 kg (49 cwt). The carriage weighed 3,000 kg (59 cwt). The gun was placed on a wooden platform, consisting of three layers of beams (deals) each measuring 7,5 cm by 7,5 cm by 4,5 m. The size of

1587-546: The 2011 census, approximately 90.65% of Mpumalanga's population are Black, 7.51% are White, and 0.91% are Coloured and 0.69% are Indian or Asian. 155 mm Creusot Long Tom The 155 mm Creusot Long Tom was a French siege gun (artillery piece) manufactured by Schneider et Cie in Le Creusot , France and used by the Boers in the Second Boer War as field guns. Four guns, along with 4,000 common shells, 4,000 shrapnel shells and 800 case shot were purchased by

1656-521: The Boer Long Toms on the mountain pass to Spitskop opened fire on the town. On 8 September Buller with 12,000 men and 48 guns started ascending the pass in pursuit of Botha and the Long Toms. By 9 September the Long Toms had crossed the crest of the mountain and stopped just beyond the part of the pass known as the Devil's Knuckles. From there they fired their parting shots at the enemy and disappeared into

1725-628: The Boers established the South African Republic . The well established Pedi, Swazi and Zulu kingdoms put up significant resistance against the settlers. The Pedi fought wars with the Boers in 1876 (see Sekhukhune Wars ) and the Zulu fought with British settlers in 1879 (see Anglo-Zulu War ). These interconnected conflicts played a role in shifting the balance of power in southern Africa to colonial control. After 1860, missionaries, especially German missionaries like Alexander Merensky set up mission stations in

1794-399: The Long Tom was sent back to Pretoria, having thrown nearly 1,500 shells into Mafeking, which however killed fewer than 20 people. Initially the Boers had two Long Toms. The bombardment commenced on 2 November 1899, with one of the Long Toms firing from Pepworthy Hill. The second Long Tom was emplaced on Bulwana Hill and started firing on 8 November. On 27 November the Boers brought

1863-679: The Portuguese trading post in Maputo Bay . In this era, groups that would become the Swazi , Pedi , Ndebele , Mapulana and others established themselves in the area that is now Mpumalanga. In 1845, as part of the Great Trek , the first Dutch-speaking colonial settlers arrived in what they called the eastern Transvaal. The rest of the 19th century in the region was characterised by colonial encroachment and conflict over land and political control. In 1852,

1932-437: The Sudwala Caves were used by Somquba, the brother of the Swazi heir apparent, as a fortress. In a power struggle for the Swazi throne, many bloody battles were fought at the cave entrance. The story begins as follows: When King Sobhuza I of Swaziland died in 1836, his heir was Mswati II , who was still a minor and too young to ascend the vacant throne. A cousin, Paramount Chief Usutfu, was installed as regent, which proved to be

2001-789: The Transvaal, under a system known as Inboekstelsel , Boers carried out raids to capture children and forced them into indentured labour. During the South African War , the region was the site of notable battles. When the National Party came to power in 1948, their policy of apartheid intensified the segregation that had defined communities in the Transvaal . Under a policy of forced removals, Black South Africans were evicted from areas reserved for white people and moved into homelands, including KaNgwane , KwaNdebele , Lebowa and Gazankulu . As

2070-696: The War Museum of the Boer Republics) and next to the town hall in Ladysmith . After the abortive Jameson Raid the government decided to build four forts around the capital, Pretoria. These were called Fort Schanskop, Fort Klapperkop, Fort Daspoortrand and Fort Wonderboompoort. A Long Tom was placed in each fort. After war broke out, three Long Toms were sent to the Natal front and the remaining one sent to Mafeking. The Long Tom arrived at Mafeking on 23 October 1899. It

2139-434: The apartheid regime implemented oppressive policies that defined almost every aspect of life, activists responded with resistance. In 1959, the small town of Bethal on what is now the Mpumalanga highveld was the center of the anti-apartheid consumer potato boycott in response to the working conditions Black South African labourers faced on farms in the area. The region was influenced by dynamics in exile and elsewhere in

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2208-547: The area, with some 500 head of Mswati's cattle. They crossed the Crocodile River and settled near the Mankelexele Mountains, between Elandshoek and Schagen, about 10 km from what are now the Sudwala Caves. Their settlement was known as M’selezie. Somquba sought and received protection from the newly established Boer settlement of Lydenburg . He made a formal alliance with the (1856–57) Lydenburg Republic. There

2277-596: The caves with the Drakensberg Boys' Choir as part of the InniBos Arts Festival in 2012. The local Stevenson-Hamilton Pipe Band also performed in the caves on 10-03-2013 as part of World Bagpipe Day celebrations. Other artists include Elvis Blue the UJ Choir and a variety of other traditional local musicians. The Sudwala Caves are a popular tourist attraction in Mpumalanga . One-hour tours of the cave are run during

2346-443: The contemporary borders of the province were only formed at the end of apartheid , the region and its surroundings have a history that extends back thousands of years. Much of its history, and current significance is as a region of trade. Archeological sites in the Mpumalanga region indicate settlement by humans and their ancestors dating back 1.7 million years. Rock paintings, engravings and other archeological evidence throughout

2415-518: The country, for instance Black Consciousness , the Sharpeville Massacre and the 1976 Soweto Uprisings . In the 1980s, under intense repression, youth and labour organizations moblized against the government and townships and Bantustans erupted in political unrest and violence. In 1986, an avoidable disaster killed 177 mine workers in Kinross Mine in the region's highveld. The response to

2484-654: The day, and a monthly five-hour-long Crystal Tour takes visitors 2000 metres through the cave, with the tour culminating at a chamber that bears aragonite crystals and the Sudwala Star . A documentary film called the "Cave Diaries" was made about the Crystal Tour . Mpumalanga Mpumalanga was formed in 1994, when the area that was the Eastern Transvaal was merged with the former bantustans KaNgwane , KwaNdebele and parts of Lebowa and Gazankulu . Although

2553-517: The diary of one of its gunners, Frederick Rothmann. He wrote that they had been camping at a village called Haenertsburg for a week, when the Long Tom was destroyed on 18 October 1900, and the remains thrown into the Letaba River. He visited the place and took one of its parts as a souvenir. A certain Grobler visited the area in 1954, and somebody who was present when the gun had been destroyed, pointed out

2622-569: The disaster by the National Union of Mineworkers was a key point in the South African labour struggle. By the late 1980s, the intensity of resistance across South Africa (including areas like Mpumalanga, which hadn't previously been seen as key areas of resistance) combined with economic factors and international pressure was strong enough to end apartheid. On 27 April 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections , Mpumalanga province

2691-725: The drier Highveld region, with its cold winters, and the hot, humid Lowveld allow for a variety of agricultural activities. Mpumalanga has been an important supplier of fruit and vegetables for local and international markets for decades. A history of dispossession mean that farming land is largely white owned, although policies of land redistribution era aim to address this. Crops include maize, wheat, sorghum , barley , sunflower seed , soybeans , macadamias , groundnuts, sugar cane, vegetables, coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, citrus , subtropical and deciduous fruit. Natural grazing covers approximately 14% of Mpumalanga. The main products are beef, mutton , wool , poultry and dairy. Farming in

2760-578: The early stages of the war these guns gave the Boers an advantage as they had longer range than any British guns that were deployed in South Africa at the time. After all their ammunition had been expended, the guns were destroyed one by one, to prevent them from falling into British hands. Long Tom shells are incorporated in the Honoured Dead Memorial in Kimberley , commemorating those who fell in

2829-458: The groundwater seeped through the faults and joints of the Precambrian dolomite rock. Whilst there are not many signs of life inside the cave, the discovery of primitive stone tools indicate that early humans may have inhabited the cave from as far back as the early Stone Age era (2.5 million years ago), spanning until the late Stone Age era up to a few thousand years B.C. In the nineteenth century

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2898-424: The legislature. Elected every five years, the premier of Mpumalanga is the head of government in the province. Since 2024 Mandla Ndlovu has held the office of premier. Mpumalanga Province is divided into three district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 18 local municipalities : 68% of land area in the province is used by agriculture. The climatic contrasts between

2967-455: The mist. Today, there is a replica of the Long Tom at this spot. The pass has been named "Long Tom Pass". The first Long Tom was destroyed on the banks of the Komati River near Komatipoort on 22 September 1900. The exact place is not known. The approximate location is 25°27'09"S,31°56'57"E(WGS84) The only contemporary written source of the place where the second Long Tom was destroyed is

3036-453: The most precipitation , with all other areas being moderately well-watered by mostly-summer thunderstorms . The Highveld often experiences considerable freezing, while the Lowveld is mostly frost-free. Winter rainfall is rare, except for some drizzle on the escarpment . The differences in climate are demonstrated by comparing the capital, Mbombela , which is in the Lowveld, with Belfast , which

3105-464: The natural airflow in the Caves foiled this attack. Help was sent for and received from a Lydenburg Boer commando, led by one Abel Erasmus. The commando drove off Mswati's regiments, and freed Somquba. Traces of the fire are still visible to this day. Somquba and his followers used the caves as refuge, until Somquba was killed in an unexpected attack. Survivors stayed on under the leadership of Sudwala, and that

3174-431: The nearby bushveld. Gun B . This gun was placed on the farm Waterval on a ridge called Witrant. The location of the emplacement is 25°37' 55"S, 30°09'02"[WGS84]. On 27 August it was moved forward. After the battle it escaped past Helvetia to Lydenburg and from there over the pass to Spitskop, Ohrigstad and eventually to Haenertsburg. Gun C . Initially this gun was mounted on a railway truck. Around 7 August it

3243-538: The oldest rocks on earth have been found in the Barberton area; these ancient greenstones and metamorphosed granites form the Crocodile River Mountains in the southeast of the province. The Lowveld is underlaid by African Cratonic Basement rocks of ages in excess of 2 billion years. The Highveld is mostly Karoo Sequence sedimentary rock of a younger, Carboniferous to Permian age. Mpumalanga

3312-428: The pass to Spitskop, Ohrigstad and eventually to Haenertsburg. Gun D . This gun remained on the farm Driekop throughout the battle. The emplacement was found at 25°48'11"S, 30°10'22"E [WGS84]. After the battle it was taken to Komatipoort via Barberton. General Buller pursued the Boers and the two Long Toms retreating towards Lydenburg. The town was captured on 6 September 1900. No sooner had it been occupied, than

3381-654: The place where it happened. It was next to the Letaba River, about two miles east of Haenertsburg. Another person confirmed the place. Today the place is covered by the waters of the Ebenezer Dam. The approximate location is 23°56'24"S, 29°57'39"E(WGS84) After the Battle of Bergendal, "The Jew" remained hidden until April 1901 during the big sweep against General Viljoen in the Eastern Transvaal. Major-general F.W. Kitchener's column left Lydenburg on 13 April 1901. The Long Tom

3450-443: The platform and the ammunition was transported on another two wagons. The propellant charge for the Long Tom was carried in a canvas bag which was about 56 cm long. Black powder was used and this caused a large cloud of white smoke when the gun was fired. The enemy immediately knew where the gun was. The common shell was 42 cm long and weighed 43 kg (94 lb.) It was filled with an explosive called MC 30. The range

3519-430: The platform was 4,5 m by 4,5 m by 22,5 cm. The layers were placed at right angles to one another. The platform weighed 5,200 kg. The platform had to be placed level in all directions to ensure that the range did not change when the gun pointed in a different direction. Near the "front" of the platform a pivot plate was securely attached to the platform. Recoil was controlled by a hydraulic cylinder which connected

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3588-632: The process has been marked by corruption, controversy and has been seen as inadequate to address the extent of apartheid spatial planning. In 2001, 1,270 hectares of the Boomplaats farm near Mashishing was the first farm in South Africa to be expropriated. The Drakensberg escarpment divides Mpumalanga into a westerly half consisting mainly of high-altitude grassland called the Highveld and an eastern half situated in low-altitude subtropical Lowveld / Bushveld , mostly savanna habitat. The southern half of

3657-650: The province indicate that Mpumalanga has a long history of human habitation by groups of hunter gatherers. Excavations not far from the Mpumalanga border in the Origstad district, show evidence of Middle Stone Age habitation dating back to 40,000 years ago. The Lion Cavern, in Ngwenya on the Eswatini border, shows evidence of people mining iron ore in the Mpumalanga region and surrounding areas from at least 28 000 years ago. Evidence from mine shafts and trade goods shows that there

3726-430: The province is driven by both a combination of seasonal , permanent and temporary labourers. Conditions on farms vary widely but seasonal and temporary workers, many of whom are migrant workers from nearby Mozambique , face intense insecurity. Forestry is extensive around Sabie and Graskop . Located near the forests, Ngodwana is the site of one of South Africa's largest paper mills ( Sappi ). Extensive mining

3795-405: The region, spreading Christianity and European values. Just as the region had been a center for trade in the precolonial era, in the colonial era, the Eastern Transvaal region became an important thoroughfare for trade between Johannesburg and Delagoa Bay (now Maputo ). Gold mining around areas like Pilgrims Rest and Barberton and farming were the main forms of economic activity. On farms in

3864-448: The top that night. It started firing at 05:15 the next morning. British return fire only managed to destroy one of its ammunition wagons, but the setback was temporary. The Long Tom damaged by British forces on 7 December 1899 was taken back to Pretoria for repairs. There the front end of the muzzle was cut off, and henceforth the gun was known as "the Jew". The breechblock was replaced and it

3933-567: The town's defence , where they surround the gun called Long Cecil (built in Kimberley during the siege by George Labram , and a catalyst in the Boers bringing Long Tom to the siege). Replicas of the original cannons can be seen at various places in South Africa, including Fort Klapperkop near Pretoria, in the Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga , The Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein (formerly

4002-412: The trail to the pivot plate. Chocks were also placed behind the wheels to limit recoil. To prepare the gun for transport a large tripod was placed over it and, using a block and tackle , the barrel lifted off the front trunnion cups and moved to the back trunnion cups. The trail was then placed on a limber. 16 to 20 oxen were required to pull the gun over hard soil. Two wagons were required to transport

4071-495: Was 9,880 m. This shell weighed 41 kg and had a range of 6,800 m. It had a combination percussion cap and time fuse. During the first part of the war the time fuses did not work properly. Case shot was used as a last resort when the enemy's foot soldiers were close to the gun. Case shot was effective up to 400 metres. During the Second Boer War the guns were deployed as field guns and siege guns at Vaal Krantz , Ladysmith , Mafeking , Kimberley and Bergendal . During

4140-460: Was Sudwala, Somquba's chief inDuna (councillor/captain), whose name is thus commemorated to this day, and whose spirit is legendarily said to linger in the Caves. Today nobody knows how many times Somquba took refuge inside the Caves, but many bloody battles were fought at the site. At one time, the ever-persistent regiments of Mswati built a massive bonfire at the entrance, while Somquba and his followers were inside, in an attempt to suffocate them, but

4209-497: Was continuous conflict between Mswati's and Somquba's followers in the form of raids and cattle theft. The Boers continued to side with Somquba, in return for labour to dig the first water canal at Lydenburg. Another benefit for the Boers was that Somquba acted as a buffer for them, against Mswati. During the early 1860s Somquba came to know of the Caves, and subsequently, in times of conflict, he and his followers would take refuge there, with their cattle. They stock-piled food and there

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4278-411: Was emplaced on a hill on the farm Rietfontein. On 16 April it fired a few shells at the advancing British column and then its crew blew the gun up. The remains of the emplacement was found at 24° 57'46"S, 30° 13'16"E (WGS84). The fourth Long Tom made its way to Pietersburg ( Polokwane today) via Bothasberg, Masepsdrif, and Smitsdorp. Shortly before General Plumer occupied Pietersburg on 8 February 1901,

4347-583: Was formed. It was originally called the "Eastern Transvaal" province, but the name was later changed to Mpumalanga on 24 August 1995. The liberation movement turned leading party, the African National Congress (ANC) came into power in Mpumalanga after white minority rule ended. A program of land redistribution , aimed at granting land back to the black communities who were forcibly moved during apartheid, had redistributed tens of thousands of hectares to these communities and their descendants. However,

4416-464: Was hurriedly emplaced on a height called Jackal Tree, about 3,500 yards (3,200 m) south of Mafeking on the Geysdorp road. The next day it hurled its first shell into town. On 6 November the Long Tom was moved to a new position, about 3,000 yards (2,700 m) east of Cannon Kopje. On 14 February 1900 the Long Tom was moved to the western side of town, but did not remain there for long. On 11 April

4485-513: Was moved to the Elandskop vicinity. This emplacement, marked "C1", is situated at 25°46'13"S, 30°12'50"E (WGS84). Before 23 August the gun was moved to a place south-west of Dalmanutha station ("C2")situated at 25°46'14"S, 30°09'05"E [WGS84]. Thereafter it was moved to hill 1881 behind the ZARPs (C3) at 25°44'10"S, 30°07'00"E (WGS84) . After the battle it fled past Helvetia to Lydenburg and from there over

4554-600: Was notable industry in tin, copper, gold, iron, ochre, and bronze. The Lydenburg Heads , from around 500 CE, are Africa's oldest Iron Age artworks south of the equator and were found in Mpumalanga. Evidence from a site near Mbombela shows evidence of agricultural societies from between the 6th to 17th century. Bokoni stone-walled sites on the Mpumalanga highveld are indicative of a large precolonial agropastoral society between ~1500 and 1820 CE. These societies became centers of trade, with increasingly large and centralised populations This pattern increased as they connected to

4623-447: Was plenty of water, so it made a strong refuge. Somquba maintained observation posts, and always kept the cave entrance clear, so that he could retreat there in a hurry. At that time stage the cave mouth was much smaller, and could barely accommodate the long horns of his small herd of prized Nguni cattle, as they were led in by hand, in single file. The principal guardian of the Caves’ entrance

4692-678: Was ready for action. It was then sent to Kimberley, where it was emplaced on a mine dump next to the Kamfers Dam on 6 February 1900. The battle of Diamond Hill took place east of Pretoria in June 1900. There was one Long Tom mounted on a railway truck parked at the Vandermerwe Station It is not known whether it fired a shot. The Battle of Bergendal was the last set piece battle of the war and took place near Belfast, Mpumalanga , in August 1900. It

4761-439: Was the only occasion on which all four Long Toms were used in the same battle. Gun A . Before the battle started this gun was at Dullstroom. It was then moved to a hill south of the farm De Zuikerboschkop, north-west of Belfast. The emplacement has not been found, but should be in the vicinity of 25°37'15"S, 29°56'52"E(WGS84). The cavalry drove it away on 26 August. After the battle it probably escaped to Lydenburg and then into

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