eMalahleni

eMalahleni, city, Mpumalanga province, South Africa, east of Pretoria. Established in 1890 as Witbank, it is at the centre of a coal-mining area in which more than 20 collieries operate. During the South African War (1899–1902), the young soldier-journalist Winston Churchill hid in a colliery near Witbank after his escape from Pretoria. Witbank attained town status in 1910 and city status in 1994. The city has grown rapidly around heavy industry, and a power plant at the Witbank Dam supplies electricity to a wide area. The dam, its catchment, and neighbouring nature reserve host a variety of recreational activities. The city’s name was officially changed to eMalahleni in 2006, and it is administered as part of the larger Emalahleni Local Municipality. Pop. (2001) city, 61,092; local municipality, 276,413; (2011) city, 108,673; local municipality, 395,466; (2016 est.) local municipality, 455,228.