At around that time the first Swazi King, Ngwane II, broke away from the Zulu tribes and settled in an area on the banks of the Pongola River in close proximity to modern-day Nhlangano.
Consequently, the Town was first named Goedgegun. The arrival of British settlers accelerated the growth of the Town. It appears that the first elements of the actual township were laid out in 1923 along a typical grid format commonly found in many Southern African towns. Subsequent extensions of the town adopted an incremental and less rigid character.
In 1960 the first Town Council was established. Up and until then the town had been known as Goedgegun but, with the event of Swazi independence in 1968, the name was changed to Nhlangano. Symbolically translated, Nhlangano means “The meeting place” in celebration of the visits of Britain’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and Swaziland’s King Sobhuza II respectively in 1947. Nhlangano town is situated in the south eastern region of Eswatini.
Management is currently working with the Eswatini National Trust Commission and other relevant bodies to collect and consolidate the history of the town in preparation to launch a new strategic roadmap for the local authority.
Nhlangano’s historic establishment as a formal human settlement could be traced to the Colonial period of Eswatini, with the arrival of the early white South African settlers who preferred to settle in this area due to the good farming opportunities offered by the soil and climatic conditions. Consequently, the Town was first named Goedgegun. The arrival of British settlers accelerated the growth of the Town. It appears that the first elements of the actual township were laid out in 1923 along a typical grid format commonly found in many Southern African towns. Subsequent extensions of the town adopted an incremental and less rigid character.
The town lies and serves as a gateway to some of the key roads and ports of trade in Southern Africa, mainly Durban, Richards Bay and the port of Maputo. Today Nhlangano has a population of about 10,000 and attracts those who want to realise their dreams and achieve success, due to its simple living conditions, access to the main routes in the region and the opportunities offered by the town, to those who want to build their businesses here.
