Jobs in Middelburg

When the Dutch Reformed Church bought the farm called Sterkfontein in 1864, they named the ensuing town that developed, Nazareth. It was only in 1872 that the town received the name that has stuck, i.e. the Middelburg that we know it as today.

Middelburg is well known as the stainless steel capital of Africa. It is home to a large stainless steel plant constructed in 1965, 'Columbus Stainless', and the company Thos Begbie & Co, that was established in 1887 by Scotsman Thomas Begbie.

While the industrial activities of the steel plant and its peripheral activities, such as coal and transport, provided the majority of the employment and largely drove the economy of the town for many years – other sectors, such as agriculture, have gradually grown in importance.

While the average salary among Middelburg residents is R185k per annum, salaries of up to R625k and R418k, respectively, can be earned at the likes of popular employers Columbus Stainless Steel and Barloworld Equipment.

The most popular occupations, according to Payscale, among Middelburg residents are those of an office administrator, administrative assistant, or receptionist, a human resources manager, a safety officer, a sales consultant, and an electrician.

A glance at the Executive Placements job portal reveals a similar trend, together with a plethora of technician and engineering jobs such as: a trencher operator, a process metallurgist engineer or technical specialist in metallurgy (mining industry), a foreman or control instrumentation technician, a service technician/engineer, a metallurgical manager (mining), a roaming site manager, and a senior engineering manager. Those with the ability to operate and maintain vehicles of different descriptions, may also be interested in a crane/shift millwright position, or a role as a diesel mechanic.

Those in the market for a nursing job could apply for a registered nurse position (in theatre) through a company called Vencorp; or enquire as to other opportunities that they have on their books.

And when it comes to finance jobs, there is the need for automotive dealership accountants, and credit controllers/debtors (in industrial equipment and hardware, for example) in this industrial town.

Lastly, those able to market or sell mining equipment, could thrive in a regional sales manager or related marketing job.

The SA History website describes many cultural activities you can get up to in the Middelburg area, and its surrounds.

Two much-dos are the Botshabelo Historical Village and the Traditional Ndebele Village, for their rich tribal significance, followed by a game of golf or a game drive, sailing, fishing or hunting for cycads at the Middelburg Nature Reserve, attending the spectacular Middelburg Jazz Festival in March each year, and visiting a range of historical monuments and museums, including: the Memorial Museum, Meyer’s Bridge, and the town’s Dutch Reformed Church.

The now-crumbling English Fort is definitely worth seeing with a fully charged phone camera, with its carefully concealed positioning against a sheer rock face to allow a 270-degree view of the surrounding land, and its last remaining peep-holes.

Most notably, the Middelburg Dam is the site of the town’s annual Middelburg Mile swimming event. This open-water swimming event is well attended and considered one of Africa’s top 100 open water swims to tick off your sporting bucket list. It was won by Tory Earle in February 2024.

The town’s well-maintained country club dating back to the 1890s provides facilities for members and their guests to play tennis, squash, bowls and golf (on the 18-hole golf course), and to practise in the swimming pool for the event mentioned above.

While Kees Taljaard Park is primarily used as a rugby stadium, it also has hockey fields on offer; and doubles as a festival ground on occasion. These include the Colour Walk for Disability Awareness in the early part of the year, and the Five-Aside Rugby Festival in December.

LTM Engineering reported in 2023 about the property development boom they have been seeing in Middelburg over the past few years – with freehold property prices soaring by 84 percent.

According to their research, the town is an excellent place to set up a home because of its low cost of living, scenic beauty, and convenient proximity to South Africa’s main economic centres of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

“The population of Middelburg, Mpumalanga,” they advise, “has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with a population of 87 000 in 2011 and an estimated 500 000 by 2030. This growing population presents an opportunity for investors and developers as it indicates an increase in demand for goods and services, as well as housing. With more people living in the area, there is a greater need for businesses to provide goods and services to meet their needs. Additionally, with more people living in the area, there is a greater need for housing. This presents an opportunity for investors and developers to build new homes, or renovate existing ones to meet the increased demand.”

Another feather in the town’s cap, is the fact that it offers a wide range of the amenities desired by families at all stages, from parks and schools, to restaurants and shopping centres.

Word from the property group Chas Everitt is that freehold or full-title properties comprise 87 percent of Middelburg’s property stock, while estates and sectional titles comprise two percent and 11 percent, respectively. Over the past year, 1 217 properties were sold in the town, which can be broken down into 848 freehold homes, 323 sectional titles, and 46 estate transactions.

Describing Middelburg as having a healthy and growing property market, the town’s selling prices can be categorised as follows:
• 445 sales under R400k;
• 322 sales at between R400k and R800k;
• 384 sales at between R800k and R1.5 million;

• 63 sales at between R1.5 million and R3 million;
• three sales at above R3 million.

Currently, in terms of these trends, advises market intelligence group Lightstone Property, full-title and sectional-title Middelburg property prices average out at between just over R600k and around R840k respectively.

Middelburg Mall is undoubtedly your best option for a wide variety of shopping and lifestyle needs in the town. Browse the more than 90 anchors stores, make full use of the banking and ATM facilities, and grab a bite at the likes of Steers, the Spur, Mugg & Bean, Wimpy, Debonairs, Deli Delicious, Fishaways, and Cappuccino’s Café & Pizzeria. The mall offers free parking and excellent security, and is situated on the corner of Tswelopele Avenue and Fontein Street.

Middelburg boasts an extensive network of schools in its suburbs and townships – amounting to 91, according to Schools4SA. Just a few of the secondary schools that seem to come up regularly in online searches include the Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg and the Middelburg Hoërskool; while primary schools to consider include Laerskool Kanonkop and Laerskool Middelburg.

While the UitInMiddelburg website focuses on “famous Middelburgers” of the likes of telescope inventor Hans Lipperhey, insectologist who first described metamorphosis Johannes Goedaert, explorer Jacob Roggeveen, World War II diarist Etty Hillesum, and prolific poet and politician Jacob Cats, this is not in any way the full list.

Other notable individuals include mural artist Esther Mahlangu, rugby pro Wynand Claasen, soccer/football pros Happy Jele and Nothando Vilakazi, javelin thrower Gerhardus Pienaar, attorney Clive Jaars, actor/singer Vincent Mahlangu, scientist/poet Petronella Johanna de Timmerman, and painters Pieter Gaal and Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder.

Middelburg is situated in the Ndebele heartland of the Mpumalanga province. While the origins of this Nguni tribe are shrouded in considerable mystery, the Kruger Park website describes their history as dating back to Mafana, their first identifiable chief. His son, Mhlanga, decided to move away from his warring cousins (whose tribe later became the Zulu nation, according to legend), only to settle during the early 1600s in the foothills of Gauteng.

A further regional split occurred when a later Chief Musi passed away, and his two sons, Manala and Ndzundza, fought over who would next be chief – resulting in the Manala group remaining in the north, while the Ndzundza group moved on to the east and south.

Then, during the reign of Chief Mabhogo in the 1880s, war broke out between the Ndzundza sect and the Boers, seeing the Ndebele seeking refuge for eight months in the subterranean tunnels of Mapoch’s Caves.  When their chief was finally ambushed and defeated, the tribe disintegrated to a large extent, but retains its cultural heritage to the modern era – which can be experienced to a large extent at Middelburg’s Traditional Ndebele Village.