The small town voted one of the best places to live in South Africa

White River is a small farming town in Mpumalanga that was voted one of the top small towns to live in South Africa, and houses the largest macadamia factory in the world.

Although the town was originally founded in 1905, its history dates back to the Iron Age, when early settlers farmed and kept livestock in the region.

By the early 1800s, the land was inhabited by Eastern Sotho communities and later, Swazi tribes.

Around this time, malaria and trypanosomiasis were widespread throughout the White River region, so white settlers generally avoided settling there for long periods.

Many Boer traders, farmers, and hunters from highveld settlements would visit White River in winter, and it was only in 1873 that the first year-round farm was established.

More white settlers began establishing themselves in the region after a severe outbreak of cattle plague in the 1890s.

This was accompanied by the displacement of many Africans already living on the land as white settlers claimed the most productive and wettest pieces of land.

Following the Anglo-Boer War that ended in 1902, White River was officially founded by Lord Alfred Milner in 1905.

Milner was the British administrator of the Transvaal, and he marked off land along the Emanzimhlope River for British settlers, primarily demobilised Anglo-Boer War soldiers.

He tasked soldier Tom Lawrence with allocating land to settlers, who were provided equipment and salaries until they could generate income through their farming activities.

However, the scheme failed, and many of the White River settlers gave up on farming when their contracts expired.

Lawrence was effectively the first manager of the White River settlement, and the town’s longest street is still named after him today.

In 1911, the Union of South Africa sold the farms to a group that planted citrus farms on the land. It sold the land for a significant loss.

The settlement expanded in the years following the First World War, with plots of land being sold to demobilised soldiers at a discount.

Today, White River is a peaceful farming and tourist town renowned for its charming country feel, lush farms, and arts scene.

In December 2025, it was crowned Small Town of the Year and voted as one of the best small towns to live in South Africa.

The heart of macadamia-growing in South Africa

Macadamias are often referred to as ‘green gold’ for their high value and omega oil content.

Historically, the country relied heavily on exporting raw macadamia nuts still in their shells to East Asian markets.

However, large investments in processing plants in regions such as White River helped the country transition into a global leader in the macadamia industry.

South Africa is the largest producer of macadamia nuts globally, producing an estimated 90,000 to 94,000 tonnes in 2025, worth R5.5 billion to R6.8 billion.

White River sits at the heart of the South African macadamia nut industry, and it is home to the world’s largest macadamia processing facility.

Green Farms Nut Company opened the 10,000 square meter facility in 2018. The plant was designed to handle up to 25,000 tonnes of nuts.

This represented a significant expansion for the company, with the new facility boosting its processing capacity by 40%.

At the launch, Green Farms Nut Company general manager Alex Whyte said the facility was built in anticipation of strong demand.

Green Farms Nut Company isn’t the only processor of macadamia nuts grown in the region. New entrants like Eden Boerdery arrived in 2019.

The operation, which later launched subsidiary Lowveld Macs, purchased an established macadamia farm on the banks of White River in 2019.

Lowveld Macs built a processing plant for the farm, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which covers the entire processing chain on-site.

The South African macadamia nut industry took a hit in 2020 and 2021, when unfavourable weather resulted in a national production decline of around 17.7%.

A period of consolidation followed in 2022. Lowveld Macs expanded further, purchased more land to grow macadamia, and upgraded its facilities.

Macadamia producers also shifted to value-added products, including roasted and seasoned nuts and macadamia nut oil, rather than just producing raw nuts.

This was the result of a global price decline in 2022, driven by panic selling and global economic pressures, and the next two years were rough for growers.

In 2023, macadamia prices dropped by almost 50% to their lowest levels in a decade. This resulted in squeezed margins for White River farms as production climbed.

However, prices began stabilising again in 2024 and 2025. Green Farms Nut Company announced a 2025 price range of $11.00 to $13.50 per kg for macadamia kernels.

While prices have recovered, other pressures, including the US’s 30% import tariff on South African macadamias from August 2025, have dampened these recoveries.

White River’s shift from exporting raw macadamias to processing its own crops has ensured that the money made from macadamia production stays within the local economy.

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White River, Mpumalanga

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