The little redbrick town of Kriel, with its houses laid neatly side-by-side, lies on the Rainbow Route that links Mpumalanga to the KwaZulu-Natal coast. The nature reserves in and around Kriel are alive with small game and rich bird life. However its main attraction is a tour of its two enormous coal-power stations which shadow the Dutch Reformed Church spires with their cooling towers.
The existing town was established in the early seventies to service three mines and two power stations. Kriel Power Station was the first 'Giant' power station built by Eskom, and was supplemented by the Matla Power Station - based on the proximity to coal for the stations. Whilst probably not one of the most well-known towns in South Africa, Kriel is blessed across the entire continent - 17% of Africa's power comes from this little hamlet!
Scattered amongst these mines are many huge farms which produce mainly maize followed by sunflowers, cattle and sheep. This area - historically known as the Highveld Ridge - produces more than 50% of South Africa's maize.
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There is little more to Kriel than these two power giants, although the 'old town' has been here since the late 1800s, 10 km from the last great battle of the Boer War. Kriel was founded on the farms Onverwacht and Roodebloem and named after the first resident magistrate, Mr. DJ Kriel, from nearby Bethal.
