Messina, the most northerly town in South Africa (15km/9mi from the Zimbabwe border), is a mining town, the largest producer of copper in South Africa. The inhabitants' other main source of income is agriculture. The subtropical climate (with an average annual temperature of just under 30°C/86°F) fosters a luxuriant vegetation and makes it possible to grow fruit and vegetables. The main agricultural activity in the surrounding area, however, is cattle-farming. The town also has some leather-working industries (tanneries, dyeworks).
An annual event in Messina is a large cattle show.
As many archaeological finds have shown, the Messina area was already inhabited by man in prehistoric times. The Europeans who moved into this area at the beginning of the 20th C found traces of earlier mining activity everywhere. They discovered that there were still incalculably large deposits of copper here, and copper-mining on a large scale started in 1905. After the completion of the road from Louis Trichardt to Messina in 1907 the town flourished as never before.
Messina is famed for the baobab trees which grown in large numbers in this area. These deciduous trees with thick trunks (which can be up to 28m/92ft in girth) and few short branches are statutorily protected throughout South Africa. A particularly fine specimen, known as the Elephant's Trunk, can be seen just outside the town on the road to Malala Drift, and there is another 5km/3mi from Messina on the Louis Trichardt road.
On Mapungubwe Hill, a flat-topped massif 75km/47mi west of Messina on R 572, remains of early human settlement have been discovered, including rock drawings, pottery and gold ornaments. The remains of a stone fort date from the 11th C. The Mapungubwe Hill site is being investigated by the University of Pretoria, and visitors are admitted only by prior arrangement.
This reserve on the outskirts of Messina with an area of 3,700 ha/9,140ac, is noted particularly for its numerous baobab trees, some 12,000 of which have been counted. The largest of them is 25m/82ft high. 250 other species of trees and shrubs have been identified in the reserve. The fauna is confined to giraffes, wildebeests, antelopes and gazelles.
Tshipise, 40km/25mi southeast of Messina, is the starting-point for a visit to the Honnet Nature Reserve. Tshipise has a sulfurous spring which supplies water to a number of swimming pools and various spa establishments. There are a hotel, holiday houses, a camping site and a variety of sports facilities.
From Tshipise visitors can either join an organized excursion to Honnet Nature Reserve or explore the reserve on foot. The 10km/6mi long Baobab Trail runs through the reserve, in which, with a bit of luck, you will see not only the mighty baobab trees but giraffes, zebras, antelopes and gazelles.
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