Piggs Peak is a popular resort located in the Hhohho Province of Swaziland, founded around gold prospecting in 1884. Situated near magnificent mountains and raging gorges, this area is considered to be the most scenic of the highveld attractions. Located nearby in some of the nature reserves are scenes containing the following – low shrubland, dense bush, majestic mountains and raging waterfalls.
The activities and attractions in and around Piggs Peak are endless! There is something to do for every member of the family.
The gold mine was once the most important in Eswatini. By the time it was exhausted in 1954, however, it had already been surpassed by the more profitable Havelock asbestos mine at Bulembu. Today forestry has long since eclipsed mining as the main local industry. The town is also known for its large hotel and casino, splendidly situated on the crest of a ridge 10km north of town and is just a few kilometres away from the old mining town of Bulembu, the ancient rock pantings of Nsangwini, and Phophonyane Nature Reserve.
The Peak Fine Craft Centre, just to north of the hotel, is indisputably Eswatini’s most scenic handicrafts outlet. It centres upon the workshop and boutique of Coral Stephens Hand Weaving, an impressive family enterprise, whose mohair curtains, carpets and other products are exported worldwide. Other craft outlets include sisal-weaving (Tintsaba), jewellery, ceramics and stone-carving. The craft centre has a restaurant offering spectacular views over the surrounding area.
Pigg’s Peak is a developing town, located in the north-west of Swaziland, approximately 70 kilometers north-east of the capital city of Mbabane. The town is also located 40 kilometers from Matsamo boarder (the gateway to Mpumalanga Province in South Africa), with aerial extent of 856.6 hectares, 287 of which is afforested by Peak Timbers.
The urban area is divided into more than 1400 plots, zoned into various land use zones, which include the following; residential, commercial, public facilities, industrial and public open spaces. The net worth of the town calculated in 2009, in terms of land is in the range of more than E280 million. Pigg’s Peak Town Council comprises of six departments namely; Administration / Human Resource, AMICAALL and Social Services, Finance, Environment and Public Health, Engineering and Internal Audit, with a total staff complement of forty-two (42) employees.
The town was once an asbestos and gold mining center, as the nearby Forbes Reef “ghost town” reveals, with remains of an early gold-rush complete with workings, cemetery and hotel. Pigg’s Peak derived its name from a white settler, William Pigg who settled along the Lufafa mountains, with the view to exploit the gold deposits during the 1880’s. He settled approximately 15kilometres from the highest altitudinal point in Swaziland, namely the Bulembu mountain peak, which was then commonly referred to as Pigg’s Peak.
An activity node was established at the junction of the Bulembu-Pigg’s Peak corridor and Mbabane-Matsamo corridor, which gradually developed into a service center for the entire sub-region. Both Bulembu and Matsamo borders are prominent (or have the potential) to link with South Africa, although the Bulembu road from Pigg’s Peak is in need of upgrading in order to effectively provide such a link. Today the town is known for being the capital of the northern Hhohho region and service center to its hinterland. The town’s economy is mainly supported by the forestry (timber) industry and testament to this, two timber companies are operating, namely; Peak Timbers and Swaziland Plantations.
