Heritage & Art

Barberton is home to many cultural groups that have played a role in shaping the town’s heritage, among them are the siSwati, Afrikaner, Indian and English. The languages most frequently spoken are siSwati, English and Afrikaans.

Visitors may experience urban aspects of the past on the Heritage Walk, which meanders through town between various points of interest, among them are some restored late Victorian residences which are open to public viewing. These provide a little of the texture of life in Barberton as a mining boom-town of the 1880s. The Museum is housed in the made-over Barberton Iron and Steel Foundry building. This forms part of the walk and illustrates highlights from the area’s history, including its 3, 5 billion year old geological history.

Next to the museum is the Umjindi Jewellery Project, which trains young people in jewellery design and manufacture. Visitors can watch the students as they work on the oldest gold in the world, mined right here in Barberton. Their completed pieces are for sale – a fitting memento of this unique area. The jewellery project also houses a coffee shop and an interesting collection of arts and crafts to browse through. If you are interested in the work of local artists you must go to the other side of town, where original works are on display in a small privately run gallery. Next to it is the somewhat larger Bye Apart Ate restaurant, which now features a Portuguese menu.

One of South Africa’s most famous “outsider” artists, Nukain Mabusa lived and worked in the Barberton area. His celebrated “stone garden” is a landmark on the road to Kaapmuiden. Here he has painted rocks in their natural setting with road-marking paint, set against a hillside they are transformed to objects of wonder. These are a “must see” for anyone artistically inclined. They are on the R38, 8 kilometres from Kaapmuiden. Our own Barberton Tourism logo was inspired by Nukain Mabusa’s extraordinarily original work.