History
Tzaneen grew up at a drift on the Groot Letaba River, where George Augustus Morgan opened the first hotel in 1907; the town's name derives from the local name Tsaneng. In 1931 Dr Siegfried Annecke set up a malaria research and control station here, and his work is credited with largely freeing the Lowveld of malaria, which opened the valley to large-scale farming. Today Tzaneen is the second-largest town in Limpopo after Polokwane and the commercial hub of a fertile subtropical region growing avocados, citrus, mangoes, bananas, litchis, nuts and tea, with the Tzaneen Dam (formerly Fanie Botha Dam, 1976) on its north-western edge.
Getting there
Tzaneen lies on the R71 about 100 km east of Polokwane (roughly an hour's drive over the Magoebaskloof Pass) and about 420 km (around 4 hours) north-east of Johannesburg via the N1 and R71. Phalaborwa is about 115 km east on the R71, with Kruger National Park's Phalaborwa Gate about 96 km away. The nearest airports are Polokwane Gateway Airport, Kruger Park Gateway Airport at Phalaborwa and Eastgate Airport at Hoedspruit, all with scheduled flights from Johannesburg.
Weather & climate
Tzaneen has a warm, humid subtropical climate at about 720 m above sea level. Summers (September to March) average around 28 °C with most rain falling as summer thunderstorms, while winters are mild and dry at around 15 °C. The town receives roughly 800 mm of rain a year, and the surrounding mountains more than 1,500 mm.