All about the Eye of Nelspruit
In the 1960’s, the towns annual water sales had doubled and it was decided by the Nelspruit Council that drastic measures were necessary to ensure water availability for the growing town. It was suggested that a special water reservoir be built.
Mr D P Liebenberg, after seeing the design in a book made the suggestion to build the reservoir in a dodecahedron shape. Back then computers were not so advanced and so the dodecahedron shape (12 Sided) had to have its calculations done in Switzerland.
The reservoir quickly became a landmark for Nelspruit (Mbombela) and in 1980 it was used as an emblem for the town’s 75th birthday celebrations. Its unique shape and position make it visible from most roads that lead into Nelspruit. Once the reservoir was just a concrete structure but over the years it has become known as the “Eye of Nelspruit”.
When South Africa was selected to host the soccer world cup, and work went into building a stadium in Mbombela, a well-known local artist, Wouter de Witt, fondly known Ghost, decided it would be a wonderful idea to paint the reservoir as a giant soccer ball. Local businesses and individuals alike jumped in to make this a reality. As luck would have it, the summer of 2010 was a very wet one, making the painting of the reservoir a drama in itself and the painting took much longer than expected. Wouter and his assistant had to precariously balance ladders and acquire some daredevil skills, as the shape of the reservoir made painting some areas almost impossible. It took 1000’s of litres of paint to finish, and several more grey hairs for the painter, but the result was truly spectacular.
In an effort to make this reservoir a true landmark in Mbombela that can be visited by locals and tourists alike, a new deck and stunning gardens were built at the base.
Now after the Soccer World Cup is done and dusted we can only hope that when the paint fades and the soccer ball starts looking like a tatty old ball, Wouter comes up with another brilliant idea to transform the reservoir once again into something unique. It was said that he had the idea to change it into a traditional African Pot. Whether that will happen, only time will tell, but it is still worth a visit, as the view from the viewing deck gives one the most amazing view of Mbombela.
How to get there:
Follow Ferreira Street up to Steiltes and turn left at the roundabout, then first left straight over the stop street and behold the “Eye of Nelspruit”.
When booking your Mbombela accommodation at our comfortable lodge, be sure to make a turn at the eye. The views are simply spectacular!
