It is over 700 metres (2,297 feet) above sea level in the Lebombo Mountains and boasts several highly scenic spots.

The town is three kilometres (2 miles) from the country's border with Eswatini and overlooks the plains of Maputaland to the East.

In the 1980s the Apartheid government planned to transfer the town and surrounding magisterial district to Swaziland as part of a land deal to give Eswatini access to the sea.

This move was opposed by the then KwaZulu government and the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelethini established a residence near the town.

East the hills drop towards the Maputaland while the Lebombo mountain range continues north towards Mozambique and south towards Jozini.