TOURIST INFORMATION
Musina/Limpopo Valley Tourism Association
Tel 015 534 0211
Musina owes its origin and development to the presence of rich copper deposits in the area. The metal was first discovered in prehistoric times by the early black miners of the Musina tribe and rediscovered by prospectors shortly after the turn of the century. The town has developed around the mining activity was named Messina, a deviation of the word "musina" meaning "spoiler" because the copper, according to those early miners, adulterated that which they were looking for iron. Today minerals such as ion ore, coal, magnetite, graphite, asbestos, diamonds and semi-precious stones are mined in the area.
Musina is the center of an extensive game ranching area that caters for both domestic and international hunting market. Besides attracting many visitors, game ranching has led to development of a thriving auxiliary industry in the form of biltong factory and a taxidermist. The area around Musina is richly endowed with relics of prehistoric peoples and is a veritable treasure house for archaeologists. In the Limpopo River Valley there are several flat topped remains of an ancient eroded plain that provided natural strongholds for early man. Probably the most significant is Mapungubwe hill in the Vhembe/Dogola National Park west of Musina where numerous gold artifacts were found.
