Where does “Mpumalanga” come from?

Mpumalanga (Afrikaans) comes from Zulu impumalanga, from Zulu phuma, from Swahili -puma.

Ancestry of “Mpumalanga”, step by step

Mpumalanga traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Zulu impumalanga

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Zuluimpumalangaeast
2Zuluphumato come out, to exit
3Swahili-puma—

via Xhosa impumalanga

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Xhosaimpumalangaeast
2Xhosailangasun
Every word from Swahili -puma →Every word from Zulu phuma →Every word from Zulu impumalanga →