Mpumalanga is one of the nine provinces of South Africa situated in the east, and its name means the place where the sun rises. Mpumalanga constitutes about 6.5% (76492 km2) of South Africa land area. Mpumalanga covers the areas between Witbank in the west and Komatipoort in the east. On its southern borders lie the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal and, in the north, the Limpopo provinces. Gauteng borders it in the west. The neighbouring countries of Swaziland and Mozambique also share borders in the area.

According to Statistic South Africa census conducted in 2011, Mpumalanga has a total population of 4 039 939 (approximately 7.8% of South Africa’s total population) comprised of predominantly black South Africans who account for about 91% of its total population. Of this population, the majority are women and children between the ages of 0-9 years, making access to decent maternal and paediatric healthcare a necessity in the province.

The City of Mbombela Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in Mpumalanga Province and forms part of the Ehlanzeni District, which means the municipality can only provide limited services such as water, sanitation, and health services. These services are supposed to be the responsibility of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality. However, the majority of rural towns that make up the municipality of Mbombela fail to attract skilled labor (professional nurses and doctors) due to their location and subsequent brain drain, as a result the mandate to deliver basic services falls on the provincial municipality. Msogwaba is a rural town in Mbombela local municipality, and this is where Lifa Lesive Community Development Agency (LLCDA) operates.