Lebowakgomo was the capital of the former bantustan

Bantustan

A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...

 of Lebowa

Lebowa

Lebowa was a bantustan located in the Transvaal in north eastern South Africa. Seshego initially acted as Lebowa's capital while the purpose-built Lebowakgomo was being constructed. Granted internal self-government on 2 October 1972 and ruled for much of its existence by Cedric Phatudi, Lebowa...

. Lebowakgomo lies southeast of the Limpopo

Limpopo

Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...

 town of Polokwane

Polokwane

Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...

. Lebowakgomo is surrounded by villages, Mogodi and Phutimolle  north east, Mamaolo on the east, Makurung and Lekhuswaneng being south east.

History

The township was established in 1974 for Basotho

Basotho

The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...

, and was enlarged and developed in the early 1980s. The name is derived from two Sepedi (Northern Sotho) words: "Lebowa" (north) and "Kgomo" (cow).

The town falls within the Lepele-Nkumpi Local Municipality

Lepele-Nkumpi Local Municipality

Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality, is located in the Capricorn District Municipality, of Limpopo province, South Africa. The Seat is Chuniespoort.-References:*...

. The population of Lepele-Nkumpi Municipality was estimated at 241,414 in 2007.

Lebowakgomo was one of the three townships in the former state, the other two being Mahwelereng

Mahwelereng

Mahwelereng is a township in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is about 2 km from Mokopane, formerly known as Potgietersrus. It was one of the creations of the South African Apartheid policies in the former homeland of Lebowa. Most of the original residents of Mahwelereng were from an area...

 and Seshego

Seshego

Seshego is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town lies directly northwest of Polokwane. In 2001 its population was 121,639. Until 1974 Seshego was the capital of the non-independent bantustan of Lebowa, which was abolished in 1994...

.

Lebowakgomo has grown as a township, from it's humble beginnings in the late 70s, when the township had one section (Zone A). In the late 80s, two new zones where developed (Zone F and Zone B, also known as FnB).

In the early 90s Lebowakgomo had three primary schools in Zone A (Little Bedfordview, Mogodumo and Ntseekgopu), in Zone F (Dr Dixon Mphahlele) and in Zone B (Eureka), and three high schools: Lebowakgomo High School

Lebowakgomo High School

Lebowakgomo High School is a high school located in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo , South Africa. It was built in the 1980s and was the first high school built in Lebowakgomo...

, SJ van der Merwe and towards the late 90s Lebowakgomo Commercial, and Mathomomayo High School.

Mahwelereng

Mahwelereng

Mahwelereng is a township in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is about 2 km from Mokopane, formerly known as Potgietersrus. It was one of the creations of the South African Apartheid policies in the former homeland of Lebowa. Most of the original residents of Mahwelereng were from an area...

 lies two kilometres from the town of Mokopane

Mokopane

Mokopane , is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town was established by the Voortrekkers and named Potgietersrus after the slain Voortrekker leader Piet Potgieter...

. It is surrounded by the semi-rural areas of Ga-Madiba, Moshate, Sekgakgapeng and Masethlaneng.