Vhembe District Municipality
Encyclopedia
Vhembe is one of the 5 districts
of Limpopo
province of South Africa
. It is the northernmost district of the country and shares its northern border with Beitbridge district in Matabeleland South
, Zimbabwe
. The seat of Vhembe is Thohoyandou
. The majority of its 1 199 856 people speak Venda
(2001 Census
). The district code is DC34.
peoples. It was later settled by the Venda people
(recently migrated from what is now Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe), who constitute a majority of the population of Vhembe today. The Dzata ruins
in Thulamela local municipality once served as the main settlement and capital of the Venda empire which had dominated the area during the 18th century.
Boer settlement of the territory began in the late 18th century and gradually upsurged throughout the 19th century. By the turn of the century, the Soutpansberg was taken by the Boers from the Venda rulers, making it one of the last areas in the future republic of South Africa to come under white rule. During the apartheid era, the bantustan
of Venda
(declared independent in 1979) was established in the eastern part of the Vhembe area, and was reintegrated into the country in 1994. The former bantustan capital, Thohoyandou (named after a chief that had led the expansion of the Venda empire in the 18th century) is the current capital of the Vhembe district.
On December 11, 2008, Vhembe was declared a disaster zone by the Limpopo government due to the spread of cholera across the Zimbabwean border to the district.
:
.
.
Districts of South Africa
South Africa is divided into 52 districts . The 12th amendment to the Constitution reduced this number from 53. Another effect of this amendment is that each district is now completely contained within a province, thus eliminating cross-border districts. The districts also cover the entire area of...
of 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...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is the northernmost district of the country and shares its northern border with Beitbridge district in Matabeleland South
Matabeleland South
Matabeleland South is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 54,172 km² and a population of approximately 650,000 . Gwanda is the capital of the province.-Geography:...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. The seat of Vhembe is Thohoyandou
Thohoyandou
Thohoyandou is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality. It is also known for being the former capital of the bantustan of Venda....
. The majority of its 1 199 856 people speak Venda
Venda language
Venda, also known as or , is a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa. The majority of Venda speakers live in the northern part of South Africa's Limpopo Province, but about 10% of speakers live in Zimbabwe. The Venda language is related to Kalanga which is spoken in Botswana...
(2001 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
). The district code is DC34.
History
Vhembe was originally settled by now-expired tribes of KhoisanKhoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
peoples. It was later settled by the Venda people
Venda people
The Venda are a Southern African people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border.- History :The Venda were originally from either the Congo or the Great Rift Valley, migrating across the Limpopo river during the Bantu expansion.The Venda of today are descendants of many heterogeneous...
(recently migrated from what is now Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe), who constitute a majority of the population of Vhembe today. The Dzata ruins
Dzata ruins
The Dzata Ruins are an archaeological site in Makhado municipality, Vhembe district, in the north of South Africa.Scholars who have made a study of the various legends and traditions associated with the ruins, find it clear that the they are many contradictions. Archaeological evidence has shed...
in Thulamela local municipality once served as the main settlement and capital of the Venda empire which had dominated the area during the 18th century.
Boer settlement of the territory began in the late 18th century and gradually upsurged throughout the 19th century. By the turn of the century, the Soutpansberg was taken by the Boers from the Venda rulers, making it one of the last areas in the future republic of South Africa to come under white rule. During the apartheid era, the 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 Venda
Venda
Venda was a bantustan in northern South Africa, now part of Limpopo province. It was founded as a homeland for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. It bordered modern Zimbabwe and South Africa, and is now part of Limpopo in South Africa....
(declared independent in 1979) was established in the eastern part of the Vhembe area, and was reintegrated into the country in 1994. The former bantustan capital, Thohoyandou (named after a chief that had led the expansion of the Venda empire in the 18th century) is the current capital of the Vhembe district.
On December 11, 2008, Vhembe was declared a disaster zone by the Limpopo government due to the spread of cholera across the Zimbabwean border to the district.
Neighbours
Vhembe is surrounded by:- the republic of ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
to the north - MopaniMopani District MunicipalityMopani is one of the 6 districts of Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat of Mopani is Giyani. The majority of its 964 195 people speak Tsonga or Northern Sotho . The district code is DC33...
(DC33) to the east - CapricornCapricorn District MunicipalityCapricorn is one of the 6 districts of Limpopo province of South Africa. The district is named after the Tropic of Capricorn which runs through it. The seat of Capricorn is Polokwane. The majority of its 1 154 673 people speak Northern Sotho...
(DC35) to the south-west - WaterbergWaterberg District MunicipalityWaterberg is one of the 5 districts of Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat of Waterberg is Modimolle . The majority of its 614 139 people speak Northern Sotho . The district code is DC36.-Geography:...
(DC36) to the west
Local municipalities
The district contains the following local municipalitiesLocal municipality (South Africa)
In South Africa, a local municipality or Category B municipality is a type of municipality that serves as the third, and most local, tier of local government...
:
| Local municipality | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Thulamela Thulamela Local Municipality The Thulamela Local Municipality is a Local municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa.... |
584 568 | 48.72% |
| Makhado Makhado Local Municipality Makhado Local Municipality is located in the Vhembe District Municipality of Limpopo province, South Africa. The seat of Makhado Local Municipality is Louis Trichardt.- External links :*... |
497 093 | 41.43% |
| Mutale Mutale Local Municipality Mutale Local Municipality is located in the Vhembe District Municipality of Limpopo province, South Africa. The seat of Mutale Local Municipality is Mutale.- External links :*... |
78 917 | 6.58% |
| Musina Musina Local Municipality Musina Local Municipality is located in the Vhembe District Municipality of Limpopo province, South Africa. The seat of Musina Local Municipality is Musina.- External links :*... |
39 308 | 3.28% |
Demographics
The following statistics are from the 2001 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
.
| Language | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Venda Venda language Venda, also known as or , is a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa. The majority of Venda speakers live in the northern part of South Africa's Limpopo Province, but about 10% of speakers live in Zimbabwe. The Venda language is related to Kalanga which is spoken in Botswana... |
818 900 | 68.25% |
| Tsonga Tsonga language The Tsonga or Xitsonga language is spoken in southern Africa by the Tsonga people, also known as the Shangaan.- Classification :Tsonga belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger–Congo languages... |
316 703 | 26.40% |
| Northern Sotho Northern Sotho language Northern Sotho , also inaccurately known by the name of a major dialect, Pedi or sePedi, is one of the official languages of South Africa, and is spoken by 4,208,980 people — in the South African provinces of Gauteng,... |
27 922 | 2.33% |
| Afrikaans Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape... |
13 697 | 1.14% |
| Sotho | 7 714 | 0.64% |
| Other | 5 942 | 0.50% |
| English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
4 545 | 0.38% |
| Ndebele Southern Ndebele language The Southern Ndebele language is an African language belonging to the Nguni group of Bantu languages, and spoken by the amaNdebele . There are two dialects of Southern Ndebele in South Africa:* the Northern Transvaal Ndebele or Nrebele... |
1 763 | 0.15% |
| Zulu Zulu language Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population... |
870 | 0.07% |
| Tswana Tswana language Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi... |
840 | 0.07% |
| Xhosa Xhosa language Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said... |
659 | 0.05% |
| Swati Swati language The Swazi or Swati language is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Swaziland and South Africa by the Swazi people. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 3 million. The language is taught in Swaziland and some South African schools in Mpumalanga and KaNgwane areas... |
331 | 0.03% |
Gender
| Gender | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 662 815 | 55.24% |
| Male | 537 041 | 44.76% |
Ethnic group
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Black African | 1 181 672 | 98.48% |
| White | 13 625 | 1.14% |
| Indian/Asian | 2 911 | 0.24% |
| Coloured | 1 648 | 0.14% |
Age
| Age | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| 000 - 004 | 138 819 | 11.57% |
| 005 - 009 | 168 212 | 14.02% |
| 010 - 014 | 172 151 | 14.35% |
| 015 - 019 | 158 249 | 13.19% |
| 020 - 024 | 112 396 | 9.37% |
| 025 - 029 | 86 070 | 7.17% |
| 030 - 034 | 66 722 | 5.56% |
| 035 - 039 | 61 542 | 5.13% |
| 040 - 044 | 50 114 | 4.18% |
| 045 - 049 | 39 894 | 3.32% |
| 050 - 054 | 30 735 | 2.56% |
| 055 - 059 | 21 051 | 1.75% |
| 060 - 064 | 20 919 | 1.74% |
| 065 - 069 | 22 289 | 1.86% |
| 070 - 074 | 22 201 | 1.85% |
| 075 - 079 | 11 353 | 0.95% |
| 080 - 084 | 10 429 | 0.87% |
| 085 - 089 | 3 682 | 0.31% |
| 090 - 094 | 1 880 | 0.16% |
| 095 - 099 | 750 | 0.06% |
| 100 plus | 398 | 0.03% |
Election results
Election results for Vhembe in the South African general election, 2004South African general election, 2004
Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. The African National Congress of President Thabo Mbeki, which came to power after the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority....
.
- Population 18 and over: 621 522 [51.80% of total population]
- Total votes: 386 629 [32.22% of total population]
- Voting % estimate: 62.21% votes as a % of population 18 and over
Party Votes % African National Congress African National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
348 768 90.21% Democratic Alliance 15 553 4.02% United Democratic Movement 5 821 1.51% African Christian Democratic Party 4 687 1.21% Pan African Congress 2 875 0.74% New National Party 2 098 0.54% Azanian People's Organisation 1 767 0.46% Independent Democrats 916 0.24% Freedom Front Plus 864 0.22% Inkhata Freedom Party Inkatha Freedom PartyThe Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
585 0.15% United Christian Democratic Party 469 0.12% NA 359 0.09% SOPA 336 0.09% PJC 301 0.08% EMSA 282 0.07% CDP 258 0.07% TOP 198 0.05% UF 191 0.05% KISS 129 0.03% NLP 92 0.02% Minority Front 80 0.02% Total 386 629 100.00%