Hanglip (Afrikaans for ''hanging lip'',

Venda Venda () was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the ...

: Songozwi'), thavha ya VhaDzanani is a prominent mountain peak near

Louis Trichardt Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It is situated in the Vhembe District of

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

in the central

Soutpansberg The Soutpansberg, (formerly ''Zoutpansberg'') meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans, is a range of mountains in far northern South Africa. It is located in Vhembe District, Limpopo. It is named for the salt pan ( ve, Thavha ya muno, or "plac ...

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

. The peak with radar station, at 1,719 meters a.s.l., forms a conspicuous landmark visible from the town and the N1 national road. Hanglip mountain is situated in the 354 hectare Hanglip Forest Reserve within the Hanglip State Forest. The state forest contains commercial pine plantations, protected natural forest and

bushveld The Bushveld (from af, bosveld, af, bos 'bush' and af, veld) is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. It encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of ...

. The pine plantations are harvested in 30 to 40 year cycles for construction wood. Geologically the mountain consists of tilted layers of the Karoo succession including

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

deposits. Red quartzite deposits and grey

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...

lava intrusions are also present. Songozwi was the VhaVenda area, under the VhaDzanani clan and their Chiefs, and later joined by the Mphephu/Ramabulana clan. The VhaDzanani clan have their sacred site in mount Songozwi, while the Ramabulana clan bury their chiefs there at a place or hill called Luatame. The whole region was Dzanani (named after the VhaDzanani) until 1946. This is because Songozwi was made a white-only area after 1913. Vhavenda were then evicted from this fertile area, the last group of Vhavenda left the area around the 60s. Eviction started around Schoemansdal after the 1898/9 Vhavenda - boer War. The boer were led by general Piet Joubert. As safeguard against further attacks, Fort Botha was established under Hanglip some kilometers southwest of Mphephu's kraal. The ruins of the fort are currently off limits, being situated near graves of the Singos and the sacred site of vhaDzanani on the other side. The town of Trichardtsdorp was established after the conflict. The Hanglip Forest Reserve is a protected area in the zone of the mountain. Hikers can arrange to overnight in the Hanglip trail hut east of the peak, and motorists can visit a picnic site against its southern slope.Soutpansberg/Hanglip hiking trail, Department of Forestry
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References

External links

The Soutspanberg Hiking Trail
Mountains of South Africa Climbing areas of South Africa Landforms of Limpopo {{Limpopo-geo-stub