Senwabarwana, also known as Bochum, is a town in the

Blouberg Local Municipality Blouberg Local Municipality is a municipality in the Limpopo Province, northern South Africa, bordering Botswana. It takes its name from the Blouberg (literally meaning ''blue mountain''), a mountain range located to the west of the western end ...

of the Capricorn District Municipality in the

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 ...

province of South Africa. The town is the seat of the

. It is located about 93 km northwest of the city Polokwane.

Etymology

The colonial name may refer to the German industrial city of

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

or be a corruption of

Bochim Bochim (also spelled Bokim) is a place mentioned in the biblical Book of Judges, situated west of the River Jordan. Its name means 'weepers'. Biblical usage Bochim appears in only one section of Judges (in verses 1 and 5 of chapter 2). In the narra ...

, a biblical name (

Judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

2:1 and 5). The place was named by the German missionary Carl Franz and his wife Helene to a mission station they established here in 1890. The majority language group of the area is Northern Sotho people and they refer to themselves as Bahananwa. They call the town Senwabarwana, a commemorative name for an incident that took place in a pond where the Khoi people found and drank water in their travelling, thus passing by. Due to their height they are proclaimed dwarfs by natives which literally means Morwana in Northern Sotho (Sepedi) and in a plural form is Barwana, hence "Sen-wa-barwana".

History

German

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Carl Franz and his wife Helene founded a hospital that used to cater for people with leprosy. The missionary station was part of the attempts of the Berlin Missionary Society to Christianize Southern Africa in the 19th century. The hospital is now known as Helene-Franz hospital. It has a bad reputation because of its high mortality rates and it is often referred to by old people as "the hospital of death". The place is also known for its diverse people from chieftaincies such as Ga-Manthata, Ga-Matlala, Ga-Mmalebogo, Makgababeng, Moletši and the small town of

Mogwadi Mogwadi, also known as Dendron, is a small town on the R521 road in the Capricorn District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Located about 61 km northwest of Polokwane Polokwane (, meaning "Sanctuary" in Northern Sotho ...

Institutions of Higher Education

TVET Colleges

*Capricorn TVET College Senwabarwana Campus.

Training Colleges

*New Life Computer Training College.

Institutions of Basic Education

Secondary

*Phala Secondary School. *Dikoloi Secondary School *Seiphi Secondary School *Phagamang Secondary School. *Kgolothwane Secondary School. *Tema Secondary School *Matthew Phosa Secondary School *Maleboho Senior Secondary School.

Primary

*Kgebetli. *Mophamamona *Senwabarwana. *Tefu Primary School.

Special Needs Schools

*Ratanang. *Helen Franz.

Health Institutions

*Helen Franz Hospital. *Blouberg Hospital.

Shopping Centers

*Blouberg Mall. *Bochum Plaza.

Notable people

Punch Masenamela Punch Jan Masenamela (born 17 October 1986) is a South African footballer who currently plays for Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa as a defender. International career Born in Bochum, Transvaal, Masenamela made his debut for South Africa ...

, a professional soccer player. *

Clement Maosa Clement Maosa (born 9 May 1988) is a DJ,South African actor, most famous for playing the role of Zamokuhle Seakamela in the SABC1 soap opera, ''Skeem Saam''. Early life and education He is from Polokwane, Limpopo. He attended schools in South ...

, a popular

SABC TV The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

actor. *

Mamphela Ramphele Mamphela Aletta Ramphele (; born 28 December 1947) is a South African politician, an activist against apartheid, a medical doctor, an academic and businesswoman. She was a partner of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, with whom she had two chil ...

, an anti-apartheid activist and politician. * Selaelo Selota, a veteran jazz musician. *

DJ Cleo Tlou Cleopas Monyepao (born January 17, 1980), professionally known as DJ Cleo, is a South African Kwaito, House music and Hip hop producer. He was born in Gauteng. DJ Cleo has enjoyed a long and fruitful career in the South African music indu ...

, a famous

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

artist. * Victor Mohlabeng, an IT Guru. ** Mathea Rammutla, a Legal Official.

References

{{Capricorn District Municipality Populated places in the Blouberg Local Municipality 1890 establishments in the South African Republic