Thohoyandou ( ve, Ṱhohoyanḓou) is a town in the

Limpopo Province 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 ...

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 the administrative centre of

Vhembe District Municipality 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 Zimbabwe and on the east with Gaza Province in Mozambique. Vhembe co ...

and

Thulamela Local Municipality The Thulamela Local Municipality is a Local municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Its municipal boundaries were greatly altered after the South African municipal elections, 2016 when much of the area that formerly belonged to the m ...

. It is also known for being the former capital of the

bantustan A Bantustan (also known as Bantu homeland, black homeland, black state or simply homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of South Africa set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa (now ...

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 ...

History

Thohoyandou became the capital of the former

, while

Dzanani Dzanani is a town and also the name of a region in the former Venda, now part of Limpopo province in South Africa. Dzanani was named after MuDzanani, which is one of the main surnames in Venda; and also the then Paramount Chiefs (Khosi Khulu) of ...

is the traditional capital of Venda and the home of the VhaVenda kings. Thohoyandou name means "head of the

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

" in the

Venda language Venda or Tshivenda is a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa. It is mainly spoken by the Venda people in the northern part of South Africa's Limpopo province, as well as by some Lemba people in South Africa. The Venda l ...

, and was the name of one of the VhaVenda kings. Thohoyandou was built at Tshiluvhi which was under Khosi vho Netshiluvhi. Construction started in 1977 with P East and P West residential area/location as R293 town, a shopping centre and Venda Government buildings. The Netshiluvhis were the first occupants of the area as far back as 1400 AD, i.e. after the collapse of Mapungubwe Kingdom. They were forcefully removed from this area between 1960 and 1970 by the apartheid government of the Venda Bantustan under khosi vho Mphephu Ramabulana. The name Tshiluvhi comes from the Venda word "luvha" which means to pay damages or respect. The former Venda president built his palace and his ministerial resident at Tshiluvhis chiefs kraal as they were already moved by the apartheid government. The following leaders and their subject under Netshiluvhi were forcefully removed from their areas. Some of the Netshiluvhi are known by different names: Malima, Khorommbi, Mathomu, Magidi, and Mudau. The name Tshiluvhi was totally stricken out and replaced by Thohoyandou as per the then government, and was left as a name of a primary school. Thohoyandou was established and built at a large portion of the village of Tshiluvhi in the late 1970s. It was established by president Patrick Ramaano Mphephu who was the Prime Minister of the Venda Bantustan. Thohoyandou became the capital of Venda when Venda was declared a republic in 1979, and Thovhele ´Mphephu became the President of the Republic of Venda. Thohoyandou became the centre and economic hub of the Republic of Venda. A stadium was built in Thohoyandou to celebrate the independence of Venda, and was known as the Venda Independence Stadium. The name was changed to

Thohoyandou Stadium Thohoyandou Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the town of Thohoyandou, in the province of Limpopo, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and is the home stadium of Venda Football Academy F.C. football club. The st ...

in 1994. Today, Thohoyandou is one of the fastest-growing towns in Limpopo. It is also home to the

University of Venda The University of Venda (Univen; ve, Yunivesithi ya Venḓa, af, Universiteit van Venda) is a South African comprehensive rural-based institution, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province. It was established in 1982 under the then Republi ...

. Thohoyandou is situated in the south of Vhembe district, north-west of

Malamulele Malamulele can refer to the town of Malamulele or the area of Malamulele. Both the town (approximately in the center of the area) and area are in the Limpopo province of South Africa and predominantly occupied by Tsonga people. Malamulele town h ...

on the R524 main road between

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 ( ...

and the Kruger National Park. This is the lush agricultural centre of Vhembe, with banana

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, subtropical fruit,

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

and

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

lands. Thohoyandou is surrounded by small rural

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

such as Maungani, Ngovhela, Vondwe, Phiphidi, Muledane, Duthuni, Tshisahulu, Maungani, Shayandima, Makwarela, and Maniini.

Economy

Hot midday break for Thohoyandou's taxis

Thohoyandou is the main development node in

with a total of approximately 70,000 residents within the boundaries of the town. It is further surrounded by numerous rural settlements situated on the outskirts of the built-up area. Thohoyandou's CBD was originally designed as a super mall with large walkways and

water fountains A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s and green areas. The parking lot was situated on the outskirts and people would walk to the shops. Shortage of vacant land within the CBD has slowed its growth and kept it from expanding further. The CBD has also suffered from a lack of maintenance over the past fifteen years. There is a big mall "Thavhani Mall", that has been built in Thohoyandou. Other towns which are nearby Thohoyandou are Sibasa, 8 km; Dzanani, 45 km; Malamulele, 45 km; Makhado, 85 km; Musina, 139 km; and Polokwane, 188 km. Surrounding locations and villages include, Maniini, Muledane, Shayandima, Tswinga, Itsani, Manamani, Maungani, Tshisahulu and Duthuni.

University of Venda

The

is a South African Comprehensive rural based university, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province. It was established in 1982 under the then Republic of Venda government. The University of Venda has one main Campus in Thohoyandou. The campus houses all seven faculties of the institution namely The School of Agriculture, School of Education, School of Environmental Science, School of Health Sciences, School of Human and Social Sciences, School of Management Sciences, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and The Univen School of Law. The campus also houses the Art Gallery, which has a display of carvings, paintings and clay pots made by both students and local community members. Furthermore, the campus has a full-time Sports Center that is used for indoor sports as well as other recreational activities such as drama and dance. The main campus houses nine of the eleven official residences, namely Bernard Ncube, Carousel, F3, F4, F5, Lost City Boys, Lost City Girls, Mango Groove, Riverside and Prefab.

Colleges

* Thasululo FET College *

Vhembe TVET College 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 Zimbabwe and on the east with Gaza Province in Mozambique. Vhembe cons ...

https://www.vhembecollege.edu.za

Primary and Secondary Schools

* Maranzhe Primary School (Murangoni Primary School) * Luphai Secondary School * Azwifarwi Secondary School * Muthamaro Secondary School * Tshiluvhi Primary School * Herman Technical High School * Liivha Combined School * Marude Secondary School * Thohoyandou Secondary School * Thohoyandou Technical High School * Tshikevha Christian School * Tshishonga Primary School * Magidi Primary School * Gindikindi Primary School * Makwarela Primary School * Miluwani Primary School * Mbaleni Primary School * Mmbara Primary School * Maṋiini Primary School * Mphaphuli Secondary School * Tshilungoma Primary School * Muratho Primary School * Mvudi Primary School * Mahwasane Primary School * Thivhilaeli Secondary School * Tshikonelo Primary School * Khwevha Commercial School * Tshivhulani Primary School * Nthetsheleseni Secondary School * Madadzhe Secondary School * Fulufhelo Special School * Manzere primary school * Tshivhuyuni primary school * Shayandima Secondary School * Tshivhase Secondary School * Makumbane Primary School * Khwevha Commercial High school * Dimani Agricultural High school * Thambatshira Secondary School * Thengwe High School * Shayandima School Of Tomorrow * phiriphiri Secondary School * Mbilwi Secondary School

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Thulamela Local Municipality Capitals of former nations