Venda () was a

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 N ...

in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland,

Gazankulu Gazankulu was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a semi-independent homeland for the Tsonga people. It was located in both the Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo province and Eastern Transvaal, now Mpumalanga ...

. It is now part of 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. Venda was founded as a

homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

by the South African government for the

Venda people The Venḓa (VhaVenḓa or Vhangona) are a Southern African Bantu people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border. The history of the Venda starts from the Kingdom of Mapungubwe (9th Century) where King Shiriyadenga was the fi ...

, speakers of 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 lan ...

.Lahiff, p. 55. The United Nations and international community refused to recognise Venda (or any other Bantustan) as an independent state.

History

Venda was declared

self-governing __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...

on 1 February 1973,Worldstatesman.com
has a chronology of Venda's transition to nominal independence and reintegration into South Africa. with

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

held later in the year. Further

were held in July 1978. The territory was declared independent by the South African government on 13 September 1979 and its residents lost their South African citizenship. In common with the other

Bantustans 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 (n ...

, its independence was not recognised by the international community. Venda was initially a series of non-contiguous territories in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, with one main part and one main

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

. Its capital, formerly at

Sibasa Sibasa is a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa and the former capital city of the Venda bantustan. When Venda was declared independent in 1979, the capital was moved to Ṱhohoyanḓou. Town 72 km north-north-east of Louis Trichardt ...

, was moved to

Thohoyandou Thohoyandou ( ve, Ṱhohoyanḓou) 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 ...

(which included the old Sibasa administrative district) when Venda was declared independent in 1979. Prior to independence it was expanded to form one contiguous territory, with a total land area of 6,807 km² (2628 sq. mi.). In the 1984 elections the ruling Venda National Party retained its position as ruling party, beating the perpetual opposition

Venda Independent People's Party 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 ...

(VIPP).Elections in South Africa's Apartheid-Era Homelands "Bantustans"
African Elections Database At independence in 1979, the population of Venda stood at about 200,000 people. The state was cut off from neighbouring

by the Madimbo corridor, patrolled by South African troops, to the North, and from nearby

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

by the

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

. The first President of Venda,

Patrick Mphephu Chief Patrick Ramaano Mphephu ( 1924 – 17 April 1988) was the first President of the bantustan of Venda, which was granted nominal independence from South Africa on 13 September 1979. Mphephu was born in Dzanani settlement and after graduat ...

, was also a Paramount Chief of the Vhavenda people; he was born and lived in

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 ...

in Limpopo. His successor,

Frank Ravele Chief Frank Ndwakhulu Ravele (1926–1999) was the second President of the bantustan of Venda, which was granted nominal independence from South Africa on 13 September 1979. Ravele became president on 17 April 1988, after the death of Chief Pat ...

, was overthrown in a military coup by the

Venda Defence Force The Venda Defence Force (VDF) was established in September 1982 from the 112 Battalion of the South African Defence Force and the military branch of the Venda National Force which itself had been formed when the Venda homeland became independent ...

in 1990, after which the territory was ruled by the Council of National Unity. Venda was re-incorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994.

Institutions of education

In 1982, 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 ...

known as Univen was established as an institution of higher learning for the Vhavenda people.University of Venda website
. Retrieved 28 June 2007.

Districts in 1991

Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census. *

: 123,035 *

Mutale Mutale is a main town in Vhembe District Municipality in the Limpopo province of 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 b ...

: 244,532 *

: 136,089 *

Vuwani Vuwani is a town in Vhembe District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Demarcation dispute In 2015, the Municipal Demarcation Board decided to excise Mashau and Masakona settlements from Makhado, and merge them with the Mala ...

: 55,141

Security forces

The Venda National Force was established with Venda’s independence in 1979 and included defence and other services such as police and prisons. Strange enough, traffic policing was part of this national force, but by 1981 it was transferred to the Department of Justice. The Fire Brigade was however still part of the Venda National Force although there were plans to transfer this to the civilian government.

References

Sources