Limpopo

The northernmost province of South Africa

This article is about the province in South Africa. For other uses, see Limpopo (disambiguation).

"Northern Transvaal" redirects here. For the rugby union team, see Blue Bulls.

Province of South Africa

Limpopo ILimpopo (in Southern Ndebele)
Province of South Africa
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Peace, Unity and Prosperity
Location of Limpopo in South Africa
Country	South Africa
Established	27 April 1994
Capital	Polokwane
Districts	List Mopani Vhembe Capricorn Waterberg Sekhukhune
Government
• Type	Parliamentary system
• Premier	Stanley Mathabatha (ANC)
• Legislature	Limpopo Provincial Legislature
Area [1]:9
• Total	125,754 km2 (48,554 sq mi)
Area rank	5th in South Africa
Highest elevation	2,126 m (6,975 ft)
Population (2011)[1]:18[2]
• Total	5,404,868
• Estimate  (2018)	5,797,300
• Rank	5th in South Africa
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
• Density rank	5th in South Africa
Population groups [1]:21
• Black	96.7%
• White	2.6%
• Indian or Asian	0.3%
• Coloured	0.3%
Languages [1]:25
• Northern Sotho	52.9%
• Tsonga	17.0%
• Venda	16.7%
• Afrikaans	2.6%
• Tswana	2.0%
• Southern Ndebele	2.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
ISO 3166 code	ZA-LP
HDI (2017)	0.680[3] medium · 6th
Website	www.limpopo.gov.za

Limpopo (UK: /lɪmˈpoʊpoʊ/; Bapedi /Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Venda, Afrikaans, Tswana: Limpopo; Southern Ndebele: ILimpopo) is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The name "Limpopo" has its etymological origin in the Northern Sotho language word diphororo tša meetse, meaning "strong gushing waterfalls".^[4] The capital is Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg).

The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and was initially named Northern Transvaal. The following year, it was renamed Northern Province, which remained the name until 2003, when it was formally changed to Limpopo after deliberation by the provincial government and amendment of the South African Constitution. An alternate name considered for the province was Mapungubwe.

The Northern Sotho language is spoken by more than 60% of Limpopo's population. The Northern Sotho people also traditionally occupy more than 70% of land mass in the province, with the Tsonga and the Venda both sharing less than 30% of the remaining land mass. 74% of dwelling is located in a tribal or traditional area, compared to a national average of 27.1%. Traditional leaders and chiefs still form a strong backbone of the province’s political landscape. Established in terms of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Act, Act 5 of 2005, the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders’s main function is to advise government and the legislature on matters related to custom, tradition and culture including developmental initiatives that have an impact on rural communities. Kgoshi Malesela Dikgale was re-elected as the Chairperson of Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders in 2017.

Limpopo province is also home to the Zion Christian Church (or ZCC), also known as Boyne, the largest African initiated church operating across Southern Africa. The church's headquarters are at Zion City Moria in Limpopo Province, South Africa (Northern Transvaal).

According to the 1996 South African Census, the church numbered 3.87 million members. By 2001, its membership had increased to 4.97 million members.[1] The final number of ZCC members today is most likely between 8 and 10 million, in total, according to figures provided by Neal Collins from The New Age and Alex Matlala from The Citizen, two South African newspapers.

Contents

• 
  1 Geography
  


• 
  2 Law and government
  


• 
  3 Municipalities
  
  
  
  • 
    3.1 District municipalities
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  4 Economy
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 Agriculture
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Mining
    
  
  
  • 
    4.3 Tourism
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Transportation and communications
  


• 
  6 Education
  
  
  
  • 
    6.1 Educational institutions
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  7 Sports
  


• 
  8 Demographics
  


• 
  9 HIV / AIDS
  


• 
  10 See also
  


• 
  11 References
  


• 
  12 External links
  

Geography

Limpopo Province shares international borders with districts and provinces of three countries: Botswana's Central and Kgatleng districts to the west and northwest respectively, Zimbabwe's Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces to the north and northeast respectively, and Mozambique's Gaza Province to the east.^[5] Limpopo is the link between South Africa and countries further afield in sub-Saharan Africa. On its southern edge, from east to west, it shares borders with the South African provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and North West. Its border with Gauteng includes that province's Johannesburg-Pretoria axis, the most industrialised metropole on the continent. The province is at the centre of regional, national, and international developing markets.

Limpopo contains much of the Waterberg Biosphere, a massif of approximately 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi) which is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The massif was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion yielding diverse bluff and butte landforms.^[6] The Waterberg ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg, archaeological finds date to the Stone Age. Nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans.

Sundown over one of the mountain ranges found in Limpopo.

Law and government

Main article: Politics of Limpopo

The current Premier of Limpopo Province is Stanley Mathabatha, representing the African National Congress.

Municipalities

Main article: List of municipalities in Limpopo

Limpopo districts and local municipalities

Limpopo Province is divided into five district municipalities. The district municipalities are in turn divided into 25 local municipalities:

District municipalities

• 
  Capricorn District
  
  
  
  • Blouberg
  
  
  • Lepele-Nkumpi
  
  
  • Molemole
  
  
  • Polokwane
  
  
  
  


• 
  Mopani District
  
  
  
  • Ba-Phalaborwa
  
  
  • Greater Giyani
  
  
  • Greater Letaba
  
  
  • Greater Tzaneen
  
  
  • Maruleng
  
  
  
  


• 
  Sekhukhune District
  
  
  
  • Elias Motsoaledi
  
  
  • Ephraim Mogale
  
  
  • Fetakgomo/Greater Tubatse
  
  
  • Makhuduthamaga
  
  
  
  


• 
  Vhembe District
  
  
  
  • Makhado
  
  
  • Musina
  
  
  • Collins Chabane
  
  
  • Thulamela
  
  
  
  


• 
  Waterberg District
  
  
  
  • Bela-Bela
  
  
  • Lephalale
  
  
  • Modimolle/Mookgopong
  
  
  • Mogalakwena
  
  
  • Thabazimbi
  
  
  
  

Economy

The province is a typical developing area, exporting primary products and importing manufactured goods and services. It is also one of the poorest regions of South Africa with a big gap between poor and rich residents, especially in rural areas.^[7] However, Limpopo's economy and standard of living have shown great improvement. A recent border shift with Limpopo's wealthier neighbour, Mpumalanga, was effected to try and bring some wealth into the province.^{[citation needed]}

Agriculture

The bushveld is beef cattle country, where extensive ranching operations are often supplemented by controlled hunting. About 80% of South Africa's game hunting industry is found in Limpopo.

Sunflowers, cotton, maize and peanuts are cultivated in the Bela-Bela and Modimolle areas. Modimolle is also known for its table grapes. Tropical fruit, such as bananas, litchis, pineapples, mangoes and pawpaws, as well as a variety of nuts, are grown in the Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt areas. Tzaneen is also at the centre of extensive citrus, tea and coffee plantations, and a major forestry industry.

Mining

Ajoite in quartz, from the Messina mine, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Scale at bottom is one inch, with a rule at one cm.^{[citation needed]}

Limpopo's rich mineral deposits include the platinum group metals, iron ore, chromium, high- and middle-grade coking coal, diamonds, antimony, phosphate, and copper, as well as mineral reserves like gold, emeralds, scheelite, magnetite, vermiculite, silicon, and mica. Commodities such as black granite, corundum, and feldspar are also found. Mining contributes to over a fifth of the provincial economy.

Limpopo has the largest platinum deposit in South Africa.^{[citation needed]} The Waterberg Coalfield, the eastern extension of Botswana's Mmamabula coalfields, is estimated to contain 40% of South Africa's coal reserves.^[8]

Tourism

Tourism is one of the three pillars of the Limpopo economy along with mining and agribusiness.^[9] In 2008, the Province accounted for 5% of all foreign tourist bed nights in South Africa, numbers which are showing strong annual growth. The R 93 million Provincial tourism budget for 2010/11 represents 11% of Limpopo's total budget.^[9][10]

Near Modjadjiskloof, at Sunland Baobab farms, there is a large Baobab tree which has been fashioned into a rather spacious pub.^[11]

The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has targeted the province as a preferred eco-tourism destination. Its Environment and Tourism Programme encompasses tourism, protected areas and community environment development to achieve sustainable economic growth.^[10]

While Limpopo is one of South Africa's poorest provinces, it is rich in wildlife, which gives it an edge in attracting tourists. Both the private and public sectors are investing in tourism development.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation and communications

The province has excellent road, rail, and air links. The N1 route from Johannesburg, which extends the length of the province, is the busiest overland route in Africa in terms of cross-border trade in raw materials and beneficiated goods. The port of Durban, South Africa’s busiest, is served directly^{[clarification needed]} by the province, as are the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo. Polokwane International Airport is situated just north of Polokwane.

Education

The Department of Education is charged with the responsibility of effecting quality education and training for all. The Department has to coordinate all professional development and support. Policies, systems, and procedures had to be developed.

Educational institutions

• 
  University of Limpopo (Polokwane, Ga-Rankuwa)


• 
  University of Venda (Thohoyandou)


• 
  Capricon College for TVET (Polokwane)


• 
  Lephalale TVET College (Lephalale)


• 
  Letaba TVET College (Tzaneen)


• 
  Mopani South East TVET College (Phalaborwa)


• 
  Sekhukhune TVET College (Motetema)


• 
  Vhembe TVET College (Venda)


• 
  Waterberg TVET College (Mokopane)

Sports

• 
  Association football: Polokwane was one of South Africa's host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with matches being played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. Football clubs in the province include Real Rovers, Silver Stars, Back Leopards, Polokwane City, Baroka, Ria Stars, and Dinamos.


• 
  Rugby union: Limpopo has no provincial rugby team of its own; it is represented in the domestic Currie Cup by the Pretoria-based Blue Bulls. The Blue Bulls also operate a Super Rugby franchise, known simply as the Bulls. Limpopo nonetheless produces its share of top players. Most notably, the two most-capped forwards in the history of the country's national team, John Smit and Victor Matfield, are both natives of Polokwane.


• 
  Basketball: The province is home to Limpopo Pride, a professional team that plays in South Africa's top basketball division, the Basketball National League.

Demographics

Population density in Limpopo .mw-parser-output div.columns-2 div.column{float:left;width:50%;min-width:300px}.mw-parser-output div.columns-3 div.column{float:left;width:33.3%;min-width:200px}.mw-parser-output div.columns-4 div.column{float:left;width:25%;min-width:150px}.mw-parser-output div.columns-5 div.column{float:left;width:20%;min-width:120px}

<1 /km²   1–3 /km²   3–10 /km²   10–30 /km²   30–100 /km²

100–300 /km²   300–1000 /km²   1000–3000 /km²   >3000 /km²

Dominant home languages in Limpopo

Afrikaans   English   Northern Sotho   Swati

Tsonga   Tswana   Venda   No language dominant

The population of Limpopo consists of several ethnic groups distinguished by culture, language and race. 97.3% of the population is Black, 2.4% is White, 0.2% is Coloured, and 0.1% is Indian/Asian. The province has the smallest percentage and second smallest total number of white South Africans in the country. It also has the highest Black percentage out of all the provinces.

The Northern Sotho people (of which the Bapedi are a part) make up the largest percentage of the black population, being 52% of the province. The Tsonga people comprise about 24.0% of the province; the Tsonga also comprise about 11.5% of Mpumalanga province since the southern part of their homeland, Gazankulu, was cut off from Limpopo and allocated to Mpumalanga. The Venda make up about 16.7%. Afrikaners make up the majority of Limpopo's white population, about 95,000 people; English-speaking whites number just over 20,000. Vhembe district has the smallest share of white people in Limpopo, about 5,000 total, while the Waterberg district has the largest share of whites, with more than 60,000 whites residing there. Coloureds and Asians/Indians make up a very small percentage of the province's total population.

HIV / AIDS

At 18.5% (2007), Limpopo has a fairly high incidence of HIV compared to other South African provinces. Cases rose from 14.5% to 21.5% between 2001 and 2005, with a slight fall between 2005 and 2007.^[12]

See also

• List of cities and towns in Limpopo


• Limpopo River


• Xibelani dance


• 
  Zoutpansberg division

References

1. 
   ^ ^abcd Census 2011: Census in brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. ISBN 9780621413885. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ Mid-year population estimates, 2018 (PDF) (Report). Statistics South Africa. 31 July 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
   


3. 
   ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
   


4. 
   ^ "Limpopo Province - An Overview". dolimpopo.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
   


5. 
   ^ "Minister Dlamini to conduct two day Ministerial visit in Vhembe". Limpopo.gov.za. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
   


6. 
   ^ C.Michael Hogan, Mark L. Cooke and Helen Murray, The Waterberg Biosphere, Lumina Technologies, 22 May 2006. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 March 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-23.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
   


7. 
   ^ [1] Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
   


8. 
   ^ "Mmamabula Coalfield". Cicenergycorp.com. February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
   


9. 
   ^ ^ab Budget speech of Limpopo Department of Economic Development and Environment and Tourism 12 March 2010 Archived 9 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 9 July 2010
   


10. 
    ^ ^ab [2]^{[dead link]}
    


11. 
    ^ "The Big Baobab Limpopo South Africa | The Largest Baobab in the World". Bigbaobab.co.za. 2011-03-24. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
    


12. 
    ^ "HIV and AIDS in South Africa". Avert.org. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
    

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Limpopo.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limpopo.

• Limpopo Provincial Government


• Limpopo Tourism Agency

v t e Province of Limpopo
Capital and largest city: Polokwane Population: 5,554,657 (2011) Land area: 125,755 km2
Topics	History Government Politics Economy Climate Ecology
Government	Premier Legislature High Court Municipalities
Cities and major towns	Polokwane (Pietersburg) Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) Musina (Messina) Mokopane (Potgietersrus) Thabazimbi Northam Louis Trichardt Mookgopong (Naboomspruit) Lephalale (Ellisras) Tzaneen

v t e Administrative divisions of South Africa
Capitals: Pretoria (executive) Bloemfontein (judicial) Cape Town (legislative)
Provinces	Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North West Northern Cape Western Cape
Municipalities	List of municipalities in South Africa By province Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North West Northern Cape Western Cape Types Metropolitan Local District Transitional
Settlements	By province Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North West Northern Cape Western Cape

Coordinates: 24°S 29°E / 24°S 29°E / -24; 29

This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here