Thohoyandou is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality

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 Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The seat of Vhembe is Thohoyandou. The majority of its 1 199 856 people speak Venda...

 and Thulamela Local Municipality

Thulamela Local Municipality

The Thulamela Local Municipality is a Local municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa....

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

Bantustan

A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...

 of Venda

Venda

Venda was a bantustan in northern South Africa, now part of Limpopo province. It was founded as a homeland for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. It bordered modern Zimbabwe and South Africa, and is now part of Limpopo in South Africa....

.

Thohoyandou is situated in the south of Vhembe district, on the main road between Louis Trichardt and the Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...

. This is the lush agricultural centre of Vhembe, with banana

Banana

Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....

 plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

s, subtropical fruit, tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 and maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

 lands. Thohoyandou is surrounded by small rural townships

Township (South Africa)

In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites . Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities...

 such as Ngovhela, Vondwe, Phiphidi, Muledane, Shayandima, Makwarela

Makwarela

Makwarela is a township situated in Limpopo Province in Vhembe district. Makwarela is one of the townships which were built in the apartheid period. Makwarela has a large variety of people mainly coming from rural backgrounds who reside there to improve their quality of life....

, and Maniini.

History

Thohoyandou was the capital of the former bantustan

Bantustan

A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...

 of Venda

Venda

Venda was a bantustan in northern South Africa, now part of Limpopo province. It was founded as a homeland for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. It bordered modern Zimbabwe and South Africa, and is now part of Limpopo in South Africa....

. Its name means "head of the elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

" in the Venda language

Venda language

Venda, also known as or , is a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa. The majority of Venda speakers live in the northern part of South Africa's Limpopo Province, but about 10% of speakers live in Zimbabwe. The Venda language is related to Kalanga which is spoken in Botswana...

.

Economy

Thohoyandou is a typical African town, dominated by informal economy. There are hardly any job opportunities in Thohoyandou and the majority of its residents live in both relative and abject poverty. Nevertheless, it is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality and houses several government department and district municipality offices.

Thohoyandou is the main development node in Thulamela Local Municipality with a total of approximately 500 000 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

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 was originally designed as a super mall

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 with large walkways full of water fountains

Fountain

A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....

, flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s and green areas

Urban park

An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...

. The parking lot

Parking lot

A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....

s were situated on the outsides and people would walk to the shops. Unfortunately, shortage of vacant land within the CBD has slowed down its growth and kept it from expanding further. On top of this, the CBD has suffered from a lack of maintenance in the past fifteen years.

Education

The town is home to the University of Venda

University of Venda

The University of Venda is a South African university, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province.-History:It was established in 1982 to serve the inhabitants of the Venda bantustan, However, the student body at Univen never consisted of Venda students only, student from all over the Northern...

. Several other post-matric

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 schools are within the vicinity of the Town such as FET's and college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

s.