Vaalbank
Encyclopedia
Vaalbank is a small town some 102 kilometers northeast of Pretoria
. The town is an important one in Mpumalanga
's northwestern end where the majority of the surrounding population is rural and does not have infrastructure
. It overlooks the Mkhombo Dam (formerly called the Renosterkop Dam) which is of agricultural importance in the region.
It is situated in the Dr JS Moroka Municipality
of the Nkangala District
.
The "Main Street" serves as a divide between the early Vaalbank that was set by the KwaNdebele
government and the current multi-ethnic Vaalbank. The early Vaalbank was established to be an urban residential site
for the Ndebele population. But with the demise of Apartheid, the town became multi-ethnic and services rendered
were no longer of high quality. With this decline of quality services, the newer part of town became more of a shanty town
with the exceptions of a few sections.
and Zulu peoples. Whereas a minority of Venda
, Indian
and Chinese
(primarily merchants) peoples are also found.
origin and means 'grey banks', most probably referring to the banks of the then Renosterkop Dam
.
The Ndebele population has a name for the town: Libangeni, although this name is never used in speech.
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. The town is an important one in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
's northwestern end where the majority of the surrounding population is rural and does not have infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. It overlooks the Mkhombo Dam (formerly called the Renosterkop Dam) which is of agricultural importance in the region.
It is situated in the Dr JS Moroka Municipality
Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality
Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality is located in the Nkangala District Municipality of Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The seat of Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality is Siyabuswa.- External links :*...
of the Nkangala District
Nkangala District Municipality
Nkangala is one of the 3 districts of Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The seat of Nkangala is Middelburg. The Nkangala District Municipality consists of 160 towns and villages. The most spoken language of its 1 020 592 people is IsiNdebele...
.
KwaNdebele
KwaNdebele was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government as a semi-independent homeland for the Ndebele people. The homeland was created when the South African government purchased nineteen white-owned farms and installed a government....
government and the current multi-ethnic Vaalbank. The early Vaalbank was established to be an urban residential site
Residential area
A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...
for the Ndebele population. But with the demise of Apartheid, the town became multi-ethnic and services rendered
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
were no longer of high quality. With this decline of quality services, the newer part of town became more of a shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
with the exceptions of a few sections.
Dermographics
The town has significant populations of Ndebele, Pedi, Tswana, TsongaShangaan
The Tsonga people inhabit the southern coastal plain of Mozambique, parts of Zimbabwe and Swaziland, and the Limpopo Province of South Africa...
and Zulu peoples. Whereas a minority of Venda
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...
, Indian
Asians in South Africa
The majority of the Asian South African population is Indian in origin, most of them descended from indentured workers transported to work in the 19th century on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area, then known as Natal. They are largely English speaking, although many also retain the...
and Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
(primarily merchants) peoples are also found.
Origin of name
The name is of AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
origin and means 'grey banks', most probably referring to the banks of the then Renosterkop Dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
.
The Ndebele population has a name for the town: Libangeni, although this name is never used in speech.