 |
Northern Province - Giyani |
 |
|
In South Africa's Limpopo Province, some 70 kilometres to the north-east of Tzaneen. A relatively new and distinctively African town, founded to serve as the capital of the Gazankulu 'homeland' designated, by the apartheid regime, for the Shangaan-Tsonga people. Gazankulu was a semi-independent 'national state' comprising four separate areas bordering on the Kruger National Park, a typically Lowveld territory irrigated by the Sabie and Letaba rivers and producing crops of wheat, maize, sisal and vegetables. The Shangaan (or Machangana) are descended from Nguni stock, and specifically from the Ndwandwe group, which fled eastwards under the leadership of Soshangane in the wars that followed the death of Shaka Zulu's mother in 1827. Soshangane's forces subjugated some of the Tsonga people of Mozambique, hence the duality of the name. The traditional Shangaan-Tsonga believe in a Supreme Being (Tilo, or Heaven) and in the presence of the spirits of the ancestors but, unusually, there is no actual ancestor-worship. They have a rich folklore and are noted for their stories, of which 200, together with 1,900 proverbs, have been recorded. Some excel in beadwork. Fabric embroidered with beads became the customary dress of the women; other distinctive ornamentation was the pierced earlobe and the face tattoo. These traditions, however, have been eroded by Western-style 'progress'. Kruger National Park. The northern plains of South Africa's premier wildlife sanctuary lies a few kilometres to the east. Access, though, is not direct: one either has to drive north on the R81 to Punda Maria or south (on the R529) and then east (R71) to Phalaborwa. Thohoyandou The principal town of the Venda region (once an 'independent republic) lies some way to the north. Thohoyandou is a convenient and comfortable base for exploring the wider Venda area, a scenically beautiful one graced by a stunning variety of landscapes and by a myriad hidden streams, waterfalls and lakes (magical Fundudzi is the largest). Here, too, you'll find a wealth of traditional crafts on view (and on sale), notably pottery and woodcarving. The Venda people, or VhaVenda, are a proud nation who, it is thought, originated in the Great Lakes region of East Africa and migrated south to Zimbabwe, some then crossing the Limpopo into what is now Northern South Africa as early as the 12th century. Others stayed on, sharing the power and prosperity of Great Zimbabwe, heart of the Rosvi Empire, before they, too, moved south, bringing their architecture (characterised by great stone enclosures) and other elements of the culture with them. History records them as a tough and independent folk, able to resist Swazi, Pedi, Tsonga and Boer attacks. In one incident they defeated a Voortrekker community and burnt its settlement to the ground. Hans Merensky Nature Reserve Located near the Murchison range directly to the south of Giyani. This is a prime tourist destination, much of the attraction centred on the island in the Letaba River, from which warm thermal waters spring and on which a lively resort centre (hotel, self-contained chalets, spa, restaurant, shops) has been developed. The reserve's game animals include giraffe, stately sable and other antelope and, in the Black Hills to the east, leopard. Thohoyandou to the north; Tzaneen to the south-west; Phalaborwa to the south-east. |
NOTE!
GIYANI Western Cape
|
|||||||
