Malamulele can refer to the town of Malamulele or the area of Malamulele. Both the town (approximately in the center of the area) and area are in the
Limpopo province
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 term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and predominantly occupied by
Tsonga people
The Tsonga people () are a Bantu ethnic group primarily native to Southern Mozambique and South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga). They speak Xitsonga, a Southern Bantu language.
A very small number of Tsonga people are also found in Zimbabwe ...
. Malamulele town has one provincial road and one regional road; the
R81 to
Giyani
Giyani is a town situated in the north-eastern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is the administrative capital of the Mopani District Municipality and a former capital of the defunct Gazankulu Bantustan. The city of Giyani is divided i ...
and the
R524 to
Thohoyandou
Thohoyandou () 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 of Venda.
History
...
(and the
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...
's Punda Maria Gate) respectively. Malamulele is flanked by two rivers,
Levubu River
The Levubu River (; ) is located in the northern Limpopo province of South Africa. Some of its tributaries, such as the Mutshindudi River and Mutale River rise in the Soutpansberg Mountains.
The Levubu flows for about 200 km through a dive ...
(Rivhubye) to the west and
Letaba River
The Letaba River (), also known as Leţaba, Lehlaba or Ritavi, is a river located in eastern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Olifants River.
Course
It starts at the confluence of the Groot Leta ...
to the east, meanwhile the
Shingwedzi River
The Shingwedzi River (; ; ; ) is a river in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and Gaza Province, Mozambique. It is a left hand tributary of the Olifants River (Limpopo), Olifants River ''(Rio dos Elefantes)'' and the northernmost river of its catchm ...
runs from Malamulele West to Malamulele East, joining the
Olifants in
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
on its way to the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
. Malamulele is the seat of the
Collins Chabane Local Municipality
Collins Chabane Municipality (; ) is a local municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It was established after the August 2016 local elections by merging portions of the Thulamela and Makhado ...
.
There are between 100 and 120 villages in the Malamulele area, with an approximate population of half a million.
According to official Stats SA census 2011 results, some 82 Malamulele villages (excluding the township), were home to 206,646 people.
In 2001, Thulamela calculated the population according to some 16 main areas (again, excluding the township), supposedly representing the number of independent chiefs, which add up to 199,807 inhabitants.
The Malamulele Area is situated between
Giyani
Giyani is a town situated in the north-eastern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is the administrative capital of the Mopani District Municipality and a former capital of the defunct Gazankulu Bantustan. The city of Giyani is divided i ...
on the east, starting at Letaba river, and
Thohoyandou
Thohoyandou () 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 of Venda.
History
...
on the north-west, starting at Rivhubye river. To the west of Malamulele Area is
Waterval
Waterval is a residential township in front of Elim Hospital, it is situated in the Hlanganani district of the former Tsonga homeland of Gazankulu, alongside the R578 road to Giyani in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Waterval includes , ...
, famous for the Elim Hospital. The
Cahora Bassa
The Cahora Bassa lake—in the Portuguese colonial era (until 1974) known as Cabora Bassa, from Nyungwe ''Kahoura-Bassa'', meaning "finish the job"—is Africa's fourth-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. In Afri ...
HVDC
A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating current (AC) transmission systems. Most HVDC links use voltages betwe ...
power transmission line passes through Malamulele from
Tete Province
Tete is a Provinces of Mozambique, province of Mozambique, located in the northwest of the country. It has an area of 98,417 km2 and a population of 2,648,941 (2017 census).
Tete, Mozambique, Tete is the capital of the province. The Cahora ...
to
Gauteng
Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
. The Malamulele Area formed its own municipality in August 2016, named
Collins Chabane, separated from
Thulamela
__NOTOC__
Thulamela is the most dramatic of around 300 archaeological sites identified in Kruger National Park. It is located on heights south of the Levubu River offering a panoramic view. Sidney Miller led excavations from December 1993 to Jul ...
but still under the
Vhembe District Municipality
The Vhembe District Municipality (; ) is one of the 5 districts of the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is the northernmost district of the country and shares its northern border with the Beitbridge District in Zimbabwe and on the east with t ...
.
Surrounding areas
To the north-east of Malamulele Town is the
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...
, where it is located 63 km away from the Punda Maria gate, 72 km from the Punda Maria Rest Camp, 99 km from the Shingwedzi Rest Camp, 108 km from the Pafuri Rest Camp and 135 km from the Mopani Rest Camp.
Malamulele Town is 243 km from
(the capital of Limpopo Province), 453 km from
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
and 508 km from
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
.
The shortest straight-line distance from Malamulele Town to the
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
border is about 60 km and also 60 km to the
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
border. Its proximity to Zimbabwe and Mozambique makes Malamulele one of the northernmost towns in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
History
Malamulele was borne out of the homeland settlement system imposed by the Apartheid government. The people of Malamulele come from both sides of the Rivhubye and were resettled on the eastern side. Most of the people in Phaphazela village come from Malonga in what is now Vuwani. Phaphazela used to be called Malonga in remembrance of their former lands. Some people of the Makhuvele lineage were removed from parts of what is now Thohoyandou. Thus some of the people of Malamulele are the Magwamba, who used to form the Xipilongo (Spelonken) Empire. There has also been communities that were moved from the Kruger National Park to settle in Malamulele. About 40,000 people were moved from west of Rivhubye and settled in Malamulele, whereas about 10,000 were moved from Malamulele and settled in what was to become
Venda
Venda ( ), officially the Republic of Venda (; ), was a Bantustan in northern South Africa. It was 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 hom ...
.
Malamulele was the first town to be built in the former Gazankulu homeland, prior to
Giyani
Giyani is a town situated in the north-eastern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is the administrative capital of the Mopani District Municipality and a former capital of the defunct Gazankulu Bantustan. The city of Giyani is divided i ...
. It was named by Chief Risimati Chanyela Mulamula. It was one of the former 7 districts of Gazankulu, namely
Nkowankowa
Nkowankowa is a township in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality of the Mopani District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernm ...
,
N'wa-Mitwa,
Lulekani
Lulekani (nicknamed Lukcity) is a township 13 km outside Phalaborwa in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Lulekani is close to Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Afr ...
, Mhala,
Hlanganani
Hlanganani, also known as Spelonken, is an amalgamation of various large villages which are situated in the north western portion of the former Tsonga homeland of Gazankulu, South Africa. Hlanganani is situated alongside the R578 road to Giyani a ...
, Giyani, and of course, Malamulele. At the end of apartheid, Malamulele was renamed to Levubu-Shingwedzi Transitional Local Municipality, after the two rivers. An amalgamation with Thohoyandou led to the Thulamela Local Municipality, which then centralised all administration and services in Thohoyandou.
The years 2000 to 2015 saw consistent objections to the merger with Thohoyandou. In the last few years, the objections went from peaceful applications to the Municipal Demarcation Board to violent protests with property being damaged. The protests were mired with accusations of tribalism and denial, claiming all South African municipalities face service delivery protests. The issue was demonstrated to be imbalanced services between Thohoyandou areas and Malamulele areas. Even with poor service delivery, Thohoyandou areas still enjoyed better service in comparison to Malamulele areas. In July 2015, the Municipal Demarcation Board announced that a new municipality would be formed to serve Malamulele. In August 2016 the new
Collins Chabane Local Municipality
Collins Chabane Municipality (; ) is a local municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It was established after the August 2016 local elections by merging portions of the Thulamela and Makhado ...
started to operate in Malamulele, it also serves
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 ...
and
Bungeni
Bungeni is a large sprawling rural settlement situated on top of one of the foothills and tail end of the Soutpansberg mountain in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province
Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named af ...
which were under
Makhado Local Municipality
Makhado Municipality (; ) is a local municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The seat is Louis Trichardt. It is named in honour of 19th-century King (Thovhele) in the Singo (or Vhasenzi) dyna ...
before.
Geography and climate
Malamulele is a low-lying area at risk of flooding. There are a lot of hills, but no known mountains. The soil structure is mainly sandy grey soil (), which the area is named after. Malamulele is approximately 1551.93 km
2 in land area. It has a perimeter of 178.283 km
2.
The area is sparsely populated with a lot of bush between neighbouring settlements. The town has a very dry
subtropical climate
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...
, specifically a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: Cwa), with long, hot and rainy summers and short, cool and dry winters.
Political atmosphere
Since 1994, the first time that the people of Malamulele and the rest of black South Africa were ever allowed to vote, the electorate has always voted for the ANC. A few voted for Ximoko xa Rixaka (Whip of the Nation), which has now morphed into XPP (Ximoko Progressive Party). Since then, the majority of Malamulele has voted for the ANC by default, with around 80% of the votes going to the ANC, about 20% higher than the national average.
Demographics
There are between 100 and 120 villages in the Malamulele area, with an approximate population of ± 500,000.
According to official Stats SA census 2011 results, some 82 Malamulele villages (excluding the township), were home to 206,646 people.
During the same period, Malamulele Town had a population of 13,070. In 2001, or 10 years prior, Thulamela calculated the population according to some 16 main areas (again, excluding the township), supposedly representing the number of independent chiefs, which added up to 199,807 people. During this same period, Malamulele Town had a population of 11,299. These main areas are: Gijana (Magona), Madonsi,
Makuleke
The Makuleke Contractual Park or Pafuri Triangle constitutes the northernmost section of the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and comprises approximately 240 square kilometres of land. The "triangle" is a wedge of land created by the conflue ...
, Mavambe, Mhinga, Mphambo, Mtititi, Mudavula, Mukhomi, Gumbani,
Mulamula, Mulenzhe, Ntlhaveni (Bevhula), Tshikonelo, Xigalo, Xigamane, and Xikundu, thereby recognising 14 Tsonga and 2
Venda
Venda ( ), officially the Republic of Venda (; ), was a Bantustan in northern South Africa. It was 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 hom ...
(Mulenzhe and Tshikonelo) chiefs. These places account for 1362 km
2Thulamela Local Municipality
Thulamela Municipality (; ) is a local municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Its municipal boundaries were greatly altered after the 2016 municipal elections when much of the area that for ...
of Malamulele's 1552 km
2 total land area.
For perspective, its northwestern neighbour, Thohoyandou, had a population of 69,453 in 2011, more than double its 2001 population of 32,730. Its eastern neighbour, Giyani, rose from 22,725 to 25,954.
References
External links
Thulamela Municipality
�� Gazankulu facts
- South African Student Radio Network
- Matimu News
{{Vhembe District Municipality
Populated places in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality