Venda ( ), officially the Republic of Venda (; ), was a

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

in northern

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 ...

. It was fairly close to the South African border with

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 ...

to the north, while, to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland,

Gazankulu Gazankulu was a Bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a semi-independent homeland for the Tsonga people. It was located in both the Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo province and Eastern Transvaal, now Mpumalang ...

. It is now part of the

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, 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 ...

province. Venda was founded by the South African government as a

homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

for the

Venda people The Venḓa (VhaVenḓa or Vhangona) are a Bantu people native to Southern Africa living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border. The Venda language arose from interactions with Sotho-Tswana and Kalanga groups from 1400. The Venda ...

, speakers of the

Venda language Venḓa or Tshivenḓa is a Bantu languages, Bantu language and an Languages of South Africa, official language of South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is mainly spoken by the Venda people (or Vhavenḓa) in the northern part of South Africa's Limpop ...

.Lahiff, p. 55. The United Nations and international community refused to recognise Venda (or any other Bantustan) as an independent state.

History

Venda was declared

self-governing Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

on 1 February 1973,Worldstatesman.com
has a chronology of Venda's transition to nominal independence and reintegration into South Africa. with

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

held later in the year. Further

were held in July 1978. The territory was declared independent by the South African government on 13 September 1979, and its residents lost their South African citizenship. In common with the other

Bantustans A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu homeland, a black homeland, a black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of the Union of South Africa (1910–1961) and later the Republic of Sout ...

, its independence was not recognised by the international community. Venda was initially a series of non-contiguous territories in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

, with one main part and one main

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

. Its capital, formerly at

Sibasa Sibasa is a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa and the former capital city of Venda bantustan. When Venda was declared independent in 1979, the capital was moved to Ṱhohoyanḓou. The town is 72 km north-north-east of Louis Tri ...

, was moved 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 ...

(which included the old Sibasa administrative district) when Venda was declared independent in 1979. Prior to independence, it was expanded to form one contiguous territory, with a total land area of 6,807 km² (2628 sq. mi.). In the 1984 elections, the ruling Venda National Party retained its position as ruling party, beating the perpetual opposition

Venda Independent People's Party 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 ...

(VIPP).Elections in South Africa's Apartheid-Era Homelands "Bantustans"
African Elections Database At independence in 1979, the population of Venda stood at about 200,000 people. The state was cut off from neighbouring

by the Madimbo corridor, patrolled by South African troops, to the north, and from nearby

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 ...

by 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 ...

. The first President of Venda,

Patrick Mphephu His excellency King Patrick Ramaano Mphephu ( 1924 – 17 April 1988) was the first president of the bantustan of Venda, which was granted nominal independence from South Africa on 13 September 1979. Mphephu was born in Dzanani settlement an ...

, was also a Paramount Chief of the Vhavenda people; he was born and lived in

Dzanani Dzanani is a town and also the name of a region in the former Venda, now part of Limpopo province in South Africa. Dzanani was named after MuDzanani, which is one of the main surnames in Venda; and also the then Paramount Chiefs (Khosi Khulu) of ...

in Limpopo. His successor,

Frank Ravele Chief Frank Ndwakhulu Ravele (1926–1999) was the second president of the bantustan of Venda, which was granted nominal independence from South Africa on 13 September 1979. Ravele became president on 17 April 1988, after the death of Chief Pa ...

, was overthrown in a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

by the

Venda Defence Force The Venda Defence Force (VDF) was established in September 1982 from the 112 Battalion of the South African Defence Force and the military branch of the Venda National Force which itself had been formed when the Venda homeland became independe ...

in 1990. Afterwards, the territory was ruled by the Council of National Unity, a

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

chaired by General

Gabriel Ramushwana Gabriel Ramushwana (1 July 194112 January 2015) was a head of state of the Bantustan of Venda. Military career He joined the SAP in Welkom as a Constable in 1960 and was seconded to the SADF 112 Infantry Battalion as a Warrant Officer ...

. Venda was re-incorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994.

Institutions of education

In 1982, the

University of Venda The University of Venda (Univen; , ) is a South African comprehensive rural-based institution, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province. It was established in 1981 under the then Republic of Venda government. History The university was es ...

, known as Univen, was established as an institution of higher learning for the Vhavenda people.University of Venda website
. Retrieved 28 June 2007.

Districts in 1991

Map of Venda with boundary changes from independence to dissolution

Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census. *

: 123,035 * Mutale: 244,532 *

: 136,089 *

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 ...

: 55,141

Security forces

The Venda National Force was established with Venda's independence in 1979 and included defence and other services such as police and prisons. Strangely enough, traffic policing was part of this national force, but, by 1981, it was transferred to the Department of Justice. The Fire Brigade was, however, still part of the Venda National Force, although there were plans to transfer this to the civilian government.

References

Sources