Polokwane (, meaning "Sanctuary" in

Northern Sotho Sepedi, also known as Northern Sotho, is one of South Africa’s twelve official languages and belongs to the Bantu language family, specifically the Sotho-Tswana group. The language is spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, and to a lesser exten ...

Polokwane - The Heart of the Limpopo Province.
City of Polokwane official website. Retrieved on October 15, 2009.), also known as Pietersburg, is the capital city of 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 ...

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 is the country's largest urban centre north of

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 ...

. It was one of the nine host cities of the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

History

Early history

In the 1840s,

Voortrekker The Great Trek (, ) was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...

s under the leadership of

Andries Hendrik Potgieter Andries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter (19 December 1792 – 16 December 1852) was a Voortrekker leader. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 and also as the first head of state of Zoutpansberg ...

established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town to the north. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes (Lebelo, Langa & Ledwaba clans), they founded a new town in 1886 and named it "Pietersburg" in honour of Voortrekker leader

Petrus Jacobus Joubert Petrus Jacobus Joubert (20 January 1831 – 28 March 1900), better known as Piet Joubert (''Slim Piet'', Smart Pete), was a South African politician who served as the commandant–general of the South African Republic from 1880 to 1900. He als ...

. A small number of Indian/Asian and coloured people settled into the region before the end of the 19th century. It was the capital of 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; ...

and the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

for a short time in 1900 at the time of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

from 1899 to 1902. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

occupied Pietersburg in 1901 and built a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

to incarcerate almost 4,000

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

women and children.

Years of apartheid

Like many places in

at the time of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

, racial segregation and inequality were fundamentally ingrained into the town, following the end of the Second Boer War, together with the formation of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

in 1910, institutional laws were in place in terms of divided

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

which were implemented continuously throughout this era. The commencement of apartheid in 1948 meant that Pietersburg was clearly segregated in both residential regions and for business ventures. The institutionalization of the notorious Group Areas Act in 1950 and its amendments in 1966 ensured that the

spatial development Spatial planning mediates between the respective claims on space of the state, market, and community. In so doing, three different mechanisms of involving stakeholders, integrating sectoral policies and promoting development projects mark the th ...

of the Central Business District (CBD) was exclusively for whites and other regions of the CBD being exclusively for other races such as "Indian centre" for Indians/Asians, many regions were designated to only a specific race of people such as the suburbs of Nirvana and Westernburg at the northwest of the town only being occupied by Indian/Asian and Coloured groups respectively, while the suburb of Bendor being reserved for Whites. The

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

s of

Seshego Seshego is a township in the Polokwane Local Municipality of the Capricorn District Municipality of the Limpopo province of the Republic of South Africa. The township lies directly northwest of the city of Polokwane. History Between 1972 and ...

and Mankweng were occupied by the Black population. Removals of minority groups for white residency, whites-only owned industrial sectors and a regular barrier between people of different races were heavily enforced.

Since 1994

The

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

officially became a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

on 23 April 1992 and on 27 April 1994, it became the capital of the newly formed Northern Transvaal province (Later changed to "Northern province" and thereafter Limpopo) following the 1994 South African general elections. On 25 February 2005, the government declared the official name of the city as Polokwane, a name that was generally in use by the speakers of Northern Sotho (Sepedi). The city was host to the

52nd national conference of the African National Congress The 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) was held in Polokwane, Limpopo, from 16 to 20 December 2007. At the conference, Jacob Zuma and his supporters were elected to the party's top leadership and National Executiv ...

, held in December 2007 at the

University of Limpopo The University of Limpopo () is a public university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institution ...

and saw

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...

voted as President of the ANC, beating former president

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

. Today the city of Polokwane has seen respectable development in terms of its infrastructure and services as provides a wide variety of shopping venues and malls, restaurants, entertainment venues, religious venues, civic halls, as well as modern housing developments and office buildings.

Political Governance

The

Polokwane Municipality Polokwane Municipality () is a local municipality within the Capricorn District Municipality, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It shares its name with the city of Polokwane. Polokwane Municipality accounts for 3% of the total surface area ...

is run by the African National Congress (ANC) with a 60% majority obtained in the latest 2021 Municipal Elections. In a by-election held on 24 April 2024, Ward 10 was won by ANC councillor candidat
Willie Madikoto
after the arrest and resignation of the previous Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor Jacob Seshokadue due to alleged theft of firearms.

Ailing Infrastructure and Poor Service Delivery

Despite the number developments the city has seen, it has been plagued with persistent issues of poor service delivery, which has led to crucial infrastructure such as electricity, water, and sewage systems to continuously be sought after in the various communities that are constantly effected by their unavailability. Public infrastructure such as traffic and street lights, roads, and sidewalks are also amongst the many problems the city's municipality faces.

Demographics

The population in 2011 was about 130,000 . Roughly 45.9% of people in the city are Sepedi (Northern Sotho) speakers. A large portion of the white population are

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch people, Dutch Settler colonialism, settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony, 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. '' ...

, and roughly 10,000 residents (roughly 8%) are English-speaking whites who are primarily South Africans of British descent and

White Zimbabweans White Zimbabweans (formerly White Rhodesians) are a Southern African people of Europeans, European descent. In Natural language, linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, these people of European ethnic groups, European ethnic origin are mos ...

, the latter of whom primarily moved to the area since 2000. Roughly 6.7% of people are

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 ...

Districts/suburbs/townships

The city is divided into seven clusters and forty-five wards. # Mankweng Cluster with wards: 06,07,25,26,27,28,34 # Moletjie Cluster with wards: 09,10,15,16,18,35,36,38 # Molepo / Chuene / Maja Cluster with wards: 1,2,3,4,5 # Sebayeng / Dikgale Cluster with wards: 24,29,32,33,30,31 # Aganang Cluster with wards: 40,41,42,43,44,45 # City Cluster with wards: 08;19,20,21,22,23,39 # Seshego Cluster with wards: 11,12,13,14,17,37 Some suburbs in the city include Nirvana, Westenburg, Bendor, Welgelegen, Moregloed, Annadale, Ivydale, Flora Park, Fauna Park, Greenside, Penina Park, Ivy Park, Hospital Park, Ster Park, Dalmada, Broadlands, Woodlands, Southern Gateway and Thornhill. Besides the above-mentioned suburbs in the city, four of the clusters represent suburbs around the city: * The

cluster - on the north-west outskirts of the city. * Molepo/Maja/Chuene cluster - 20 km south of the city centre. * Mankweng cluster - 20 km east of the city centre. * Sebayeng/Dikgale cluster - 30 km northeast of the city centre.

Climate

The city features a

semiarid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

under the

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 ...

. Despite its position on the

Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reach ...

, the climate is tempered by its position on a plateau 1230 m above sea level. Average temperatures reach around in January and fall to in July. As with much of inland South Africa, Polokwane has experienced notably warmer seasons over the last decade than its long-term average. The city has a dry climate with a summer rainy season and a pronounced dry spell during winter. Average annual rainfall is , with December or (less often) January the wettest month and July the driest.

Transport

Roads

The city lies roughly halfway between Gauteng () and the Zimbabwean border () on the N1 highway, which connects Zimbabwe with the major cities of South Africa, such as

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 ...

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 ...

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, and

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. The R37 provincial route connects the city with

Mbombela Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, the city lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east o ...

. Running east, the R71 connects the city with

Tzaneen Tzaneen () is a town situated in the Mopani district of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is situated in a high rainfall fertile region with tropical and subtropical agriculture taking place in a region. It is Limpopo's second largest to ...

Phalaborwa Phalaborwa (translated to English as ''better than the south; phala'' means ''better than and borwa'' means ''south'') is a town in the Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. Name The place was called "Phalaborwa" by the S ...

Bushbuckridge Bushbuckridge (also known as Mapulaneng) is the main town in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It grew around a trading store that opened in 1884, and is named after t ...

, 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 ...

. To north-east, is the R81 connecting the city with

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

Malamulele 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, Limpopo province of South Africa and predominantly occupied by Tsonga people. Malamulel ...

. The R521 connects the city with Alldays and the R567 via

connects Polokwane with the N11. The R71 is also well known to bikers who ride through the city annually, making it the biggest bike meeting in Africa. The Nelson Mandela road traffic island is situated on the outskirts of Polokwane when approaching from the direction of Johannesburg. It was built prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup as part of beautifying the city for the event. A number of private bus services run in the city and also services connect Polokwane to other major centres in the country.

Air

The city is served by two airports. A public airport, the Polokwane International Airport, which is to the north of the city, while the smaller Pietersburg Civil Aerodrome is at the south-east of the city.

Railways

The city is connected to

and other major centres by rail. Agricultural produce in the area, including tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar cane, peanuts, tea, bananas, and avocados, is also transported by freight rail.

Society and culture

Media

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has a branch in the city. The city also hosts a branch of the country's largest independent radio station, Jacaranda RM/FM, which is broadcast from either

Nelspruit Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, the city lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north of ...

or Polokwane itself. The first commercial radio station in Limpopo, CapricornFM, broadcasts from the city. Two additional radio stations are also situated in Polokwane. These include ''Energy FM'' and Munghana Lonene FM. The city has a selection of locally distributed newspapers. Two notable newspapers include ''The Review'' and ''The Polokwane Observer''.

Gambling

The

Sun International Sun International is a South African gambling and hospitality company, founded by Sol Kerzner in 1967. Sun International owns diverse assets, including the Sun City resort near Rustenburg, in the North West Province, and an online gambling ...

casino and hotel is in the city. Meropa Casino and Entertainment World is a Moroccan-style, 24-hour casino with various outdoor entertainment amenities such as go-karts, minigolf, and a wildlife park.

Museums, monuments and memorials

* The Bakone Malapa

Open-Air Museum — Depicts the traditional and modern-day lifestyle of the Bakone people. The museum is centred on a traditional village still occupied by members of the tribe, who sell various crafts to tourists. Background information can be obtained in the visitor centre. Within the museum complex are archaeological sites with remains of iron- and copper-smelting installations, as well as rock paintings from around 1000 B.C. * Eersteling Monuments — The site of the country's first gold crushing site and its first gold power plant are marked by monuments. * The Hugh Exton Photographic Museum — the former Dutch Reformed Church building * The Irish House — Historic building which functions as a museum.

Places of worship

The largest Christian gathering in South Africa happens twice a year at Zion City, Moria near Polokwane at Easter and again for the September end of year festival. The Zion Christian Church's headquarters are at Zion City Moria, which is about 25 kilometres east of the city. Moria is the seat of the Zion Christian church - an entirely black denomination with about 16 million members formed in 1924 by Ignatius Lekganyane - an indigenous church to Africa that is one of the churches not established by evangelists from abroad. The Star of David is the symbol of the ZCC and the two congregations that make up the church are today led by the grandsons of its founder - Barnabas Lekganyane and Saint Engenas Lekganyane. The ZCC is characterised by the emphasis it places on faith healing, purification rites, dancing, night communion, river baptism, the holy spirit, taboos and prophesying. The church celebrated its 100th years of existence during their September pilgrimage in 2024 which was attended by provincial government leadership, Kings, Chiefs, congregates and other dignitaries. The ZCC has members in every country in Africa, and in most countries of the Middle East.

Synagogues

The first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

settlers in Pietersburg arrived between 1890 and 1900 from

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, and the Pietersburg Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1897. A

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was built on Jorissen Street in 1921. The Jewish community grew rapidly in the 1930s and 1940s; a larger synagogue was built in 1953 and the old synagogue was then converted into a communal hall. The number of Jews in Pietersburg began to decline from the late 1950s. In 2003, as the congregation had dwindled, the synagogue was closed and its benches, bimah, and other contents were shipped to Israel, where they were installed in the Mevasser Synagogue in

Tel Mond Tel Mond () is a town in the Sharon region of Israel, located east of Netanya and north of Kfar Saba. In it had a population of .. History Tel Mond was founded on 16 June 1929 by Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett. Lord Melchett was a British in ...

in memory of the Pietersburg synagogue.

Sports

Football

Polokwane City Polokwane City Football Club is a South African professional football club based in the city of Polokwane in the Limpopo province that currently plays in the first tier South African Premiership. The team plays its home matches at the Peter Mok ...

and Baroka are

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

clubs based in the city.

Golf

The Pietersburg Golf Club along with the golf course was established in the late 1800s. The course comprises a full 18 holes.

Retief Goosen Retief Goosen (born 3 February 1969) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He has won two U.S. Opens, in 2001 and 2004, headed the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002, and was in the top ten of t ...

(born 3 February 1969) was born in Pietersburg and honed his skills at the Pietersburg Golf Club.

Cricket

The Polokwane Cricket Club is one of the oldest in the country and was established in 1902. The first-class

Limpopo cricket team Limpopo cricket team, also called the Limpopo Impalas, are a first-class cricket team representing Limpopo, the northernmost province of South Africa. Limpopo Impala Cricket has its headquarters in Polokwane, and the team plays home games at th ...

are based in Polokwane at the Polokwane Cricket Club Ground. The city's suburb of Nirvana also holds an annual cricket competition called the "Nirvana Premier League" in which teams from all around the city and the province take part in.

Netball

The

Limpopo Baobabs Limpopo Baobabs are a South African netball team based in Polokwane. Since 2014 they have represented Limpopo in the Telkom Netball League. In 2023 they won the Division Two Shield and, after winning a play-off, they were promoted to Divisio ...

represents the city as well as the province of

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 ...

in the

Telkom Netball League The Premier Netball League is the top level netball league featuring teams from South Africa. It was formed in 2014 and is organised by Netball South Africa. Between 2014 and 2018, due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, the league w ...

. Lenize Potgieter was also born in Polokwane.

Rugby

Noordelikes Rugby Club is an amateur rugby club based in the city. From 2013 to 2015, the city hosted a provincial team, the Limpopo Blue Bulls, in the

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

, as a feeder team to the

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament and the United Rugby Championship. They are governed by their second team t ...

of Pretoria. The team broke several unwanted records, including the biggest first class loss in South African rugby history, when they lost 161–3 to the on 27 April 2013. Springbok rugby captain,

Victor Matfield Victor Matfield (born 11 May 1977) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and South African rugby union captains, captained the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team (Springboks) as ...

grew up in Pietersburg. Former Springbok rugby captain John Smit was born in Pietersburg.

Swimming

The city has a number of swimming clubs. Former Olympic gold-medalist and world-record swimmer

Lyndon Ferns Lyndon Ferns (born 24 September 1983 in Pietersburg, South Africa) is a retired Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer from South Africa who attended the University of Arizona. He swam for South Africa at the 2004 and 2008 Oly ...

is from the city.

Tennis

A large tennis club is situated in the city, and various local tournaments are held regularly.

Baseball

In 2017, Gift Ngoepe, born in Pietersburg, became the first African player in the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, playing shortstop and second base for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. Ngoepe's mother Maureen managed the baseball clubhouse in

Randburg Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort ...

, near Johannesburg. Ngoepe's brother Victor also plays in the Pirates' farm system

Stadiums

Peter Mokaba Stadium The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football and rugby union stadium in Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg), South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity to host 45,500 spectators but for the purposes of the 2010 FIFA World ...

, constructed for the

Pietersburg Stadium Old Peter Mokaba Stadium (previously Pietersburg Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg), South Africa. It was the home stadium of Ria Stars football club before they were disbanded. The stadium can host 15,000 ...

Tourism

The city provides access to various nature and wildlife viewing opportunities for ecotourists. The Polokwane Bird and Reptile Park is home to over 280 species of birds. The Polokwane Game Reserve houses various South African species of wildlife, birdlife, and plants in an unspoiled

bushveld The Bushveld (from Afrikaans: ''bosveld'', Afrikaans: ''bos'' 'bush' and ) is a Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. The ecoregion straddles the Tropic of Capricorn ...

environment. The Moletzie Bird Sanctuary protects rare birds like the

Cape vulture The Cape vulture (''Gyps coprotheres''), also known as Cape griffon and Kolbe's vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to southern Africa, and lives mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and in some parts ...

. The Modjadji Rainforest near

Duiwelskloof Modjadjiskloof (formerly Duiwelskloof) is a small town situated at the foot of the escarpment in the Limpopo province of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost count ...

holds the largest concentration of indigenous

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

s in the world, and Cheune Crocodile Farm provides a place to learn about the life of

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

s. An extensive art collection is preserved in the city's art gallery, open to the public. The city has more public sculptures per capita in its parks than elsewhere in South Africa. It was also the first city to unveil a bust of the ex-president

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

in its City Square (Civic Gardens), and it was authorised by Nelson Mandela personally. The city is considered the premier hunting destination in South Africa.

Commerce

The city hosts several major industries such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

, Freshmark (a division of Shoprite Checkers), and

South African Breweries South African Breweries (officially The South African Breweries Limited, informally SAB) is a major brewery headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and was a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller until its interests were sold to Anheuser-Bu ...

. As the capital of the Limpopo province, the city also has a large commercial area with the four largest banks in the country all having at least three branches in the city. The city was well known for its manufacturing facility in Seshego of Tempest radios and hi-fis, the largest employer in the region.

Education

Tertiary education

The

Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology (TUT; ) is a higher education institution in South Africa that came into being through a merger of three technikons — Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria. As the number of ...

, Capricorn TVET College, and the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

have satellite campuses in the city. The

's Turfloop campus is situated about 30 km east of Polokwane.

Shopping malls and venues

Malls

* Mall of the North * Savannah Mall

Shopping venues and centres

* Cycad Centre * The Greenery

Sister cities

Polokwane is a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

with: *

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...

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 ...

Notable people

, Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer * Sylvia Glasser, choreographer *

, professional golfer who was in the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007 *

Dawie Groenewald Dawie Jacobus Groenewald (born c. 1968) is a South African game farmer, hunting safari operator and convicted wildlife trafficker. Groenewald is currently awaiting trial on over 1,600 criminal charges related to wildlife trafficking and rhino ...

, game farmer and convicted wildlife trafficker *

Lucas Malan Lucas Cornelis Malan (19 July 1946 – 15 April 2010) was a South African academic and writer of poetry, prose, plays, text books, literary reviews and other articles, principally in Afrikaans. Biography Early life and academia Lucas Malan was b ...

, Afrikaans academic and poet *

Julius Malema Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a communist political party known for the red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members. Be ...

, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters and former ANC Youth League president * Isaac Lesiba Maphotho, anti-apartheid activist, African National Congress (ANC) member and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) veteran *

, former South African national rugby team captain *

Peter Mokaba Peter Mokaba, OLS (7 January 1959 – 9 June 2002) was a member of the South African parliament, deputy minister in the government of Nelson Mandela and president of the South African governing party's youth wing, the ANC Youth League. Th ...

, controversial anti-apartheid activist *

Mvzzle Gift Selaelo Morukhuladi (born 11 November 1994), professionally known as Mvzzle () is a South African DJ, singer-songwriter, and producer born in Musina and raised in Westenburg, Polokwane. He is famous for producing the single " Umlilo" by D ...

, DJ and record producer known for producing "

Umlilo "Umlilo" is a single by a South African DJ professionally known as DJ Zinhle, released on 23 August 2019, the single features vocals from female singer Rethabile Khumalo with production from Mvzzle. Umlilo has been certified multi-platinum and ...

" by

DJ Zinhle Ntombezinhle Jiyane Mohosana (born 30 December 1982) known professionally as DJ Zinhle, is a South African DJ, producer, businesswomen, media personality. Zinhle has also pursued an acting career. She made her on-screen debut as judge in ''J ...

* Gift Ngoepe, professional baseball player *

Tlou Segolela Tlou Segolela (born 1 April 1988) is a retired South African association football midfielder who played as a right-winger and currently a Manager for SAFA Second Division side Platinum City F.C., Platinum City Rovers. Segolela was born in Mole ...

, professional football player *

Caster Semenya Caster Semenya Order of Ikhamanga, OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic medal, Olympic gold medals and three World Athletics Championships, World Championships in the women's 800 metres ...

, middle-distance runner and world champion * John Smit, former South African national rugby team captain *

Marthinus van Schalkwyk Marthinus Christoffel Johannes van Schalkwyk (born 10 November 1959) is a South African politician, academic, and lawyer, who serves as High Commissioner to Australia. He previously served as MP and Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of South Af ...

, former Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of South Africa * Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, political analyst, businessman and politician

Coats of arms

Municipal (1)

By 1931, the Pietersburg municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic "coat of arms". The shield depicted a crossed pick and shovel, two crossed wheatsheaves, and the date 1904 surrounded by a ribbon and bearing the motto . The crest was an ostrich.The arms were depicted on
cigarette card
issued in 1931.

Municipal (2)

A proper coat of arms was designed in the 1960s. It was registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration in August 1967Transvaal ''Official Gazette'' 3288 (30 August 1967). and at the Bureau of Heraldry in September 1969.
/ref> The arms were : ''Azure, on a fess Argent, between in chief a lion passant Argent, armed and langued Gules, and in base two chevrons humette, and a horseshoe Argent, placed 2 and 1, two cogwheels Gules''. In layman's terms, this was a blue shield displaying, from top to bottom, a silver lion with red tongue and claws, a silver stripe bearing two red cogwheels, and two silver chevrons and a horseshoe. The crest was a golden eagle, and the motto, once again, was ''Labor omnia vincit''. SADF era Pietersburg Commando emblem

Municipal (3)

The Pietersburg municipal council registered a new coat of arms at the Bureau in October 2003. The arms are: ''Vert, on a fess Argent, a woven grain basket, between two hoes with blades turned inward proper, their handles towards centre-base counterchanged Or and issuant from a voided cogwheel the inner ring cotised Argent, therein a sun Or; on a chief of the last a short-clawed Lark (''Mirafra chuana'') perched upon a leaf of the silky thorn tree (''Acacia rehmanniana'') proper, between two demi-peaks with points embattled Brunatre, issuant from the respective shield flanks''. In layman's terms, the shield depicts, from top to bottom, (1) a short-clawed lark perched on an acacia leaf between two stylised peaks, (2) a woven grain basket between two hoes on a silver background, and (3) a silver cogwheel on a green background. Above the shield is a brown rustic crown. The motto is ''Unity - Equity - Progress - Prosperity''.

References

External links

*
Capricorn District Municipality website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pietersburg Polokwane 1886 establishments in the South African Republic Populated places established in 1886 Populated places in the Polokwane Local Municipality Provincial capitals in South Africa Populated places founded by Afrikaners Second Boer War concentration camps Cities in South Africa