Vhembe District

Vhembe District Municipality

A map of South Africa showing Vhembe (within Limpopo province)
Vhembe is one of the 6 districts of Limpopo province of South Africa. It is the northernmost district of the country and shares its northern border with Beitbridge district in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The seat of Vhembe is Thohoyandou. The majority of its 1 199 856 people speak Venda (2001 Census). The district code is DC34.

History
Vhembe was originally settled by now-expired tribes of Khoisan peoples. It was later settled by the Venda people (recently migrated from what is now Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe), who constitute a majority of the population of Vhembe today. The Dzata ruins in Thulamela local municipality once served as the main settlement and capital of the Venda empire which had dominated the area during the 18th century.
Boer settlement of the territory began in the late 18th century and gradually upsurged throughout the 19th century. By the turn of the century, the Soutpansberg was taken by the Boers from the Venda rulers, making it one of the last areas in the future republic of South Africa to come under white rule. During the apartheid era, the bantustan of Venda (declared independent in 1973) was established in the eastern part of the Vhembe area, and was reintegrated into the country at the end of white minority in 1994. The former bantustan capital, Thohoyandou (named after a chief that had led the expansion of the Venda empire in the 18th century) is the current capital of both Vhembe district and Limpopo province.
On December 11, 2008, Vhembe was declared a disaster zone by the Limpopo government due to the spread of cholera across the Zimbabwean border to the district.

Contents[hide]
1 History
2 Geography
2.1 Neighbours
2.2 Local municipalities
3 Demographics
3.1 Zimbabwean migrants
3.2 Gender
3.3 Ethnic group
3.4 Age
4 Politics
4.1 Election results

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vhembe_District_Municipality
Vhembe District Municipality Official Website
Municipal Demarcation Board
Stats SA Census 2001 page
Independent Electoral Commission 2004 election results

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