Places & Areas

1. Thohoyandou

   Thohoyandou (main town of the Venda area)

   Usage

   The main town of the Venda area in northern Limpopo. Road signs use this spelling

   Grammar Note

   The standard spelling is "Ṱhohoyanḓou", but signs use plain "Thohoyandou". A corpus passage derives the name from "thoho ya ndou" (head of the elephant)

2. Makhado

   Makhado (formerly Louis Trichardt)

   Usage

   A town in northern Limpopo below the Soutpansberg. Signs and maps may still read "Louis Trichardt"

   Grammar Note

   The corpus has it as "ḓoroboni ya Makhado" (in the town of Makhado). "ḓorobo" is the word for town

3. Musina

   Musina (border town near Zimbabwe)

   Usage

   The northernmost town of Limpopo, close to the Zimbabwe border and a common crossing point

   Grammar Note

   The corpus has it as "ḓorobo ya Musina" (the town of Musina)

4. Polokwane

   Polokwane (capital of Limpopo)

   Usage

   The capital and largest city of Limpopo. It has an airport, and many people pass through it on the way to the Venda area

   Grammar Note

   The corpus uses it in forms such as "kha vunḓu a Polokwane" (in the Polokwane area)

5. Vunḓu ḽa Limpopo

   Limpopo Province

   Usage

   The province at the northern tip of South Africa. The Venda area lies in its north-east

   Grammar Note

   "vunḓu" means province or region; the corpus has "kha vunḓu ḽa Ḽimpopo". The sign spelling "Limpopo" is used here

6. Vhembe

   Vhembe (district in northern Limpopo)

   Usage

   The name of the district in northern Limpopo that includes Thohoyandou, Makhado and other Venda-speaking towns

   Grammar Note

   The corpus has "tshiṱirikini tsha Vhembe" (the Vhembe district). The same name also appears for the Limpopo River

7. Mulambo wa Vhembe

   The Vhembe River (Limpopo River)

   Usage

   The big river that separates South Africa and Zimbabwe. Venda accounts say the ancestors crossed it to reach their present land

   Grammar Note

   "mulambo" means river, and the corpus has "mulambo wa Vhembe". "Limpopo" is also used as the river name

8. Mulambo wa Nzhelele

   The Nzhelele River

   Usage

   The river in the valley where the Venda royal seat of Dzata is said to have been built

   Grammar Note

   A corpus history passage has "govhani ḽa mulambo wa Nzhelele" (on the bank of the Nzhelele River)

9. Mapungubwe

   Mapungubwe (site of an ancient kingdom)

   Usage

   A World Heritage site near the Limpopo River, the remains of an old kingdom, known for its golden rhino figure

   Grammar Note

   The corpus has "Muvhuso wa Mapungubwe" (the Mapungubwe kingdom) and "Tshugulu ya Mapungubwe" (the Mapungubwe rhino)

10. Dzata

    Dzata (old Venda royal capital, now ruins)

    Usage

    The ruins of the large royal village the Venda kings are said to have settled around 1700. Visitors go there to learn about the history

    Grammar Note

    The corpus describes "mudi muhulu … Dzata" (the great village Dzata) and says the king settled there around 1700

11. Dzivha Fundudzi

    Lake Fundudzi (a sacred lake)

    Usage

    A lake that is sacred to the Venda. Visits and access need the permission and guidance of its custodians. Do not swim, touch the water or photograph rituals

    Grammar Note

    The corpus describes the lake as one of the places of the ancestral spirits ("zwifhoni"). This card is descriptive only and is not an invitation to visit

12. Thathe

    Thathe (one of the sacred places)

    Usage

    One of the places the Venda regard as sacred, known together with its forest. Do not enter without permission and a guide

    Grammar Note

    The corpus lists it with others as "zwifho zwa Thathe, Lwamondo na Phiphidi" (the sacred places of Thathe, Lwamondo and Phiphidi). A descriptive card only

13. Venḓa

    The Venda region

    Usage

    The name for the area of northern Limpopo where the Vhavenḓa live

    Grammar Note

    The "ḓ" has the circumflex below. The corpus often drops the mark ("Venda"), but the standard spelling keeps it

14. Ḓorobo

    Town

    Usage

    The word for a town or city, used when asking the way or together with a place name

    Grammar Note

    A noun. It changes ending as in "ḓoroboni" (in the town). The "ḓ" carries the circumflex below

15. Muḓi

    Village, home

    Usage

    The word for a village or a family homestead. The form "muḓini" (in the village, at home) is also common

    Grammar Note

    A class 3 noun with the plural "miḓi". Do not write the "ḓ" as a plain "d"

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