Venda people

Vhanyai;

Not to be confused with Vedda people.

For other uses, see Venda (disambiguation).

Vhalaudzi;

Masingo; and
The Venda (Vhavenda or Vhangona) are a Southern
African people living mostly near the South African Vhalemba.
Zimbabwean border. The bantustan of Venda was created to become a homeland for the Venda people. The
Runganani(marungadzi nndevhelaho)
Venda people, like their Tsonga neighbours, are South
Africas minority groups, they currently number 700 000
Vhadau, Vhakwevho, Vhafamadi, Vhania, Vhangona,
speakers in Limpopo Province, while the Tsonga at their
Vhalea, and Vhaluvhu were collectively known as Vhangdoorsteps number 900 000 people, also in Limpopo
ona. The Vhangona and Vhambedzi are considered to be
province.
the original inhabitants of Venda and the rst people to
live there.
The land of Vhangona was later settled by KarangaRodzvi clans from Zimbabwe: Vhatwanamba, Vhanyai,
Vhatavhatsindi, and Vhalembethu. Masingo, Vhalaudzi,
The Venda people are originally from the Congo and the and Vhalemba are late arrivals in Venda.
East African Rift, migrating across the Limpopo river
According to one version of Vhangona oral history the
during the Bantu expansion.[4][5]
capital of Vhangona was Mapungubwe with the Raphulu
The Venda of today are descendants of many heteroge- Royal House as the most senior royal house of the Vhangneous groupings and clans such as:
ona. According to this version the Vhangona Kingdom
had approximately 145 chiefdoms and a King (Thovhele).
Dzindou dza Hakhomunala Mutangwe / Dzat- It is said that the Kingdom was divided into seven disshamanyatsha
tricts:

History

Dzindou dza Vharundwa / Dza Mitshetoni /Dza Manenzhe

Dzanani;
Mbilwi;

Vhafamadi;

Tswime;

Vhadau;

Tshiendeulu;

Vhakwevho;

Tshakhuma;

Vhambedzi;

Tshamanyatsha; and

Vhafamadi;

Thulamela.

Vhania;

These districts were ruled by District Chiefs (Mahosi):

Vhagoni;
Vhalea;

Mudzanani/Nesongozwi Dzanani);

Vhaluvhu;

Nembilwi (Mbilwi);

Vhatavhatsindi;

Netswime (Tswime);

Vhatwanamba;

Netshiendeulu (Tshiendeulu);

Vhanzhelele/Vhalembethu;

Netshakhuma (Tshakhuma);

VhaDzanani

Netshamanyatsha (Tshamanyantsha); and

1

REFERENCES

Makhahani (Thulamela).

school fees, even though the government lacked sucient

funds to build proper schools and more emphasis was on
Each district had Vhamusanda (Junior Chiefs) who paid excellence and hard work. Today Vendas are one of the
tribute to Mahosi. This tradition states that one of the most distinguished black South Africans when it comes
Vhangona kings was King Shiriyadenga whose royal kraal to education.
was at Mapungubwe. It is not clear if this Shiriyadenga is
the same Shiriyedenga of the Sanga dynasty, a KarangaRozvi branch. The Sanga dynasty, in Zimbabwes eastern 3 Notable Venda people
highlands, was founded by Chiphaphami Shiriyedenga
who died in 1672. Could it be that at one point the
Benedict Daswa
Karanga-Rodzvi Empire extended beyond the Vhembe
Mulalo Doyoyo
(Limpopo) River, and that the Vhangona, though not
Karanga-speaking, were at one point under Karanga E.S. Madima, author
Rodzvi rule?
Tenda Madima, author
The other version of Vhangona history disputes that the
Vhangona were ever united under one chief or king. It
says that the Vhangona had dierent independent chiefdoms and that the Vhangona chief of Nzhelele valley was
Tshidziwelele of the Mudau clan. What is clear, however, is that the Vhatwanamba, who were of KarangaRodzvi origin, conquered Vhangona clans who lived in
Mapungubwe, Musina, Ha-Tshivhula, Ha-Lishivha, HaMatshete, Ha-Mulambwane, and Ha-Madzhie (the areas of Ha-Tshivhula, Ha-Lishivha, Ha-Matshete, and HaMulambwane are known today as Alldays and Waterpoort).

Tshilidzi Marwala

Mapungubwe was the center of a kingdom with about

5,000 people living at its center. Mapungubwe as a trade
center lasted between 1030 and 1290 AD. The people of
Mapungubwe mined and smelted copper, iron and gold,
spun cotton, made glass and ceramics, grew millet and
sorghum, and tended cattle, goats and sheep.

Mizo Phyll, musician

The people of Mapungubwe had a sophisticated knowledge of the stars, and astronomy played a major role not
only in their tradition and culture, but also in their dayto-day lives. Mapungubwe traded with ancient Ethiopia
through the ports of Adulis on the Red Sea and the ports
of Raphta (now Quelimani) and Zafara (now Sofala) in
Mozambique.

Patrick Mphephu
Sydney Mufamadi
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi
Faith Muthambi
Phillip Ndou, boxer
Joel Netshitenzhe

Cyril Ramaphosa
Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal, linguist
Florence Masebe, actress
Riky Rick, rapper
Pheveni Simon Accountant, Venda Zimbabwe

4 Musangwe

Mapungubwe predates the settlements at Great Zim- Musangwe is a Venda tradition of bare-knuckle st
babwe, Thulamela and Dzata. It is believed that peo- ghting.[6][7][8]
ple left Mapungubwe for Great Zimbabwe because Great
Zimbabwe was judged to have a more suitable climate.

5 References
2

Venda Education Transformation

In the 1970s Vhavenda people were the poorest and leasteducated black group in South Africa. To entice them to
accept independence the South African government built
a parliament, administrative oces and cabinet ministers
houses.
The old government under Mphephu heavily subsidized
education in the form of free text books and near zero

[1] South africa Tsonga and Venda. Country Studies. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
[2] INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARCHIVE - VHAVENDA.
Intercontinental Cry. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
[3] Vhavenda People. Pilot Guides. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
[4] Venda | African Tribes. Kruger National Park. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
[5] Vha Venda Culture. Alliance Franaise. Archived from
the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.

[6] Wende, Hamilton (5 February 2011). South African

boxing that 'makes the heart strong'". BBC. Retrieved
2011-02-06.
[7] http://bulawayo24.com/
index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-242.html
[8] http://www.thenewage.co.za/mobi/Detail.aspx?
NewsID=11039&CatID=1013

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

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Images

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