In the 1840s,Voortrekkers under the leadership ofAndries Hendrik Potgieter establishedZoutpansbergdorp, a town 100 km (62 mi) 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 leaderPetrus Jacobus Joubert. 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 theTransvaal and theOrange Free State for a short time in 1900 during theSecond Boer War.[6] TheBritish occupied Pietersburg in 1901 and built aconcentration camp toincarcerate almost 4,000Boer women and children.
Like many places inSouth Africa at the time ofapartheid, racial segregation and inequality were fundamentally ingrained into the town,[7] following the end of the Second Boer War, together with the formation of theUnion of South Africa in 1910, institutional laws were in place in terms of dividedurban planning which were implemented continuously throughout this era. The commencement of apartheid in 1948 meant that Pietersburg was clearly segregated in bothresidential regions and for business ventures.[7]
The institutionalization of the notoriousGroup Areas Act in 1950 and its amendments in 1966 ensured that thespatial development of theCentral 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 andWesternburg 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. Thetownships ofSeshego andMankweng 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.[8][9]
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.
ThePolokwane Municipality 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 candidateWillie Madikoto after the arrest and resignation of the previousEconomic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor Jacob Seshokadue due to alleged theft of firearms.
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 areAfrikaners, and roughly 10,000 residents (roughly 8%) are English-speaking whites who are primarilySouth Africans of British descent andWhite Zimbabweans, the latter of whom primarily moved to the area since 2000. Roughly 6.7% of people areVenda people.[12]
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.[14]
Besides the above-mentioned suburbs in the city, four of the clusters represent suburbs around the city:[15]
TheSeshego cluster[16] - on the north-west outskirts of the city.
Molepo/Maja/Chuene cluster - 20 km south of the city centre.
Mankweng cluster[17] - 20 km east of the city centre.
Sebayeng/Dikgale cluster - 30 km northeast of the city centre.
The city features asemiarid climate under theKöppen climate classification. Despite its position on theTropic of Capricorn,[18] the climate is tempered by its position on a plateau 1230 m above sea level.[19] Average temperatures reach around 21–22 °C (70–72 °F) in January and fall to 11 °C (52 °F) in July.[19] As with much of inland South Africa, Polokwane has experienced notably warmer seasons over the last decade than its long-term average.[20]The city has a dry climate with a summer rainy season and a pronounced dry spell during winter. Average annual rainfall is 495 mm (19.5 in), with December or (less often) January the wettest month and July the driest.[21]
Jacaranda trees line many streets in the city, blooming purple blossoms in October every year.
Climate data for Polokwane, elevation 1,224 m (4,016 ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1953–present)
Nelson Mandela road traffic island on the approach to the city
The city lies roughly halfway between Gauteng (300 kilometres (190 mi)) and the Zimbabwean border (200 kilometres (120 mi)) on theN1 highway, which connects Zimbabwe with the major cities of South Africa, such asPretoria,Johannesburg,Bloemfontein, andCape Town.
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.
The city is served by two airports. A public airport, thePolokwane International Airport, (IATA:PTG,ICAO:FAPP)[25] which is to the north of the city, while the smaller Pietersburg Civil Aerodrome (ICAO:FAPI) is at the south-east of the city.[26]
YR-ACK at the Polokwane (Pietersburg) airport (1935)
The city is connected toJohannesburg 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.[27]
The first commercial radio station in Limpopo,CapricornFM, broadcasts from the city.[30] Two additional radio stations are also situated in Polokwane. These includeEnergy FM andMunghana Lonene FM.[31][32]
The city has a selection of locally distributed newspapers. Two notable newspapers includeThe Review[33] andThe Polokwane Observer.[34]
TheSun International 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.[35]
TheBakone MalapaNorthern Sotho 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.[36]
Eersteling Monuments — The site of the country's first gold crushing site and its first gold power plant are marked by monuments.[37]
TheHugh Exton Photographic Museum — the former Dutch Reformed Church building
The Irish House — Historic building which functions as a museum.
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, about 25 kilometres east of the city. ZCC is an entirely black denomination with about 16 million members formed in 1924 byIgnatius Lekganyane - an indigenous church, not established by evangelists from abroad.[38] 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 year 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.[38]
The firstJewish settlers in Pietersburg arrived between 1890 and 1900 fromLithuania,Russia, andLatvia, and the Pietersburg Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1897. Asynagogue 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 inTel Mond in memory of the Pietersburg synagogue.[39]
The Pietersburg Golf Club along with the golf course was established in the late 1800s. The course comprises a full 18 holes.Retief Goosen (born 3 February 1969) was born in Pietersburg and honed his skills at the Pietersburg Golf Club.[40]
The city's suburb of Nirvana holds an annual cricket competition called the "Nirvana Premier League" in which teams from all around the city and the province take part in.
Noordelikes Rugby Club is an amateur rugby club based in the city.[43]
From 2013 to 2015, the city hosted a provincial team, theLimpopo Blue Bulls, in theVodacom Cup, as a feeder team to theBlue Bulls of Pretoria.[44] The team broke several unwanted records, including the biggest first class loss in South African rugby history, when they lost 161–3 to theGolden Lions on 27 April 2013.[45]
In 2017,Gift Ngoepe, born in Pietersburg, became the first African player in theMajor League Baseball, playing shortstop and second base for thePittsburgh Pirates. Ngoepe's mother Maureen managed the baseball clubhouse inRandburg, near Johannesburg. Ngoepe's brother Victor also plays in the Pirates' farm system[46]
The city provides access to various nature and wildlife viewing opportunities forecotourists. 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 unspoiledbushveld environment. The Moletzie Bird Sanctuary protects rare birds like theCape vulture. The Modjadji Rainforest nearDuiwelskloof holds the largest concentration of indigenouscycads in the world, and Cheune Crocodile Farm provides a place to learn about the life ofcrocodiles.[37]
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-presidentNelson Mandela in its City Square (Civic Gardens), and it was authorised by Nelson Mandela personally.[48]
The city is considered the premier hunting destination in South Africa.[49]
The city has a rich African culture
War memorial outside the Polokwane Art Gallery consisting of hundreds of guns melted after the Anglo-Boer war
The city hosts several major industries such asCoca-Cola,[50] Freshmark (a division of Shoprite Checkers), andSouth African Breweries.[51] 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.
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 mottoLabor omnia vincit. The crest was an ostrich.[58]
A proper coat of arms was designed in the 1960s. It was registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration in August 1967[59] and at theBureau of Heraldry in September 1969.[60]
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, wasLabor omnia vincit.
The Pietersburg municipal council registered a new coat of arms at the Bureau in October 2003.[60]
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 isUnity - Equity - Progress - Prosperity.
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