Lebowa | ||||||||||
Bantustan | ||||||||||
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Location of Lebowa (red) within South Africa (yellow).
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Capital | Lebowakgomo | |||||||||
Languages | Northern Sotho | |||||||||
Political structure | Bantustan | |||||||||
History | ||||||||||
• | Self-government | 2 October 1972 | ||||||||
• | Re-integrated into South Africa | 27 April 1994 | ||||||||
Area | ||||||||||
• | 1980 | 24,540 km² (9,475 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | ||||||||||
• | 1980 est. | 1,700,000 | ||||||||
Density | 69.3 /km² (179.4 /sq mi) | |||||||||
• | 1991 est. | 2,740,587 | ||||||||
Currency | South African rand | |||||||||
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Lebowa was a bantustan ("homeland") located in the Transvaal in north eastern South Africa.Seshego initially acted as Lebowa's capital while the purpose-built Lebowakgomo was being constructed. Granted internal self-government on 2 October 1972 and ruled for much of its existence by Cedric Phatudi, Lebowa was reincorporated into South Africa in 1994. It became part of the Limpopo province. The territory was not contiguous, being divided into two major and several minor portions.
Even though Lebowa included swathes of Sekukuniland and was seen as a home for the Northern Sotho speaking tribes such as the Pedi people, it was also home for various non Northern Sotho Speaking tribes, including the Northern Ndebele, Batswana and VaTsonga.
Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.
Coordinates: 24°18′26″S 29°34′45″E / 24.30722°S 29.57917°E