Mankweng | |
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Mankweng shown within Limpopo | |
Coordinates: 23°53′10″S 29°43′05″E / 23.886°S 29.718°ECoordinates: 23°53′10″S 29°43′05″E / 23.886°S 29.718°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Limpopo |
District | Capricorn |
Municipality | Polokwane |
Area | |
• Total | 11.97 km2 (4.62 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 33,738 |
• Density | 2,800/km2 (7,300/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 98.0% |
• Coloured | 0.8% |
• Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
• White | 0.6% |
• Other | 0.3% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Northern Sotho | 87.5% |
• Tsonga | 2.9% |
• English | 2.0% |
• Venda | 1.9% |
• Other | 5.7% |
Postal code (street) | 0727 |
PO box | 0727 |
Mankweng is a township in Capricorn District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Mankweng also known as Turfloop (which is also the de facto name for the neighbourhoods surrounding Mankweng and the university), is a university township, though relatively small to the likes of Grahamstown. It is located about 27 km east of Polokwane on the R71 road to Moria and Tzaneen.
Mankweng developed in the 1960s when the University-College of the North was established by the apartheid regime in pursuit of its policy of racially segregated education. It is the hometown of the former ANC Youth League president, Peter Mokaba.
Mankweng as a community is very dynamic, and draws skilled professionals into the area because the area houses a leading regional hospital, Mankweng Campus Hospital, an university (in the form of University of Limpopo), a regional Magistrate court, and a public library. In recent times, the area has been rapidly growing with local residents next to the University converting their homes into rentals in order to house the growing population of students from many parts of the country, with some coming from as far as East and North Africa.