Sekhukhuneland

Sekhukhuneland
Natural region
Sekhukhuneland
Country	South Africa
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Sekhukhuneland or Sekukuniland (Afrikaans: Sekoekoeniland) is a natural region in NE South Africa, located in the historical Transvaal zone, former Transvaal Province.

This region is mainly covered by grassland and was inhabited traditionally by the Bapedi in an area stretching across central and northern Transvaal.

Sekhukhuneland lies in present-day Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, between the Olifants River (Lepelle) and its tributary the Steelpoort River (Tubatse); bordered on the east by the Drakensberg Range, and crossed by the Thaba Ya Sekhukhune in the southeast and the Leolo Mountains in the north.

At the height of the Pedi power under Thulare, about 1790-1820, historical Sekhukhuneland included an area stretching from the site of present-day Rustenburg in the east to the Lowveld in the west, and ranging as far south as the Vaal river.

The area under Pedi control was severely limited after the military campaigns by British troops in 1879. Following their defeat native reserves were created for the Pedi and for other northern Sotho people groups by the Transvaal Republic's Native Location Commission.

Between 1972 and 1994 part of Sekhukhuneland was included in the Lebowa bantustan. The territory was not homogeneous, being divided into two major and several minor portions. Having been intended as a homeland for the Northern Sotho speaking tribes such as the Pedi, Lebowa included swathes of Sekukuniland. However, various other non Northern Sotho Speaking tribes, including the Northern Ndebele, Batswana and VhaTsonga lived in the bantustan as well.

...
Wikipedia