Tzaneen
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Tzaneen Tsaneng Zaneng |
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|---|---|
 Tzaneen
Tzaneen
Tzaneen
Tzaneen shown within Limpopo
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| Coordinates: 23°50′S 30°10′E / 23.833°S 30.167°ECoordinates: 23°50′S 30°10′E / 23.833°S 30.167°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| District | Mopani |
| Municipality | Greater Tzaneen |
| Established | 1903 |
| • Councillor | (ANC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 22.16 km2 (8.56 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 14,571 |
| • Density | 660/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 45.0% |
| • Coloured | 1.1% |
| • Indian/Asian | 7.0% |
| • White | 46.1% |
| • Other | 0.9% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 41.5% |
| • Northern Sotho | 18.1% |
| • Tsonga | 13.5% |
| • English | 13.3% |
| • Other | 13.5% |
| Postal code (street) | 0850 |
| PO box | 0850 |
| Area code | 015 |
Tzaneen is a large tropical garden town situated in the Mopani District Municipality of the Limpopo province in South Africa. It is situated in a lush, high rainfall fertile region with tropical and subtropical agriculture taking place in a 20,000 km2 region. About 650,000 people reside within a 30 km radius, with the town itself holding a population of around 30,000. Tzaneen is a proud home to the Tsonga people, Pedi people, Afrikaner people and a very small minority of English, Portuguese, Scottish, Irish, Jews and German. The Afrikaner people constitute more than 90% of the white population in Tzaneen. The distance from Tzaneen to Johannesburg is approximately 420 km, or 261 miles.
There are different theories as to where the name Tzaneen comes from, the first theory is that the name Tzaneen is derived from a Sepedi word 'Tsaneng', which means gathering place or 'Tsana' (basket of hills). This theory claim that Makgoba, the leader of a small Tlou tribe, gave the name 'Tsaneng' to the place where the town of Tzaneen is situated today. Since then, this Sepedi word has been used by both the Tsonga and the Pedi people to refer to the name of this place and was popularly used by Afrikaner colonisers as well. A second theory suggest that the name Tzaneen is derived from the Venda word 'Dzanani'. This theory suggests that Venda people once occupied the area and that they named it 'Dzanani'. There are problems with the second theory and it could be argued that this is just a 'theoretical claim' rather than a reality since there is no concrete evidence that Venda people once occupied the area. The Afrikaner people, in honour of the Sepedi word 'Tsaneng', corrupted it into 'Tzaneen'. Nonetheless, the name 'Tzaneen' as given by the Afrikaner people, is so beautiful and the Tlou tribe, under Makgoba, also rightfully named the place 'Tsaneng' because it is today a place where Tsonga, Pedi and Afrikaner people 'gather', thus fulfilling the name.
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Wikipedia