Mahwelereng

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Mahwelereng is a vibrant township in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It lies about 2km from the small town of Mokopane formerly known as Potgietersrus, and it was one of the creations of the South African Apartheid policies in the former homeland of Lebowa. The township started relatively small and it has increasingly grown as a result of rapid urbanisation, given its closeness to job opportunities in an area largely surrounded by rural settlements. The general lack of affordable housing stock has also led to an increase in informal housing. The name Mahwelereng is derived from the name of a tree referred to in Northern Sotho (or SeSotho sa Lebowa in the language it self) language as "Mohwelere".

The original housing units comprised a combination of two-, four- and five roomed houses and a few seven roomed houses. The larger sized houses were reserved for government employees with higher ranks. Over time, however, some of the original houses were demolished by the owners for larger houses, especially government employees who received housing subsidies.

The locals mainly speak Northern Sotho but a significant proportion also speak Ndebele dialect, SeNdebele, pronounced "Senrebele".

Some of the notable land marks in Mahwelereng include the following:

- Hotel Mahwelereng: This was a popular entertainment and meeting place mainly for the distinguished members of society. Neighbouring the hotel was a popular bottle store that attracted patronage from far away distances. Also neighbouring the hotel was a bar selling traditionally brewed liquor attracting more senior and poorer members of society. The hotel has since been closed down attributed to tax arrears owed by the owner. However, the building remains standing.

- Central Business District (Also used to be called Dišopong by locals): This was the main shopping district for the area situated next to Hotel Mahwelereng. It housed real dairy store, butcher, fruits and vegetable market, supermarkets, bookshop, doctor consulting rooms, post office, community hall as well as some selected government offices. The Central Business District provided a real alternative to the main town of Potgietersus. The Central Business has since been weakened by the sprawl of the area and the proliferation of informal home-run shops referred to by locals as "Spaza shops".

- Mokopane hospital: One of three hospitals in the area of Mokopane, along with Voortrekker and George Masebe hospitals. The hospital is supported by a network of small community clinics.

- Mahwelereng stadium: The stadium built mainly to accommodate soccer activities has historically been used as a multipurpose land and it was at the heart of political uprising of the 1980s.

- Sefakaola mountain: This forms part of the Waterberg mountain range.

The schools that can be found include Primary schools (Ithuteng, Raphela, Nenchimudi, ND Mokonyane); High Schools (Ebenezer, Gojela, DG Tsebe) and higher education institution Mokopane Further Education and Training College (formerly Mokopane College of Education).

Similar to many townships in Limpopo Province, Mahwelereng has produced some of the most dynamic leaders in South Africa. It is rather an irony that many of these leaders have not ploughed back to revive an area that is increasingly drowning in a backlog of basic municipal services.

Coordinates: 24°09′S 28°59′E / -24.15, 28.983