| Polokwane Pietersburg |
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| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): City of stars | |
| Motto: Naturally Progressive | |
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Polokwane
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| District municipality | Capricorn |
| Local municipality | Polokwane |
| Government | |
| • Executive Mayor | Freddy Greaver[1] |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 508,272 |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 0700 |
| Area code(s) | 015 |
Polokwane,[2][3] meaning "Place of Safety",[2][4] is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name,[3] Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population of the municipality exceeds 500,000 (2001). Polokwane was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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In the 1840s, Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town 100 km to the north west. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes. They founded a new town in 1886 and named it Pietersburg in honour of Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The British built a concentration camp at Pietersburg during the Boer War to house almost 4,000 Boer women and children. The town officially became a city on April 23, 1992; on February 25, 2005, the government declared the official name of the city as Polokwane, a name that was generally in use by the speakers of Northern Sotho. The city was the site of the ANC national conference which saw Jacob Zuma take over as head of the party.[5]
In 1904 Pietersburg had a population of 3,276, of whom 1,620 (49.5%) were whites.[6] The remaining 50% were probably black. Pietersburg was a white-designated area during apartheid and so had an overwhelming white majority before 1990. After the dismantling of apartheid the city still retained a large white population. Neighbouring townships have an overwhelming (if not exclusive) black majority.[7]
Under the apartheid government certain areas were allocated to certain racial groups; these areas still have a majority of these racial groups present.
Former White suburbs in the city include:
These suburbs no longer host exclusive racial groups and the local government has launched projects to force integration, such as building low-cost housing (primarily donated to poor black people) in former "White suburbs" such as Bendor. This has led to more gated communities such as Cycad Estate, Bendor Village, Woodlands and Broadlands being erected on the outskirts of the city and further away from the "poor-areas".[8] [9]
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Polokwane features a semi-arid climate under the Koppen climate classification. Despite its position on the Tropic of Capricorn,[11] the climate is tempered by its position on a plateau 1230 meters above sea level.[12] Average temperatures reach around 21–22 °C (70–72 °F) in January and fall to 11 °C (52 °F) in July.[12] As with much of inland South Africa, Polokwane has experienced notably warmer seasons over the last decade than its long term average.[13] Polokwane has a dry climate with a summer rainy season and a pronounced dry spell during winter. Average annual rainfall is 495 millimetres (19.5 in), with December or (less often) January the wettest month and July the driest.[14]
| Climate data for Polokwane | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36 (97) |
36 (97) |
34 (93) |
34 (93) |
32 (90) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
32 (90) |
34 (93) |
37 (99) |
36 (97) |
35 (95) |
37 (99) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
24 (75) |
22 (72) |
20 (68) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17 (63) |
17 (63) |
15 (59) |
12 (54) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
4 (39) |
7 (45) |
10 (50) |
13 (55) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
12 (54) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10 (50) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
1 (34) |
−4 (25) |
−1 (30) |
−1 (30) |
0 (32) |
5 (41) |
7 (45) |
9 (48) |
−4 (25) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 82 (3.23) |
60 (2.36) |
52 (2.05) |
33 (1.3) |
11 (0.43) |
5 (0.2) |
3 (0.12) |
6 (0.24) |
17 (0.67) |
43 (1.69) |
85 (3.35) |
81 (3.19) |
478 (18.82) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 65 |
| Source: South African Weather Service[10] | |||||||||||||
A public airport, Polokwane International Airport, (IATA: PTG, ICAO: FAPP),[15] is located just North of the city. There are weekly flights to Johannesburg. [16]
Polokwane lies roughly halfway between Gauteng (300 km) and the Zimbabwean border (200 km) on the N1 highway, which connects Zimbabwe with the major cities of South Africa, such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.
Running east the R71 connects the city with Tzaneen, Phalaborwa and the Kruger National Park.
On the outskirts of Polokwane when approachng from the direction of Johannesburg is the Nelson Mandela road traffic island which was built prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup as part of beautifying the city for the event.
There are a number of private bus services running in the city and also services connecting Polokwane to other major centers in the country.
Polokwane is connected to Johannesburg and other major centres via rail. Agricultural produce in the area, including tomatoes, citrus fruit, bananas and avocados, is also transported via freight rail. [17]
The South African Broadcasting Corporation has a branch located in the city.[18] The city also hosts a branch for the country's largest independent radio station, Jacaranda RM/FM, which is broadcast from either Pretoria, Nelspruit or Polokwane.[19] The 1st and only commercial radio station in Limpopo, CapricornFM also broadcasts from the city. [20] The city also has a selection of locally distributed newspapers.
One of the earliest churches established in Polokwane (then Pietersburg) was the "English Church." Prior to 1894 there were occasional services for the English Church held by visiting priests in the local Court House. Work began on building a church in Market Street in 1895. The building was completed in 1897 and Christ Church Polokwane had a permanent venue. The church struggled with a lack of members during the Anglo-Boer war (Boer Wars) but regular services resumed in November 1901 and have continued to this day. The Anglican church moved from Market Street to Biccard Street in the 1960s. There is also a Roman Catholic church situated in Biccard street.
The Polokwane Cricket Club is one of the oldest in the country and was established in 1902.[23]
Noordelikes Rugby Club, a South African rugby club, is based in the city. [24]
Winners Park F.C., a South African football club, is based in the city.
Polokwane has a number of swimming clubs. Former Olympic gold-medalist and world-record swimmer Lyndon Ferns is from the city.
There is a large tennis club situated in the city and various local tournaments are held regularly.
Polokwane provides access to various nature and wildlife viewing opportunities for ecotourists. The Polokwane Bird and Reptile Park is home to over 280 species of birds. The Polokwane Game Reserve houses various South African species of wildlife, birdlife, and plants in an unspoiled bushveld environment. The Moletzie Bird Sanctuary protects rare birds like the Cape Vulture. The Modjardji Rainforest holds the largest concentration of indigenous cycads in the world, and Cheune Crocodile Farm provides a place to learn about the life of crocodiles.[22]
Polokwane has an extensive art collection in the city's art gallery, that's open to the public. Apart from its extensive art collection, Polokwane has more public sculptures per capita in its parks than anywhere else in South Africa. Polokwane was also the first to unveil a bust of the ex-president Nelson Mandela in its City Square(Civic Gardens), and it was authorized by Nelson Mandela himself.[26]
The city is considered the premier hunting destination in South Africa.
The city hosts several mayor industries such as Coca-Cola[27] and South African Breweries.[28] As the capital of the Limpopo province the city also has a large commercial area with the four largest banks in the country all having at least three branches in the city.
The Tshwane University of Technology, and the University of South Africa both have a satellite campus in the city.[29][30] The University of Limpopo is situated about 30 km outside Polokwane.
* Malls with a 6-screen cinema complex with at least one full 3D theater.
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