South Africa’s Most Hidden Treasure You Need To Know Of
South Africa is a beautiful country with diverse cultures and heritage. It’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world which every tourist has to experience. From the vast coastlines to mountainous regions which extends for miles and miles all the way to the wild where nature is untamed and untouched, South Africa has it all.
The country is spread out in different provinces (nine to be precise), with eleven official languages. Typically, each province has a main native language or two with English and Afrikaans being the most common additional language in all the provinces. Most South Africans speak a native language with English and/or Afrikaans( spoken mainly by Afrikaners, “coloureds” and the older black generation). There are those who speak all or most of the eleven languages but because of the cultural divide, a lot have settled to knowing their own languages and English which is a common medium of communication in the country.
Now this brings me to the hidden treasure of South Africa. What many people know around the world is that the country has come out of a long form of racism and discrimination against black people by the white apartheid regime, which oppressed and abused the rights of black people. That was a very hard time for black South Africans but even while that was going on, there was another form of oppression on black people by black people which not a lot of people know about. Yep, you heard it right. This was a tribal oppression and it was mainly based on culture and the majority rule.
There are two tribes in South Africa which are the smallest in number compared to all the other tribes and these are the tribes who suffered discrimination and oppression from all the other tribes and these minority tribe just happen to be placed in the same province. They are the VhaVenda and Va Tsonga (also known as the Shangaan) tribes. There was a time when it was a shame to be a Venda or Tsonga speaking person such that people would laugh and undermined you based if you ever spoke the languages in public( the attitude is slowly changing). It also meant that you would be considered not so intelligent, ugly (it’s a strong word but it is commonly used to describe these two cultures) and poor. It meant your opportunities were way less in a country where there’s limited opportunities for black people.
Although some people in all the other cultures are refusing to change, they still have the same attitude about the Venda and Tsonga people, the majority are now more accepting and learning about these two South African treasures.
Sometimes the greatest tragedies or bad environments have a way of sharpening and moulding you to bring out your best version and that is what happened for these to cultures. Because discrimination did not stop them from being themselves (they still built their communities everywhere they settled and practiced their heritage), they came out more beautiful, more colorful and more prosperous. They are now cultures on the rise in South Africa and as of the writing of this article (August 2020) the country’s president is a native from one of these two minority cultures (Venda) and the governor of the reserve bank is a Tsonga. Not to mention academics, businessmen and artists.
In all honesty, the Venda and Tsonga people are excellent people, they are more self reliant yet humble. In all the communities they settle in, they set up small businesses and even work odd jobs to support themselves rather than depend on the government or begging ( this is based only on observation, it’s not describing everyone on those cultures but the majority attitude). They keep winning by remaining the underdogs.
Another great treasure is where they come from, the Limpopo province. Although the province was considered one of the poorest in the country, it is now emerging to be one of the greatest. The Limpopo province is rich in vegetation, vast natural resources, there are gold mines, salt, tea plantations, healing plants (Amarula, Baobab to name just a few)not to mention that it's a tropical paradise where most fruits and superfoods grow.
The least mentioned part of this treasure is it’s tourism attraction. Despite it’s beautiful landscapes, rich culture and unspoiled natural environments, this province remain to be the least explored. Let me highlight some of the tourist attractions which you can experience in this place:
- The famous Kruger National Park
If you want I see the Big Five in its natural habitat, the Kruger national park is the place to visit. The park stretches from the borders of the Limpopo province and extends to other provinces like the Mpumalanga province, to the borders of neighboring countries (Mozambique and Zimbabwe).
- The Mapungubwe National Park
Situated on the south of the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the NE of the Venetia Diamond Mine. It abuts on the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe, and forms part of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. It was established in 1995 and covers an area of over 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres). The park protects the historical site of Mapungubwe Hill, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, as well as the wildlife and riverine forests along the Limpopo River.
- Magoebaskloof
This is a place for everyone. Magoebaskloof has loads of activities for the whole family. Situated along the Drakensberg mountains, Magoebaskloof is a breathtakingly beautiful mountainous stretch of land. It is a lush green mountainous area, covered by natural evergreen subtropical forest. This is an area where the small kingdom of Makgoba lived before they were conquered by Afrikaners who occupied Tzaneen area prior to 1905.
Today Magoebaskloof is a tourist attraction area which shows off its natural wonders such as the Debengeni waterfalls, Magoebaskloof dam and many forest hiking trails.
To list all the beautiful tourist destinations in this province would take a book. This beautiful germ and it's people are the hidden treasure of South Africa. Their vibrant colours, warm hearts, humility and hardwork makes the northern province of South Africa feels like home to anyone who sets foot.
