Venda was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, now part of Limpopo province. It was founded as a "Homeland" for the Venda ethnic group, speakers of the Venda language.
It was declared self-governing on February 1, 1973. On September 13, 1979 it was declared independent by the South African government and its residents lost their South African citizenship. In common with other Bantustans, its independence was not recognized by the international community.
It was initially a series of non-contiguous territories in the then Transvaal, with one main part and one main Exclave. Its capital, formerly at Sibasa, was moved to Thohoyandou when Venda was declared independent in 1979. Prior to independence it was expanded to form one contiguous territory. The majority of the Venda peoples in Southern Africa lived within its territory. Its government was temporarily overthrown in 1990 by a military coup. It was re-absorbed into South Africa on April 27, 1994.
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See Also: Heads of State of Venda
| Apartheid-era Bantustans in South Africa | [image] | |
|---|---|---|
| Bophuthatswana | Ciskei | Gazankulu | KaNgwane | KwaNdebele | KwaZulu | Lebowa | QwaQwa | Transkei | Venda Bantustans that were "independent" are in italics | ||