POLOKWANE MUNICIPALITY
Government in Polokwane

Provision of cost effective services which promote socio-economic development, a safe and healthy environment through good governance and active community participation. The purification capacity in the city is to be extended to cope with the city’s growth rate. Water shutdown along Devenish Street and CBD Members of the public and businesses are notified of a shut-down of water supply on Devenish Street in order to reconnect the new water line. This is part of the project to replace the old asbestos cement pipes in the city. Stemming from the detailed research conducted on the social, economic, physical and institutional context of Polokwane, this plan set new objectives and strategic interventions for the city which, if implemented timeously and thoroughly, could usher in a new developmental path for the coming 16 years leading up to This document therefore firstly briefly explores one or more concepts relating to growth and development, where after the main and significant findings from the research conducted are highlighted as setting the stage for this plan. Thereafter detailed cluster and sub-cluster specific proposals are made to attend to the problem statement. The city of Pietersburg was founded in the gold rush of the 1880's. Polokwane is cosmopolitan and exciting city where White, Indian, Coloured and Black communities are closely intertwined and live amongst each other in harmony. It is a city showing phenominal growth, the highest in South Africa, and with it the cultural diversity constantly changes. With a population of almost 510 thousand, this remarkable metropolis has constantly shown a growth of over 4% per annum in the last few years. Over 90% of the residents are black and they are divided into three major ethnic groups. Originally from the Bakgatla, their move to the east of the then Central Transvaal, they built a powerful empire by bringing smaller tribes into the fold, eliminating the weak and by bartering cattle to marry women from neighbouring tribes. They eventually controlled huge areas that were closely guarded and were not afraid to fight everyone who encroached on it, including the Boers, Arab traders, the Swazis and the British. King Shaka of the Zulu, a proud and conquering nation, sent Soshangane, one of his warriors,to defeat and take over the area of the Tsonga people. Soshangane however, found this a peaceful and fertile place and instead of returning to Shaka’s kingdom, settled down and started a community or tribe of his own. It is not unusual for the Tsonga man to have more than one wife, and the result is that communities are established in a tribe with the man at the head of his establishment, surrounded by the homes of his various wives and children. When sons marry, their wives and children form part of this nucleus. They then moved South into what is now known as Zimbabwe where some settled and a portion of them moved with a mystic chief to Thohoyandou across the great Limpopo River. Fascinating myths and legends surround these people and intimidating stories of their witchcraft has earned them respect, and helped them overcome threats from other marauding warriors and tribes. The majority of the white population are descendants of the early settlers in South Africa known as the Voortrekkers. Their home language is Afrikaans which is one of South Africa’s 11 official languages. The balance of the white community is made up of English speaking people who are generally of British descent. Representing the city in much smaller numbers is the coloured and Indian communities who also play a major role in the development, investment and growth of Polokwane.