Geography:
Vhavenda is located in north-eastern South Africa.

People:
History
The history of Vhavenda starts from the Mapungubwe Kingdom (9th century). According to historical studies King Shiriyadenga was the first king of Venda and Mapungubwe. Shiriyadenga was succeeded by his children and the genealogical tree of the Vhangona dynasty is inclusive of the following paramount chiefs: Mudzanani, KhuruKhuru Nembilwi, Netshivhale, Netshisaulu, Makáhane, Mutele, Nethengwe, Netshamanyatsha, Nevhutanda.

In the 13th century, due to an outbreak of diseases and a growing presence of non-indigenous peoples, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe encountered several problems. Until the 18th century the presence of non-indigenous peoples has grown consistently in Venda.

Most of the traditional authorities established by Vhavenda (kings, paramount chiefs, chiefs, headmen, Vhakoma) were taken over forcefully by non-indigenous groups.

In the 19th century Europeans who had already established themselves in other regions of South Africa extended their influence in the region of Venda. After a series of wars Europeans took control of the ancestral land of Vhavenda people. A large part of Venda territory was occupied and transformed into farms.

From the beginning of the 20th century mineral exploitation began in Venda with the opening of the copper mine at Musina.
After the constitution of the Union of South Africa in 1910 the European colonizers removed most of the traditional local powers and appointed favorite governors in the region, willing to dance to their tune. The Union government of 1910 was composed exclusively by white people.

In 1912 the African Native Congress was formed in reaction to the constitution of the Union.
The land act of 1913 reserved 13% of the land for all native Africans and the remaining 87% was expropriated for the benefit of the colonizers.

In 1948, the establishment of statutory apartheid government became more centralized with its seat in Pretoria and Parliament in Cape Town.

In 1979 Venda administration opted for political independence in the framework of the apartheid laws and constituted the ephemeral Republic of Venda. This Republic was only recognized by the government of South Africa.

After the end of the apartheid era liberation movements like the African National Congress, Pan Africanist Congress and Azanian Peoples Organisation were no longer banned. Most of the Vhavenda peoples were members of these three organizations. The first inclusive elections were held in 1994 and were won by the African National Congress.

Current situation
Vhavenda people believed they had entered an era of true democracy. However, real democratic principles have yet to be implemented. Rather, they are experiencing a new apartheid in the form of ethnic discrimination.

Sacred sites of Vhavenda remain unprotected. The holy forests are exploited by the government without any form of consultation with Vhavenda indigenous people. Furthermore, the land claim process in South Africa has been biased because, by hook or by crook, it has left out thousands of indigenous peoples. Title deeds issued by the government (the Land Claims Commission) to successful claimants have effectively tampered with traditional Vhavenda Land jurisdiction.

Successive heads of State in South Africa have come from one single ethnic group. Ethnic discrimination also manifests itself in the provinces, such as Limpopo, where consecutive premiers have come from one particular ethnic group. Similarly, jobs in public administration are nepotistically allocated to members belonging to the ethnic group of the ruling elite. Vhavenda indigenous people are sidelined both nationally and at the local level.

In 1996 the National Government of South Africa promulgated proclamation no. 21/1996, that would from then henceforth govern the civil pension system. This law established that all previous pension funds were to be amalgamated with the national one, effectively depriving thousands of Venda civil servants their pensions. The national government of South Africa was on several occasion advised on the dangers of amalgamating the Venda pension fund, but nevertheless insisted on this reform.

Organizations:
The Pension Forum (Dabalorivhuwa) was founded in 1996 with the view to defend the right to social security that had long been violated by the central government. Thus, in order to protect the rights of the Vhavenda people the formation of an organization became imperative. Dabalorivhuwa is member of UNPO since 2003.

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