During a recent meeting held by the Limpopo Provincial Geographical Names Committee (LPGNC) in the Giyani Community Hall, the discussion indicated strong support for the change. N’wamanungu is likely to be officially adopted, reflecting the cultural and historical significance of the area. Niketani Rikhotso, a resident of Ndengeza with royal family roots, initiated the proposed name change.
Rikhotso petitioned the LPGNC in September last year requesting that the name of the Middle Letaba Dam be changed to N’wamanungu in honour of Hosi N’wamanungu Siweya, who settled in the area and lived there until he died in 1901. N’wamanungu is said to have been a warrior who served under Joao Albasini, a Portuguese trader and big game hunter who established trade routes between Mozambique and South Africa and ruled over certain sections of the Tsonga tribe from 1840 to 1888.
After Albasini died in 1888, N’wamanungu assumed leadership and led the Vakomati clan until he died in 1901. The applicant and those opposing the name change were allowed to present their case before community members in the hall. However, those opposing the change did not offer a strong defence and declined to present oral arguments.
While presenting a formal document to the committee, Nzalama Nhlaniki from the Nhlaniki Royal Council argued that he has “the right to choose whether to present his objection in writing or orally,” when asked to tell the community his reasons for objecting to the name change. “My objection is in that document; anyone who wants to know can obtain it from there,” he said. However, he did mention that the name N’wamanungu has no connection to Ndengeza’s chieftaincy and questioned the reasons the applicant provided in support of the name change.
Also read: Middle Letaba Dam name comes under scrutiny
“In the first public participation event, we requested the committee to provide us with the applicant’s document so we could review the reasons for supporting the name change, but we received nothing,” he said. “Nonetheless, we managed to write our objection based on what we know. We argue that Ndengeza’s chieftaincy has nothing to do with N’wamanungu, they are two separate matters,” he said, directing the committee to refer to the document he provided for his full argument.
To counter his argument, supporters of the name change argued that Chief Ndengeza was a descendant of N’wamanungu, and therefore the name change rightfully favoured them. “N’wamanungu’s father and Chief Ndengeza’s father were siblings, so the name change truly benefits the Ndengeza royal family,” explained July Sithole, as people applauded in agreement. Sithole also provided a list of neighbouring traditional leaders who supported the name change, including those from the Vhembe district.
Also read: Limpopo dams remain stable this week
He further listed some traditional leaders who were initially against the change but have since come to support it, alleging that they were initially misled to believe the name change was related to a land grab. Meanwhile, Raymond Hlungwani, who was chairing the meeting, asked for clarification on whose territory the dam belonged to. Both sides agreed that it was within Chief Ndengeza’s territory.
This effectively nullified the opposition by the Nhlaniki Traditional Council since it is commonly understood that one cannot object to a development happening in another chief’s territory unless made by the community of that area. “When you said you were objecting to the name change, I expected you to say it was because the dam is situated on our land, but you didn’t say that, nor did you provide reasons for your objection.
Instead, you referred us to your document, which I read, but found no supporting facts for your objection,” he said in response to Nhlaniki’s refusal to present an oral argument against the name change. However, Hlungwani stated that this did not mean a conclusion had been reached regarding public engagement in the matter.
Also read: DWS minister happy with Tzaneen Dam wall
He explained that a final decision would be announced only after the committee had considered all the arguments presented by both the applicant and those opposing the name change for the dam. “The application that we received for the name change was supported by the fact that the dam is on Chief Ndengeza’s land and therefore belongs to that village. It was also confirmed without dispute that Chief Ndengeza is a descendant of Chief N’wamanungu. We will also go through Nhlaniki’s document before deciding.”
