Schoonoord, South Africa

Template:Infobox South African town 2011 Schoonoord is a village in Sekhukhune District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The name Schoonoord is Dutch, it is imposed on the natives of this area by Berlin Missionary Society. Alexander Merensky, a missionary, obtained permission to establish a mission from Kgoshi Sekwati, Sekhukhune kgoshi ya bapedi. A mission station was established in 1861 at Kgalatlou which was later officially named Schoonoord. A police station, post office and magistrate court were subsequently established. The offices were referred to as " ka lekgoweng" meaning at the whiteman's place. Schoonoord is surrounded by villages called Tshehlwaneng and Manganeng.

Traditional Leadership

Kgoshi Maloma

Kgoshi Mashegoana

Kgoshi Mogashoa

Kgoshi Seopela

Kgoshi Tshesane:

The chiefs co-exist in harmony despite their minor cultural practices, they have always shared water resources from the stream also called Kgalatlou and continue to farm alongside each other. Kgoshi Seopela was the first chief to arrive in this area and he is therefore the authority in this area. It is customary that a migrant or chief arriving at a territory must pay a courtesy visit to the presiding chief so that they can be allocated a piece of land.

Kotsiri and Phase four are built on idle pieces of land which were once plantations for subsistence farming. They are new sections in the Schoonoord jurisdiction which developed as a result of influx of people from neighboring villages and descendants from the five chiefs. GaSekele "eMkhondone" is situated on the east of Kgalatlou mountain. It is a place of residence to the Swazi and Sepedi speaking group, the area is also known as Ga Sekele.

Administration

The South African government established the bantustans also known as the homelands. The northern homeland for Bapedi people was called Lebowa which is Sepedi for North. It is located in the Transvaal in north eastern South Africa. The Lebowa administration had offices across the homeland, the Sekhukhune Office was responsible for the community management of the schoonoord area. It is located on the foot of Kgalatlou Mountain which is on the border of Kgoshi Tshesane and Kgoshi Seopela compound. Kgalatlou mountain forms part of the Leolo mountains range which spread North towards Ga-Nchabeleng and South towards Stofberg. The administration offices included home affairs office where people from neighboring villages came for birth registration and Identity documents. During the Lebowa administration people travelled largely by buses (BIC) across the homeland. They travelled from surrounding villages to Schoonoord and the bus stop was a hive of activity that attracted enterprenuers. The movement of people towards the offices resulted in a small scale economic development in the village. The selling and buying of fruits, vegetables and refreshments dominated trade, and the makeshift stalls formed a commercial landscape of the village. The formal trading was a preserve of a handful of families that included the Maloma’s and Mogale’s who established their businesses in the 1970’s and maintained them through generations until the 2010’s. From 2011 Asians brought indomitable competition in both formal and informal trade.

Culture

Dinaka means horns. In sepedi culture dinaka also refers to a traditional dance done by men and teenage boys, it is performed during weddings celebrations and Initiation school graduation which is called (go aloga). The music that participants dance to is produced from a cow and or impala horn. The skill shortage and unavailability of impala horns resulted in lack of music instruments for the dance however penny whistles and similar modern instruments are used.

Dipapetlwane is a women dance, the rythmic sound which participants dance to is produced by handmade shakers which are worn on the legs to provide an acoustic sound.

Tja Manyalo (wedding songs with a fast paced techno rhythm) is a music genre which is exclusive to the greater Sepedi speaking region of the Limpopo province, It is performed at weddings by the bridal party and accompanied by a dance move called S'TEPE meaning step.

Koma is a cultural initiation practice for both girls and boys into adulthood. It is practiced by the three chiefs namely Maloma, Mashegoana and Seopela. There is a dispute between the incumbent chief at Kgoshi Tshesane's compound and the royal council on the practice of initiation (Koma). the dispute is that Koma should not practiced as it is not part of their heritage. It was not practiced by the forefathers of the incumbent chief and from this background the royal council disapproves it. However those willing to get initiated into manhood by neighboring chiefs are not prohibited. Koma in the schoonoord community and the Sekhukhune region at large has always been safe and fatality free.

Religion

The community subscribes to African traditions and christian values. The conflict of practicing both African traditions and Christian religion is widespread. There are several churches in the community namely Roman Catholic, Dutch reformed, Zion Christian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in S.A (ELCSA) that has two breakaway congregations. The Lutheran breakaways are called Lutheran Bapedi Church (LBC) and Lutheran Bapedi church of South Africa. The three lutheran churches are located at Kgoshi Tshesane's compound. The Lutheran Bapedi Church of South Africa was established in 1880 by Reverand Martin Sebushane and J Winter who were both clerics in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. There are Afro Christian churches called "Mapostola". They emphasise a spiritual healing and it is common to find a leader in these churches with a spiritual gift of healing and to this effect they are referred to as "kereke tsa moya". There is also Charismatic churches referred to as Bazalwane.

Health Facilities

The Clinic at schoonoord forms part of the pillars of development in this town. In the 1980's the clinic was used as a center for operation hunger gardening project. This poverty alleviation project was administered at the clinic because the clinic had reliable water and malnutritioned children were identified for relief when they came for their regular vaccination sessions.

Schools

Kgalatlou High School

Makatane High School

Semashego Primary School

Schoonoord Primary School

Notable People

Professor Malekgapuru William Makgoba

Professor Mogobo Boy Nokaneng

References

B Tsesane