Giyani

Giyani
Giyani Location of the town in Limpopo
Giyani
Coordinates: 23°19′S 30°43′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Limpopo
District	Mopani
Municipality	Greater Giyani
Area
• Total	21.53 km2 (8.31 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	32,673
• Density	1,518/km2 (3,930/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2001)
• Black African	98.7%
• Coloured	0.1%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	0.9%
First languages (2001)
• Tsonga	93.2%
• Northern Sotho	2.4%
• Venda	1.1%
• Afrikaans	1.1%
• Other	2.2%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

A traffic light in Giyani.

Giyani is a town in the Limpopo province in north eastern South Africa, and former capital of the Gazankulu bantustan. Giyani is located in the heart of Limpopo Bushveld, on the northern bank of the Klein (Little) Letaba River west of Kruger National Park. Situated in what was the northern portion of Gazankulu, Giyani was established in the 1960s as the administrative centre for the Tsonga people. Giyani is now the administrative capital of Mopani District Municipality.

Distance from Johannesburg

Giyani is 478KM north east of Johannesburg and 200KM from the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park.ask kulani for more information 0782847814

Climate

Giyani is situated within the Sub-tropical zone, it can be very hot in summer, reaching more than 36 degrees in summer and minimum of 22 degrees in winter. Summers are hot during the day and nights, Winters are mild during the day and cold during the nights. Rainfall season is between September to March, while winter season starts from April to August.by kulani khaniele

Culture

Residents of Giyani speak Xitsonga as their first language. The Tsonga women perform the xibelani dance and the men enjoy mpuluto and makhwaya. The Tsonga people also engage in a custom dance called mchongolo. The xibelani is an African skirt. Xibelani is a skirt design to make your hips look bigger so the shaking can be apparent. The Tsonga people have their own distinct music where the xibelani dance is performed. The staple diet in Giyani is maize or pap in Afrikaans) often eaten with meat and other vegetables(matsavu) or Mopani Worms called Masonja.

Sports

Giyani Stadium is the home of National First Division club Dynamos. Historically Giyani has been home to Giyani United and Giyani Classic. On the athletics front the 100 metre ace called Peter "Manero" Ngobeni stayed in Giyani during the 80,s.

It is also the home town of the professional boxer Cassius Baloyi.

Economy

Giyani's economy is predominately rural, mielies, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, Mangos, Bananas and cattle ranching forms the backbone of the economy. With the country's economic boom, Giyani has now become a retail and entertainment centre for the local population. Modern Shopping centres and a mini mall has uplifted the local economy.

One of the biggest Spar chain stores are also to be found in Giyani. It was started in 1993 and has grown to such an extent that a 2nd Spar was built to accommodate the influx of shoppers to the stores. Several other chain stores such as Pick 'n Pay, Shoprite, Truworths, Markham, Wimpy, Romans and many others have also reached the shores of Giyani.

Residential areas

Giyani is less populated Template:Less populated than what? and the large part of the town's open land is not developed or settled. Giyani Section A, D1, D2, E,F and Kremetart are affluent residential areas in the town.

Education

The people of Giyani value education, however, there are independent schools in the town, Khanyisa Education Centre, Nkwangulatilo Education centre. For higher education, the youth of Giyani typically attend the University of Limpopo, the University of Venda, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and Potchefstroom University.

Road

The R81 is the major road that runs through Giyani. It links Giyani to Malamulele and also joins the R524 to Punda Maria gate of the Kruger National Park.

Tourism

Giyani's location in the African Bushveld attracts a fair number of local and international visitors. The Giyani Golf course keeps Zebras, Giraffe, bushbuck and other herbivores. Viewing of these animals has not yet been commercialized. At the moment, there are a number of Bed and Breakfast and Guest House facilities for tourist to relax and eat, some are Riverside Guest House, Xisaka bed and breakfast and Mopani Guest House. Limpopo Lodge (formerly Giyani Hotel) is situated at the centre of the town, the hotel is run by the Oasis group, which also run several hotels in other African countries, such as Namibia and Botswana. Man'ombe Nature Reserve is located 6 km east of Giyani.