Welcome to Giyani!
Giyani is a city of 26,000 people (2011) in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Giyani is surrounded by a number of villages, which are rich in Tsonga cultural activities.
Giyani is a town situated in the Northeastern part of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is the Administrative Capital of Mopani District in the province and the former capital of the Gazankulu bantustan. There's no way we can talk about Giyani without mentioning Siyandhani, a very big village in the west of the town. Almost 70% of the townland is owned by the Chabalala chieftaincy from Siyandhani village. The town of Giyani has Seven sections, Section A, Section D1, Section D2, Section E, Section F, Kremetaart, and The CBD. Risinga View and Church View are new development areas in Giyani but are not incorporated into the city as yet. The CBD of Giyani is nicknamed "Ben store", as popularly referred to by the residents of the town. The District Municipality Council of Mopani seat is Giyani. Giyani is a city which is surrounded by a number of villages, which are administered by the Greater Giyani Municipality, which explains the rich Tsonga cultural activities surrounding the area. Prof. HWE Ntsanwisi, the former Chief Minister of Gazankulu played a vital role in establishing the city. Giyani is situated at the intersection between R578 road (South Africa) and R81. It 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 the northern portion of former 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. Giyani lies 470 km northeast of Johannesburg by road, 104 km from Tzaneen, 105 km from the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park and 35 km from Malamulele.
The 'Giyani Ward' at Elim Hospital was named after Giyani, the ward was opened in 1969 and the first Gazankulu Legislative Assembly was convened at the same time (1969) when the new ward at Elim Hospital was being opened, the Gazankulu Government, therefore, named the ward at Elim Hospital 'Giyani Ward' in honour of the Gazankulu Capital town. Six years later in 1975, the Gazankulu Government named another newly built Ward at Elim Hospital 'Valdezia Ward' in honour of the first Swiss Mission Station in Valdezia, 10 km east of Waterval township. The Swiss Missionaries did mission work amongst the Tsonga people in the Hlanganani district of the former Gazankulu homeland. Later, the Swiss missionaries expanded their mission work to a large Tsonga settlement at Masana in Bushbuckridge and at Shiluvana settlement near Tsaneng.