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Valdezia
Albasini | |
|---|---|
  Valdezia  Valdezia | |
| Coordinates: 23°06′25″S 30°11′20″E / 23.107°S 30.189°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| District | Vhembe |
| Municipality | Makhado |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.41 km2 (6.34 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 7,516 |
| • Density | 460/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 99.9% |
| • Coloured | 0.1% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Tsonga | 87.9% |
| • Venda | 10.2% |
| • Other | 1.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 0935 |
| PO box | 0935 |
Valdezia is a sprawling rural settlement situated at the foothills of the Soutpansberg mountain range in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formerly known as Albasini before Swiss Missionaries renamed it Valdezia in 1875. The village itself was formally established in 1820 by Tsonga refugees who were fleeing despotic rule from Soshangane. It is roughly 10 km east of Elim Hospital in the Hlanganani district in the former Gazankulu homeland, South Africa. It was the site of a Swiss mission station, and it was named after the Swiss canton of Vaud.[2] Valdezia's population, according to the official census of 2011, currently stands at between 7,600 and 8,000 people. It is considered the birthplace of the written Tsonga language in South Africa.
- ^ a b c d "Main Place Valdezia". Census 2011.
- ^ Patrick Harries (2007). Butterflies & Barbarians: Swiss Missionaries & Systems of Knowledge in South-East Africa. James Currey Publishers. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-85255-983-3. Retrieved 24 August 2013.