LIMPOPO – A community-driven campaign in Giyani has achieved a major victory after the national government approved the proposal to rename Middle Letaba Dam to N’wamanungu Dam.

The move follows a two-year battle led by Niketani Rikhotso from the Siweya royal family, a descendant of the N’wamanungu clan.

Why the dam name was challenged

Together with 15 other stakeholders, Rikhotso argued that the current Middle Letaba name did not represent the community in the area, and therefore, the dam should be named after Hosi N’wamanungu Siweya.

N’wamanungu is one of the Tsonga leaders with links to João Albasini, a Portuguese trader and elephant hunter who established trade routes between Delagoa Bay in Mozambique and the South African Lowveld in the 1800s.

Albasini is said to have become deeply involved with local Tsonga-speaking communities at the time, which led to him setting up a trading post at a place called Magashula’s Kraal around 1845, now known as the Albasini Ruins. This became one of the first European-linked settlements in the Lowveld and a hub for inland–coast trade, including ivory and other goods.

Hosi N’wamanungu Siweya, described by some Tsonga groups as a Tsonga warrior and leader, is said to have served under Albasini, helping facilitate trade. In that arrangement, N’wamanungu reportedly appointed several Tsonga headmen to work under his authority with Albasini’s approval.

Together, they created a kind of dual system of traditional authority in which Albasini held a paramount role influenced by colonial or trading power, while N’wamanungu and his clan administered Tsonga’s internal affairs.

This role has led many Tsonga speakers to view N’wamanungu as one of their kings and therefore believe that Middle Letaba Dam should bear his name since he ruled in the area.

Objections from the Nhlaniki royal family

Rikhotso’s proposal was, however, objected to by the Nhlaniki royal family, who argued that they were supposed to be consulted as well since the dam is also close to them. Rikhotso’s team, however, dismissed this, saying there was no need for such consultation because the dam falls under the Siweya royal family, and its name can only be decided by that community.

According to July Sithole, the spokesperson for the name-change committee, the first public participation event was conducted by the Limpopo Geographical Names Committee on 12 December 2023.

“A week after that public participation, we received reports that they [the Nhlaniki royal family] had submitted a 56-page formal objection, which singled out people like me and others as having ulterior motives for wanting the name change,” he said.

“This led to a second public consultation on August 8, 2024, after which the national government released a gazetted document on October 28, 2025, indicating that our proposal for the name change had been approved,” he said.

“However, according to the law, we had to wait for a 30-day notice period before we could do any activities related to the name change,” he explained. “So, we waited until November 28 to proceed. While waiting, we picked up an error in the classification and location of the dam, which we asked to be corrected.”

According to him, the correction was made on November 13, which means their waiting period before embarking on name-change activities ends on December 13, after which the name will be official.