Lebowakgomo, born to govern

Cooling time at Limpopo Entertainment Centre, one of Lebowakgomo's foremost fun venues for locals and visitors.

You undermine Lebowakgomo at your own peril! The former bantustan capital has over the years grown into a vibrant, modern town with adequate services and facilities - and, above all, the residents here are ambitious and hardworking people who want only the best in life.

Thanks to these factors, there's now a keen magnetic force in the heart of Lebowakgomo, forever pulling people and business to this town 45km southeast of Polokwane.

Lebowakgomo is relatively young, having founded only in 1974, on the pasture lands ceded to Lebowa government by Bakgaga ba gaMphahlele, the tribe to which Chief Minister Dr CN Phathudi belonged. But it waited till the 1980s to become Lebowa capital, taking over from Seshego.

As administrative town, Lebowakgomo was a black middle class settlement from the start, housing civil servants of the bantustan government and other professionals. Even after the end of the bantustan system in the early 1990s, Lebowakgomo continued to attract more professionals and entepreneurs who settled there because it was simply an attractive place to live in. And for this, modern services like private healthcare and private schools followed. A few years ago, a mall also opened in Lebowakgomo, and with it came Woolworths. Now, if you needed a sign about where the level of a town is, it does not get bigger than Woolies!

More oomph for Lebowakgomo is that the Lebowa government's legislature complex did not close with the end of the bantustan days but continued to serve the new provincial government of Northern Province - now Limpopo province - to this day. Without a doubt, legislature business is adding more shine to the town, so much that new settlements are springing up in and around it.

And even better, Lebowakgomo is still a capital, this time of Lepelle-Nkumpi local municipality.

There's more beauty about "Lebcow", or "Lecowza", as locals fondly refer to their town. I love its climate, which is warm even in winter. I spoke of facilities and services earlier; there's an SARS outlet, one of just four the whole province.

When in session, Limpopo legislature complex is a beehive of activity.

Lebowakgomo Stadium

Truth be told, this venue needs to be revamped to improve its suitability, more so to host PSL fixtures, which will go a long way to shoot up tourism revenue for this town. But there's hope. In his State of the District Address last year (25 May 2018), Capricorn district's executive mayor John Mpe said: "We are also working on plans to build a stadium in Lebowakgomo..."

The mayor was most probably speaking about the long approved upgrade of Lebowakgomo Stadium, whose first bidding deadline for contractors was way back on 12 November 2010.

Even Lepelle-Nkumpi Local municipality's 2017/2018 Integrated Development Plan, on Page 61, recognised the urgent need for Lebowakgomo stadium's revamp, saying the venue "is falling short of the required standard to host major events".

The same document, on Page 43, goes on to allocate project number for the "reconstruction of Lebowakgomo Stadium". The budget for Project LN17059 was set at R20,000,000.

Already the town has a professional football team in Baroka FC, whose campaign in the Premier League should directly benefit Lebowakgomo and surrounding communities. So, let's see this project start - today!

So, what brings me here?

I have friends here, including in neighbouring areas such as Zebediela and not so far-off Sekhukhune villages. I come here to visit the Chuene Recreation Resort, while sometimes I get here on my travels to far off parts of Limpopo and beyond. The R37 passing here takes me to Burgersfort and Mashishing Lydenburg, all the way to the Lowveld. Lebowakgomo is the last town for adventure travellers heading to the amazing nature secrets of Serala Wilderness and Legalameetse Nature Reserve via the Orrie Baragwanath Pass, which starts at GaMathabatha, a short drive down the R37. ZCC worshippers also use Lebowakgomo as alternative route to reach their destinations at Podungwana (for St Engenas) and Moria (the Star group). As a result, during the height of pilgrimage periods such as Easter, Lebowakgomo welcomes the travelling multitudes. There's plenty of accommodation and personally I have used two - Master's Guesthouse and Patong Lodge really take their businesses seriously. I used to come here for softball fixtures of Lebowakgomo Wildbeasts and Seleteng Giant Killers. Sadly, the one time successful softball league in Limpopo was allowed to collapse.

What to do in Lebowakgomo?

Moringa centre - the Moringa tree has been declared a miracle plant with cures for all sorts of ailments. For more about the medicinal properties of this tree and its other products, visit the World of Moringa centre at Mmakotse industrial complex. While there, don't be shy to ask for a cup of tea - Moringa tea of course!

Picnicking - for a more mature taste, a well-run venue such as Boiketlong Garden in Sepanapudi is the perfect place to chill. The venue is also a favourite facility for events such as weddings, private parties and Boiketlong can also host conferences. The local young set love Limpopo Entertainment Centre, a big venue with pools, including splash pool for kids, waterrides, and braai areas. It's also ideal for weekend family outings during the daytime, but in the evenings the centre takes a different direction...

Chuene Recreation Resort - The Chuene, as this facility is popularly known, is older but remains a favourite with locals and visitors like me. I love it for bringing the natural reserve outlook closer to the people, thanks to the Chuenespoort Dam which forms part of the resort.

Andy's Thatch Pub - if you are looking for a wild night out with the young set, with loud music and booze flowing all night, this is the place to be at. Andy's - located behind the civic centre - is also a favourite party venue, mostly featuring or organised by DJ crews. Its competion is Ko Khoneng Lecowza in Zone B. However, nite club issues aside, Andy's during the day at the weekend and quiet weekday evenings provide a splendid spot to drown cold ones!

Village chill - here I'm spoilt for choice; plenty of rural settlements to choose from - from Zebediela to GaMphahlele, and to GaChuene and GaMaja, both a bicycle ride to the north of town. My fun here is via weddings, other ceremonies and parties, which are completely public affairs. I just pop in and join the fun, make new friends and learn new things in life!

If you are lucky you may bump into a dinaka dance gathering in a village just walking distance from town.